SCA BARISTA INTERMEDIATE COURSE
COMPREHENSIVE EXAM SCRIPT 2026
QUESTIONS AND FULL ANSWERS 100%
CORRECT
⩥ Flavour profile of Asian coffee? Answer: Earthy/spicy
⩥ How are coffee cherries picked? Answer: Strip-picked (doesn't
discriminate between ripeness) or hand-picked (more likely for specialty
coffee)
⩥ How are coffee cherries sorted? Answer: Floated on water channels -
ripe cherries sink so floaters can be removed
⩥ What does pulping involve? Answer: Removing the skin and fruit of a
cherry using a depulper
⩥ What does washing involve? Answer: Soaking the bean in tanks of
water to remove remaining fruit and then rinsing
⩥ What does drying involve? Answer: Laying out the bean or cherry in
the sun on raised beds, nets or patios
, ⩥ What does hulling involve? Answer: Removing dried fruit or
parchment from the green coffee bean
⩥ What does the natural process involve? Answer: Drying the whole
unwashed coffee cherry - as would happen in nature
⩥ What does the honey/pulp natural process involve? Answer: Pulping
the bean and then drying without washing
⩥ What does the washed process involve? Answer: Pulping and washing
the bean before drying
⩥ Taste profile of the natural process Answer: Low acidity, heavy body
⩥ Taste profile of the washed process Answer: Light flavours, light body
⩥ What is the Maillard reaction? Answer: A chemical reaction between
the amino acids and sugars in the bean that cause the browning of the
bean
⩥ How does roasting affect the flavour of coffee? Answer: Soluble
flavours are created during roasting, so the darker the roast, the more
soluble flavours are there
COMPREHENSIVE EXAM SCRIPT 2026
QUESTIONS AND FULL ANSWERS 100%
CORRECT
⩥ Flavour profile of Asian coffee? Answer: Earthy/spicy
⩥ How are coffee cherries picked? Answer: Strip-picked (doesn't
discriminate between ripeness) or hand-picked (more likely for specialty
coffee)
⩥ How are coffee cherries sorted? Answer: Floated on water channels -
ripe cherries sink so floaters can be removed
⩥ What does pulping involve? Answer: Removing the skin and fruit of a
cherry using a depulper
⩥ What does washing involve? Answer: Soaking the bean in tanks of
water to remove remaining fruit and then rinsing
⩥ What does drying involve? Answer: Laying out the bean or cherry in
the sun on raised beds, nets or patios
, ⩥ What does hulling involve? Answer: Removing dried fruit or
parchment from the green coffee bean
⩥ What does the natural process involve? Answer: Drying the whole
unwashed coffee cherry - as would happen in nature
⩥ What does the honey/pulp natural process involve? Answer: Pulping
the bean and then drying without washing
⩥ What does the washed process involve? Answer: Pulping and washing
the bean before drying
⩥ Taste profile of the natural process Answer: Low acidity, heavy body
⩥ Taste profile of the washed process Answer: Light flavours, light body
⩥ What is the Maillard reaction? Answer: A chemical reaction between
the amino acids and sugars in the bean that cause the browning of the
bean
⩥ How does roasting affect the flavour of coffee? Answer: Soluble
flavours are created during roasting, so the darker the roast, the more
soluble flavours are there
