Sensory skills intermediate
20,21 October 2025
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- Meet the Instructor: Maryam Tabatabaei
Description
Refine Your Palate with the SCA Sensory Skills Intermediate Course
Are you ready to move beyond basic tasting and start analyzing coffee like a true professional? In fact, our SCA Sensory Skills Intermediate course builds upon the foundational level. Therefore, it is designed for those who want to develop a deeper, more nuanced understanding of sensory evaluation. This program will sharpen your palate and give you the tools to describe coffee with professional precision.
Who Should Take This Intermediate Course?
We designed this course for dedicated coffee professionals and serious enthusiasts. As a result, a solid grasp of basic cupping protocols is essential.
Prerequisites: You must have completed the SCA Sensory Skills Foundation course. However, equivalent practical experience in regular cupping is also a suitable starting point. This course is for you if you want to:
- Move from simply identifying flavors to understanding their intensity and quality.
- Learn how to set up and manage a professional sensory panel.
- Furthermore, calibrate your palate with other coffee professionals.
- Ultimately, advance your career in a role that requires sensory analysis, such as a roaster or green coffee buyer.
Your SCA Sensory Skills Intermediate Curriculum
This course dives deep into the technical and scientific aspects of sensory analysis. Instead of just tasting, you will learn how to measure and interpret sensory information. Key topics include:
- Sensory Science: We explore the physiology and psychology of flavor perception in much greater detail.
- Cupping Calibration: You will participate in multiple cupping sessions designed to calibrate your scoring with other professionals.
- Bias & Panel Management: Learn to identify and mitigate common biases in sensory evaluation and understand the basics of running a sensory panel.
- Advanced Descriptors: We move beyond the basics of the Flavor Wheel to explore more complex flavor attributes and profiles, as defined by the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA).
Your Path to Advanced Sensory Skills
Upon passing the exams, you will earn the globally recognized SCA Sensory Skills Intermediate certificate. Consequently, this credential demonstrates your ability to evaluate coffee with a high degree of professional competence. For any questions, please contact us.
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Advanced Flavor Analysis:
Go beyond the basics by learning how to deconstruct and describe complex flavor profiles in coffee. Develop a deeper sensory memory through repeated tasting and guided evaluation. -
Aroma Identification:
Sharpen your olfactory skills through practical exercises involving isolated aromatic compounds. Learn to distinguish and describe coffee aromas using the World Coffee Research Sensory Lexicon and tools like the Le Nez du Café kit. -
Sensory Triangulation:
Participate in triangulation tests—blind tastings where subtle differences in aroma, taste, and mouthfeel must be identified. Improve your sensory discrimination and confidence in making judgments under pressure. -
Evaluation of Coffee Defects:
Learn to identify common sensory defects such as phenol, ferment, moldy, and earthy off-notes. Understand their causes, sensory indicators, and impact on cup quality and score. -
Sensory Analysis in Quality Control:
Explore how sensory skills are applied in quality control protocols across the supply chain—from green coffee grading to roasted product evaluation. Learn to use standardized forms and cupping procedures to ensure consistency. -
Sensory Calibration and Consistency:
Refine your ability to align with industry cupping standards and calibrate with other tasters. Develop consistency through group exercises, blind cuppings, and feedback.
By the end of this course, students will be better equipped to contribute to cupping panels, quality control teams, and sensory-focused roles in the coffee industry with both accuracy and confidence.
Maryam is the Head of Education at Mattina Artisan Roastery, and a certified SCA Authorized Trainer (AST), Q Arabica Grader, and Q Instructor & CVA for cuppers. With years of hands-on experience in education and as a national judge at World of Coffee Dubai, Maryam brings both technical depth and engaging instruction to her sensory classes. She is known for helping students sharpen their sensory skills through practical, insightful, and methodical training.
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