Official SCA training · EN / ES

Taste first.
Then measure.
Then understand.

Official SCA courses, Q Grader training and practical guides from a Q Arabica Instructor with more than 10 years in specialty coffee. Based in Dubai, teaching worldwide, in English and Spanish.

Q Arabica InstructorSCA Authorized TrainerBased in Dubai · Teaching worldwide
  1. Taste

    Train your senses to notice what is in the cup.

  2. Measure

    Use data — ratios, extraction, temperature — to explain it.

  3. Understand

    Build your own judgment, so you no longer depend on recipes.

SCA Coffee Skills Program

Official SCA courses

The five modules of the SCA Coffee Skills Program, each at Foundation, Intermediate and Professional level, with an official SCA certificate. Taught in person in small groups; some modules are also available online.

Espresso, milk and workflow behind the bar: dial in, steam, pour and serve with consistency.

  • Foundation
  • Intermediate
  • Professional
In person · EN / ESJoin the waitlist →

Brewing variables, extraction and filter recipes you can repeat and adjust on purpose.

  • Foundation
  • Intermediate
  • Professional
In person · EN / ESJoin the waitlist →

Train your palate: taste, aroma, intensity and how to describe what you drink with confidence.

  • Foundation
  • Intermediate
  • Professional
In person · EN / ESJoin the waitlist →

Roast development, profiles and quality control, from the first crack to a repeatable roast.

  • Foundation
  • Intermediate
  • Professional
In person · EN / ESJoin the waitlist →

From farm to warehouse: species, processing, grading, storage and buying green coffee.

  • Foundation
  • Intermediate
  • Professional
In person · EN / ESJoin the waitlist →

Q Grader Evolved

The professional cupping credential for coffee quality, taught by a Q Arabica Instructor. Calibration, sensory exams and green grading to the international standard.

Intensive course · In person · EN / ESAsk about Q Grader →
Worldwide

We come to you.

Coffeeling Academy is headquartered in Dubai and works anywhere in the world. I travel to teach SCA and Q Grader courses, and to deliver training and consulting for cafés, roasters and producers, wherever you are.

Bring a course to your city

Guides you can start with today

Practical, downloadable guides in English and Spanish.

The Flavor Map
Free · Interactive

The Flavor Map

Explore coffee flavours from family to sub-family to descriptor, and mark what you find in your cup. Join the list to get the printable poster.

Open the map
Cupping at Home
Coming soon

Cupping at Home

Set up a professional cupping at your kitchen table, calibrate your palate and compare origins, processes and roasts.

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Nicolas Bernal at a cupping table, evaluating coffee samples
About

Hi, I'm Nicolas.

I've spent more than ten years in specialty coffee — roasting, quality control, green coffee buying and training baristas — with work across Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the United States.

As a Q Arabica Instructor and SCA Authorized Trainer, I teach coffee the way I learned to love it: tasting carefully, measuring honestly and understanding why. My goal is that you leave with your own judgment, not just someone else's recipe.

  • Q Arabica Instructor
  • SCA Authorized Trainer (AST)
  • Sommelier
  • 10+ years in specialty coffee
“A great cup is no accident. It's judgement, and judgement isn't memorised: it's trained.”
For businesses

Training and consulting for cafés and roasters

Headquartered in Dubai, available worldwide: team training, quality control, consulting and recipe development, in English or Spanish.

Write to us
Nicolas Bernal in Dubai
  • Barista team trainingConsistent quality from every person behind the bar.
  • Quality control & calibrationCupping protocols and shared standards for your team.
  • Menu & recipe developmentEspresso and filter recipes designed for your coffees.

Join the waitlist

Be the first to know about new course dates and get the free Flavor Map guide as soon as it's ready.