SCA Roasting Foundation introduces roasting stages, basic profiles and safety practices in seven hours of course learning. Prepare by learning the terms used in your course, reading the worked roast record below and arranging supervised practice with an Authorized SCA Trainer (AST).
What the SCA Roasting Foundation covers
It is the entry level of the SCA's roasting course: roughly 7 hours of learning, in person or by distance, covering roasting stages, basic roast profiles and safety practices.
Foundation is the introductory level of the Roasting module. It is available in person or through distance learning; confirm the practical arrangements with your trainer.
Passing the assessments earns an individual course certificate. Roasting Foundation contributes toward the Café, Roastery, Trade and Sustainable Coffee diploma pathways, which combine several courses.
- Understand roasting stages — the phases a roast moves through and what changes in the beans at each one.
- Follow basic profiles — read and work with a documented roast curve rather than designing your own.
- Apply safety practices — safe habits around roasting equipment, taught and supervised in the course.
Sources used: Education - Courses — Specialty Coffee Association — Roasting course cards and pricing explanation; Education - Diplomas — Specialty Coffee Association — How diplomas and assessments work
How the three roasting levels progress
Foundation builds vocabulary and safe basics; Intermediate adds consistency and profile control; Professional covers production roasting and quality programs, and requires the Intermediate certificate.
The level descriptions show increasing emphasis on control, consistency and production. Use them to discuss a suitable starting point with your trainer.
Professional requires the Intermediate Certificate in CSP Roasting. The current pages do not establish Foundation entry conditions; confirm what applies to you. The hours in the table are course learning time.
| Level | Duration | Delivery | Official focus |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foundation | 7 hours | In person or distance | Roasting stages, basic profiles, safety practices |
| Intermediate | 14 hours | In person, or a mix of in-person and distance | Control roast development and consistency: adjust profiles, match roast levels, heat transfer |
| Professional | 21 hours | In person, or a mix of in-person and distance | Custom roast profiles, production roasting, quality control |
Sources used: Education - Courses — Specialty Coffee Association — Roasting course cards and pricing explanation; SCA Roastery Diploma: current required courses and levels — CSP Roasting levels, prerequisite, and Roastery Diploma totals
Assessment format and what you pay
SCA describes practical and written assessments. Confirm your course’s format and complete price with the trainer.
The current pages reviewed here do not give this module’s question count, task timings, passing scores or retake rules. Ask the trainer for those details and how practical work is assessed in your delivery format.
Pricing is set by the trainer, not the SCA. A course price bundles the trainer's tuition, materials and delivery with an SCA course enrollment fee, which is a smaller portion of the total and depends on your pricing group. The trainer may or may not cover that SCA fee. Request an itemized quote so you know exactly what is included, including whether assessments are covered.
Sources used: Education - Courses — Specialty Coffee Association — Roasting course cards and pricing explanation; Education - Diplomas — Specialty Coffee Association — How diplomas and assessments work
Preparing for the three official topics
Review stage vocabulary and sample records, then practise operation and safety routines under trainer guidance.
Roasting stages: use the stage names and markers taught in your course. As a study task, watch a trainer demonstration or supplied recording and note the changes you can observe at each stage.
Basic profiles. A roast profile is a documented record of the roast, and roasters track more than a single temperature line. An SCA lecture on using roast data as business intelligence lists what roasters typically capture: batch weights, temperature curves, how fast temperature rises, phase and total times, and after the roast, bean color, moisture and cupping results. Reading real or sample records with those categories in mind is preparation you can do entirely on paper.
Safety practices: learn the routines for the equipment used in your course through the trainer’s instructions and supervised practice. A paper exercise does not demonstrate safe machine operation.
- Learn the stage names and descriptions used in your course materials before the first session.
- Practice reading sample roast records: weights, temperature curve, time markers, and post-roast observations.
- Write down safety questions to raise with your trainer rather than testing anything on your own.
Sources used: SCA Roastery Diploma: current required courses and levels — CSP Roasting levels, prerequisite, and Roastery Diploma totals; #51: Using Your Coffee Data as Business Intelligence to Deliver Quality, Consistency, and Control | Expo 2018 Lectures — Roast data parameters roasters capture
Practice reading a roast record
Calculate mass loss from the starting weight, then explain the limits of that measurement.
This original exercise supplies a fictional batch and the formula. Try it before revealing the answer.
Practice exercise
A trainer shares a sample roast record from a demonstration: 1,200 g of green coffee was charged into the roaster, and 1,020 g of roasted coffee was dropped. Using the record-keeping formula mass loss % = (green weight − roasted weight) ÷ green weight × 100, calculate the batch's mass loss, and explain what this figure does and does not tell you about the roast.
Show the answer
The mass loss is 15%. The 180 g of weight lost divided by the 1,200 g green charge equals 0.15, which is 15%.
Subtract the roasted weight from the green weight: 1,200 − 1,020 = 180 g lost. Divide by the starting green weight — 1,200 g, not the 1,020 g finished weight — to get 0.15, then multiply by 100 for 15%. If you divided by the roasted weight instead, you would get about 17.6%, which answers a different question: loss relative to the finished batch rather than the charged one. The 15% entry is a factual record line, not a quality verdict. On its own it cannot tell you whether the roast was too fast, too dark or well developed, and it should never trigger a machine adjustment by itself. Judging the roast needs the rest of the record too — the time-temperature curve and post-roast observations such as color, moisture and cupping results, which the SCA lecture identifies as the data roasters track alongside weight. This batch is fictional for practice; 15% is not a recommended target.
Choose your next preparation step
Compare your experience with the course topics and ask for the practice you need.
If roasting terms and basic profiles are new, start by reviewing the course materials and sample record. If you already adjust profiles and compare roast colors, discuss the Intermediate topics with your trainer.
Before booking, confirm the course format, assessment terms, total price and supervised equipment access. Use SCA’s Course Finder for available dates.
Sources used: Education - Courses — Specialty Coffee Association — Roasting course cards and pricing explanation; SCA Roastery Diploma: current required courses and levels — CSP Roasting levels, prerequisite, and Roastery Diploma totals; Education - Diplomas — Specialty Coffee Association — How diplomas and assessments work
Sources used
Checked against SCA pages: