
– OUR COFFEE ROASTING COURSE –
Our Coffee Roasting Course teaches skills that can be learnt and an art that can be developed. The transformation of the little green bean into an intense taste and aroma, that can be consistently repeated, is an essential skill in the development of your career in coffee.
The Scottish Barista Academy is the only barista academy in Scotland. In a beautiful location, our training room is specifically designed to meet the needs of our range of courses. We’ll give you our dedicated attention in small classes, perfectly designed to ensure you master the art of roasting.
Our roaster, with over 20 years experience in the industry, will take you through the world of roasting and show you how roasting coffee involves all your senses. He’ll help you understand the roasting process from the green coffee bean through to creating the perfect roast. Our trainer is a fully qualified SCA (Specialty Coffee Association) and City & Guilds trainer. His passion about coffee (and all things coffee related) shines through, and he will share this passion with you to ensure you have the best training and experience possible.
All our coffee roasting courses are certified by the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA), giving you a worldwide recognised qualification in the coffee industry. The SCA Roasting courses cover all elements of the roasting process through the roasting cycle, including how to identify the colour range of roasted coffee beans, as well as providing hands-on roasting practice.
You can study the Scottish Barista Academy Roasting courses at three levels:
SCA Coffee Roasting – Foundation: you will gain a good understanding of the roasting process.
SCA Coffee Roasting – Intermediate: builds on the foundation course, where you’ll be able to identify the physical changes that beans undergo during roasting.
SCA Coffee Roasting – Professional: develops your professional skills, gives you more hands-on experience and takes you further into the world of coffee roasting.
As our coffee roasting course is supported by an industry recognised qualification, it will help you continue on your chosen career path whether as a coffee shop roaster or managing the production process.
Click on the drop downs below to find out more:
FOUNDATION
Scottish Barista Academy Roasting Foundation
Course Duration: 1 Day – 9.30am to 4.30pm
Points Gained: 5
£395 with SCA Certificate
The SCA Roasting Foundation course is designed to introduce you to the core skills and equipment required to produce great roasted coffee.
By the end of the course, you will have a good understanding of the coffee roasting process, the key factors in heating control, and the roast cycle from light to dark roasting.
You will have the opportunity to gain hands-on practice in a small group with dedicated support from our SCA Certified trainer.
You will also have the option of SCA Certification to advance yourself with a worldwide career in one of the fastest growing industries in the UK.
The SCA certification involves practical and written exams.
Successful students in this course will gain 5 points towards the SCA Diploma.Is the SCA Roasting Foundation course for you?
This course is ideal for you if:
- you would like an introduction to coffee roasting
- you would like to gain a professional roasting qualification
- you are considering a career as a coffee roaster
You will learn about:
- Heat Transfer
- The Roasting Cycle
- The Control of Heat
- Repeating a Roast Profile
- How to Complete a Roast Log
- How to Determine Green Coffee Moisture Contents and Density
- How to Recognise First Crack (An audible popping sound heard during roasting.)
- Roast Development
Pre-requisites:
It’s recommended that you have attended:
- The SCA Barista Foundation Course
- The SCA Introduction to Coffee Course
On The Day:
- As with all our courses, we provide lunch. Please let us know if you have any dietary requirements
- Dress casually
TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS
- By Train: The nearest railway station to the Scottish Barista Academy is Livingston North. If you are arriving by train, please let us know the day before the course, and we will organise a pick up from the station.
- By Plane: We’ll pick you up from Edinburgh airport; just let us know your flight times.
- By Car: Parking is available at our premises EH54 6TW
Take the first step towards your new career in the coffee industry and choose your course from the dates below.
Contact us to find out more about our roasting training courses; we’d love to hear from you!

TESTIMONIALS
“When I decided that I would pursue my dream of starting a coffee shop, I searched for a barista school in Scotland since that was where I would be starting up. I received a call from Jim within hours of sending the email enquiry. We instantly connected and I made an appointment to meet him at the School. Jim has high standards and expects the same from his students. The biggest reward is the more effort I put in, Jim gives the support, advice and effort right back. I have gained a mentor and a friend and I will forever be thankful for his advice and indebted to him for the success and popularity of the coffee I make each day.”
Sean Elder
Seans Coffee & Catering
Roasting Foundation
INTERMEDIATE
Scottish Barista Academy Roasting Intermediate
Course Duration: 2 Days – 9.30am to 4.30pm
Points Gained: 10
£895 with SCA Certificate
The SCA Roasting Intermediate course is designed to build on the SCA Roasting Foundation course and is suitable for anyone already working in the profession, or with a good knowledge of the basic skills.
If you are a coffee professional and would like to expand your coffee roasting knowledge and refine your roasting techniques, then this is the course for you.
With cafes being one of the fastest growing businesses in the UK – cafes, fast food outlets and restaurants have gone up by 6,000 across England, Scotland and Wales, a growth of 9% since 2011 – now is an excellent time to develop your roasting skills.
By the end of the course you will have a good understanding of the roasting process, the key factors in heating control, and the roast cycle from light to dark roasting.
You will have the opportunity to gain hands-on practice in a small group with dedicated support from our SCA Certified trainer.
You will also have the option to become SCA Certified to advance yourself with a worldwide career in one of the fastest growing industries in the UK.
Successful students in this course will gain 10 points towards the SCA Diploma.Is the SCA Roasting Intermediate course for you?
This course is ideal for you if:
- you would like to gain advanced knowledge of coffee roasting
- you would like to gain a professional roasting qualification
- you are considering a career as a coffee roaster
- you are starting or expanding a coffee roasting business
You will learn about:
- Pyrolysis (the chemical decomposition of a condensed substance by heating, where the sugars in the coffee caramelise)
- Why Maillard Reaction Strecker Degradations (a chemical reaction between an amino acid and a reducing sugar, induced by heat in the coffee roasting process) are important in roasting
- The basics of controlling your roast development
- Maintenance of the roaster and how to stop a possible fire in your roaster
- Workspace management
- Lean production
On the final day, you have the option to take the SCA Intermediate Roasting exam, which involves both practical and written tests.
Pre-requisites:
It’s recommended that you have attended:
- The SCA Sensory Foundation Course
- The SCA Green Coffee Foundation Course
It’s optional that you have attended the SCA Green Coffee Foundation course.
On The Day:
- As with all our courses, we provide lunch. Please let us know if you have any dietary requirements
- Dress casually
TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS
- By Train: The nearest railway station to the Scottish Barista Academy is Livingston North. If you are arriving by train, please let us know the day before the course, and we will organise a pick up from the station.
- By Plane: We’ll pick you up from Edinburgh airport; just let us know your flight times.
- By Car: Parking is available at our premises EH54 6TW
Advance your career in the coffee industry and choose your course from the dates below.
Contact us to find out more about our roasting training courses; we’d love to hear from you!

TESTIMONIALS
“I’d been running Lochboisdale Café for six years and decided it was time to ‘up my game’ and provide a better coffee experience for my customers. I contacted The Scottish Barista Academy and chatted informally with Jim Watson to discuss my current set-up. He asked lots of questions about how I provided coffee and what I wanted to achieve and helped me decide the course best suited to me to take Lochboisdale Café to be THE place to go to for coffee on the Isle of Uist.
The Intermediate Barista course is not for the faint hearted but with Jims’ positive encouraging and humorous approach, he managed to tailor the course for me and for the other students on the course.
We all learned a lot and it opened my eyes to the wonderful world of coffee. I now understand the importance of a good on-demand grinder. I was previously using a domestic grinder wholly unsuited for the purpose.
It didn’t end there. He continued to provide advice and help afterwards – checking on my progress and giving me pointers to continue to improve.
Lunch is provided and I have to say it was one of the best I’ve ever had on a training course.
And the coffee was to die for!
Definitely an eye-opener into the wonderful world of coffee”
Anne MacLennan
Lochboisdale Café, Isle of Uist
Roasting Intermediate
PROFESSIONAL
Scottish Barista Academy Roasting Professional
Course Duration: 2.5 to 3 Days – 9.30am to 4.30pm
Points Gained: 25
£1125 with SCA Certificate
After crude oil, coffee is the most sought after commodity in the world, and the industry is worth $100 billion worldwide. It is even more sought after than gold.
World coffee production is estimated at 110 – 120 million bags per year.
More than 500 billion cups of coffee are consumed every year, and 14 billion of those are Italian espresso coffees.
Cafes, fast food outlets and restaurants have gone up by 6,000 across England, Scotland and Wales, a growth of 9% since 2011.
Wouldn’t you like to be a qualified professional in one of the fastest growing industries in the world?
The Scottish Barista Academy is Scotland’s only barista academy, and we run 4 professional courses every year.
The SCA Roasting Professional course is designed to build on the SCA Roasting Intermediate course and push your skills and knowledge to the highest level. The course takes on a more professional level and goes deeper into the world of roasting.
The course is suitable for anyone already working in the profession for two years or more and ready to advance their skills in roasting.
If you are a coffee professional and would like to expand your roasting knowledge and refine your roasting techniques, then this is the course for you.
You will have the opportunity to gain more hands-on practice in roasting sessions with dedicated support from our fully qualified trainer.
By the end of the course, you will have roasted three batches of the same coffee to a pre-determined colour range. You will understand the more subtle aspects of profile roasting and know how different parts of the roasting cycle affect the physical and chemical aspects of the coffee.
The Roasting Professional course will give you the skills to plan and execute quality control, create a product range that meets differing customer requirements, calculate production costs and plan and implement lean production.
You also have the option to become SCA Professional Roasting Certified to advance yourself with a career in one of the fastest growing industries in the world.
Success at this level will let any employer know that you’re highly skilled and have the knowledge and skills needed to become a manager within the industry.
Successful students in this course will gain 25 points towards the SCA Diploma.
Is the SCA Roasting Professional course for you?
This course is ideal for you if:
- you would like the skills and knowledge to become a manager in the industry
- you would like to gain advanced knowledge of coffee roasting
- you would like to gain a professional roasting qualification
- you are or want to become a coffee shop manager or roaster
- you are expanding a roasting business
- you need to plan and execute quality control
- you want to create a new product range
- you need to calculate production costs and execute production control
In this course we cover:
- Moisture density and size and how this impacts roasting strategies
- Health issues relating to green coffee
- The detailed dynamics of heat transfer and how they change during the roast
- Physical changes during the roast, including glass transition temperature
- Controlling acidity and bitterness through profile variations
- Bean genetics and natural environment
- Pre and post blending
- Measurement equipment and profile logging software
- Roaster management – purchase planning, lean production batch size requirements from years 1 to 3
- Pollution control
- Workshop design and management
- Maintenance scheduling
On the final day, you will have the option to take the SCA Roasting Professional certification exam, which involves both practical and written tests. There are 5 short practical exams and a written exam of consisting of 35 questions with a required pass rate of 80%.
Successful students in this course will gain 25 points towards the SCA Diploma.
Pre-requisites:
It’s mandatory that you have attended:
- The SCA Sensory Foundation Course
- The SCA Roasting Intermediate Course
It’s optional that you have attended the SCA Green Coffee Foundation course.
On The Day:
- As with all our courses, we provide lunch. Please let us know if you have any dietary requirements
- Dress casually
TRAVEL REQUIREMENTS
- By Train: The nearest railway station to the Scottish Barista Academy is Livingston North. If you are arriving by train, please let us know the day before the course, and we will organise a pick up from the station.
- By Plane: We’ll pick you up from Edinburgh airport; just let us know your flight times.
- By Car: Parking is available at our premises EH54 6TW
Advance your career in the coffee industry and choose your course from the dates below.
Contact us to find out more about our roasting training courses; we’d love to hear from you!

TESTIMONIALS
”Thank you for your terrific support for the Blue Fax Tea Room over the years of its operation. We have greatly benefited from your careful training and outstanding products.
Roy and Lorraine have run this successful business for 4 years. We had hoped it would continue under new ownership but this has not been possible. We will be retiring later this month and as such, our last full day of trading will be on Sunday 25th February 2018 from 10am – 4pm. If we are able to find that elusive buyer in the near future, we will be strongly recommending that they reactivate your services for their business.
We have thoroughly enjoyed our time in running this business and wish you and your customers all the very best for the future.
Roy & Lorraine Davey
Blue Flax Tea Room
This Course currently has no available dates.