SCA Intermediate Barista Skills UPDATED
ACTUAL Exam Questions and CORRECT
Answers
Which plant does coffee come from? - CORRECT ANSWER - The Coffea genus of the
Rubiaceae family of flowering plants - shrubs or small trees (4-7 foot tall)
Name 5 species of coffee - CORRECT ANSWER - Arabica (66%), Canephora/Robusta
(33%), Liberia, Racemora, Eugenioides
What is the origin myth for coffee? - CORRECT ANSWER - Discovered by a goat herder
in Ethiopia in the 1300s - discovered a change in his goats
What is Typica? - CORRECT ANSWER - The oldest variety of coffee - discovered in
Ethiopia
What is Bourbon? - CORRECT ANSWER - Natural mutation of Typical - on the island of
Reunion (known as Bourbon)
What is Timor Hybrid? - CORRECT ANSWER - Natural hybrid of Arabica and Robusta -
discovered Timor
What are SL28/SL34/SL14? - CORRECT ANSWER - Bred by Scott Labs in Kenya in the
1930s - high-quality, resilient, fruity
What is Pacas? - CORRECT ANSWER - Found in 1949 in the Santa Ana region of El
Salvador
What is Gesha/Geisha? - CORRECT ANSWER - Wild Ethiopian coffee - cultivated in
Central America
, Flavour profile of African coffee - CORRECT ANSWER - Floral/fruity
Flavour profile of South American coffee - CORRECT ANSWER - Nutty/chocolatey
Flavour profile of Asian coffee - CORRECT ANSWER - Earthy/spicy
How are coffee cherries picked? - CORRECT ANSWER - Strip-picked (doesn't
discriminate between ripeness) or hand-picked (more likely for specialty coffee)
How are coffee cherries sorted? - CORRECT ANSWER - Floated on water channels - ripe
cherries sink so floaters can be removed
What does pulping involve? - CORRECT ANSWER - Removing the skin and fruit of a
cherry using a depulper
What does washing involve? - CORRECT ANSWER - Soaking the bean in tanks of water
to remove remaining fruit and then rinsing
What does drying involve? - CORRECT ANSWER - Laying out the bean or cherry in the
sun on raised beds, nets or patios
What does hulling involve? - CORRECT ANSWER - Removing dried fruit or parchment
from the green coffee bean
What does the natural process involve? - CORRECT ANSWER - Drying the whole
unwashed coffee cherry - as would happen in nature
What does the honey/pulp natural process involve? - CORRECT ANSWER - Pulping the
bean and then drying without washing
ACTUAL Exam Questions and CORRECT
Answers
Which plant does coffee come from? - CORRECT ANSWER - The Coffea genus of the
Rubiaceae family of flowering plants - shrubs or small trees (4-7 foot tall)
Name 5 species of coffee - CORRECT ANSWER - Arabica (66%), Canephora/Robusta
(33%), Liberia, Racemora, Eugenioides
What is the origin myth for coffee? - CORRECT ANSWER - Discovered by a goat herder
in Ethiopia in the 1300s - discovered a change in his goats
What is Typica? - CORRECT ANSWER - The oldest variety of coffee - discovered in
Ethiopia
What is Bourbon? - CORRECT ANSWER - Natural mutation of Typical - on the island of
Reunion (known as Bourbon)
What is Timor Hybrid? - CORRECT ANSWER - Natural hybrid of Arabica and Robusta -
discovered Timor
What are SL28/SL34/SL14? - CORRECT ANSWER - Bred by Scott Labs in Kenya in the
1930s - high-quality, resilient, fruity
What is Pacas? - CORRECT ANSWER - Found in 1949 in the Santa Ana region of El
Salvador
What is Gesha/Geisha? - CORRECT ANSWER - Wild Ethiopian coffee - cultivated in
Central America
, Flavour profile of African coffee - CORRECT ANSWER - Floral/fruity
Flavour profile of South American coffee - CORRECT ANSWER - Nutty/chocolatey
Flavour profile of Asian coffee - CORRECT ANSWER - Earthy/spicy
How are coffee cherries picked? - CORRECT ANSWER - Strip-picked (doesn't
discriminate between ripeness) or hand-picked (more likely for specialty coffee)
How are coffee cherries sorted? - CORRECT ANSWER - Floated on water channels - ripe
cherries sink so floaters can be removed
What does pulping involve? - CORRECT ANSWER - Removing the skin and fruit of a
cherry using a depulper
What does washing involve? - CORRECT ANSWER - Soaking the bean in tanks of water
to remove remaining fruit and then rinsing
What does drying involve? - CORRECT ANSWER - Laying out the bean or cherry in the
sun on raised beds, nets or patios
What does hulling involve? - CORRECT ANSWER - Removing dried fruit or parchment
from the green coffee bean
What does the natural process involve? - CORRECT ANSWER - Drying the whole
unwashed coffee cherry - as would happen in nature
What does the honey/pulp natural process involve? - CORRECT ANSWER - Pulping the
bean and then drying without washing
