Coffee Education

Leading through a global lens focused on our local community

Education is at the core of Pacific Coffee Research, where we offer science-based training for coffee professionals and enthusiasts. Our offerings include SCA and CQI certificate and license courses, as well as PCR-developed curriculum workshops covering everything from coffee tasting to roasting and brewing.

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July 2025
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SCA EDUCATION: Earn your SCA Diploma by taking courses in the SCA Coffee Skills and Coffee Sustainability Programs.

The Specialty Coffee Association’s Coffee Skills Program is the global standard in education for coffee professionals. The program consists of six different learning modules including a one-day Introduction to Coffee, and five specialist modules covering Barista Skills, Brewing, Green Coffee, Roasting, and Sensory Skills. Each of these is available in three levels: Foundation, Intermediate, and Professional. Points are awarded for successful completion of each level; once you have achieved 100 points, you will be awarded the SCA Coffee Skills Diploma.

This half-day course is for those new to coffee or simply curious to know more about specialty coffee. Introduction to Coffee is a survey course that covers coffee history, cultivation and processing, roasting, and brewing methods.

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Learn the essentials of sensory evaluation in a practical and interactive manner. Sensory Skills investigates the way we perceive flavor, taste, and aroma in coffee through palate development exercises and experiment design.

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green coffee

Gain practical skills relevant to the evaluation, trade, and handling of green coffee. Content of these courses include applicable aspects of botany, coffee farming, processing, grading, storage, transport, markets, certifications, contracts, and more.

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Coffee Sustainability Program

Explore what sustainability means and the challenges of acting sustainably across the coffee value chain. Anyone seeking a SCA Coffee Skills Diploma must take the Foundation level of this course.

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SPECIALTY COFFEE CLASSES

Join us for a range of classes in Hawaiʻi covering topics such as manual brewing, coffee cupping, barista skills, and coffee roasting. These workshops are perfect for coffee enthusiasts, professional baristas, roasters, coffee tasters, and anyone curious to learn more about coffee.

Our Lab is located on a working coffee farm in Kalaoa on Hawaiʻi Island and can accommodate groups of up to 12 people. We are a Specialty Coffee Association Premier Campus and our Lab contains a full array of commercial and home brewing equipment, commercial roasting equipment, and all sorts of tools to play with and explore. As we are located on a farm, please let us know if you’re interested in integrating a short farm tour into your coffee experience!

Brewing

Explore a variety of brewing methods and devices while being introduced to the science behind coffee extraction that will help you make better coffee! These workshops are perfect for home-brewing coffee enthusiasts and baristas ready to dive a bit deeper into understanding their daily brew. From manual brewing to latte art, we’ve got you covered.

Intro to Brewing
Latte Art

Roasting

Interested in becoming a coffee roaster? Already have a few roasts under your belt and want to improve your skills? Just curious about how coffee roasting works? These classes are for you! Discover the physical changes that occur during roasting while learning to operate commercial equipment under the guidance of our roasting team.

Roasting Fundamentals
Roast Theory & profiling
Roasting Techniques

Tasting & Sensory

Coffee contains hundreds of volatile chemicals that contribute to its taste, aroma, and texture. In these workshops we explore techniques used by sensory specialists to analyze and describe coffee. Taste coffees from across the island chain and learn to objectively analyze what differentiates one coffee from another.

Coffee in Hawai'i
Intro to Cupping
Cupping for Defects
Exploring the Coffee Flavor Wheel

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VIRTUAL WORKSHOPS

Can’t make it to Hawaiʻi? Check out our selection of workshops to enjoy from your own home! We will taste coffee together, learn about our sensory systems, play with brew methods, and learn all about coffee with the help of video conferencing.

Sensory Training

This 2-hour workshop is for anyone who’s interested in exploring their palate and how all our senses affect flavor perception. In our sensory training workshop, we discuss each of the sensory systems, explore the meaning of “flavor,” and talk about how we discover and describe flavor in food & beverages. This interactive workshop is full of brain science, fun sensory tricks, and exercises you can replicate on your own time! Required materials are simply clean water and a few drinking vessels.

$60 per person

Hawai'i Coffee Tasting

Join us for this online-version of one of our most popular classes! Experience the variety of taste and flavor that Hawaiʻi-grown coffee has to offer in this 2-hour tasting with four coffees from across the island chain. This workshop is ideal for those interested in tasting Hawaiʻi-grown coffees and learning about our local industry without the price tag of a Hawaiʻi vacation. Some coffee brewing equipment is needed for this workshop, so please check our calendar listing for all the details.

$60 per person

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  • © 2025 PACIFIC COFFEE RESEARCH
  • PO Box 1969, Kealakekua, HI 96750
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