QUESTION: Are Bunn coffee makers SCA certified? And what does it mean to be SCA certified? — Wyatt N.
ANSWER: The only coffee maker in the Bunn line that is currently SCA certified is the Bunn 10-Cup Programmable Coffee Maker. The Bunn Phase 8 cup Brew Coffee maker was certified in the past. Keep reading to find out more about SCA certification and what it means for coffee brewers to be SCA certified.
SCAA certification is awarded through the Specialty Coffee Association of America’s Home Brewer Program. However, you should understand the way their process works so you know exactly what certification means.
The SCA has certain requirements that they test coffee makers against. These coffee experts say that the requirements are integral to the coffee quality a coffee maker produces. You can view the guidelines in detail on the SCA website: http://www.scaa.org/?page=cert2&xid=17259,15700023,15700186,15700190,15700256,15700259,15700262.
The requirements for SCA certification include:
- Beverage clarity
- Beverage preparation
- Brewing temperature
- Brew time
- Coffee volume
- Holding receptacle and temperature
- Operating manuals and other instructional materials
- Uniformity of extraction
- Uniformity of performance
Coffee makers are also tested in the following areas as part of the certification process:
- Batch size
- Coffee
- Coffee to water ratios
- Grind
- Water
- Water supply
SCA certification therefore has become a benchmark in the coffee industry for high quality coffee maker performance. However, you should understand that in order to gain certification, a coffee maker company must submit their own application. They also must pay a $1800 testing fee and send the SCA between five and 10 machines in order to be considered for certification.
Not all companies will want to submit different models, pay an $1800 testing fee, and register with the SCA in order to be certified. So while the certification gives shoppers and coffee lovers a bit of assurance when they are looking for a coffee maker, the absence of certification should not be interpreted negatively. In other words, a great coffee maker could make excellent coffee and meet all the SCA standards and still not be certified.
Here’s a little more detail on each element of SCA certification.
Batch Size
In coffee machines undergoing SCA certification testing, batches at full capacity, at one liter of water, and, if one liter is maximum capacity, a batch at half a liter are brewed for analysis.
Beverage Clarity
The amount of sediment in brewed coffee is tested for each coffee maker seeking certification. If more than 75 milligrams of sediment per 100 milliliters of brewed coffee is detected, the applicant is disqualified from being SCA certified.
Beverage Preparation
This category tests whether a coffee maker can “produce a beverage with the prescribed range of solubles concentration and solubles yield,” according to the SCA. Testing will be done with the coffee maker holding its full capacity and with a brewing volume of one liter. Solubles concentration measures a beverage’s strength. Tested coffee makers must produce a beverage of between 1.15 percent and 1.35 percent concentration. In the brew basket, the coffee grounds’ solubles yield must be between 18 and 22 percent.
Brewing Temperature
The brewing cycle must send water through the coffee grounds within a certain brewing temperature range. Once the water hits the coffee grounds, it has one minute to reach the minimum temperature of 92 degrees Celsius or 197.6 degrees Fahrenheit. For the rest of the brewing cycle, the water must at least maintain this minimum, and it may also rise to a maximum of 96 degrees Celsius or 204.8 degrees Fahrenheit.
Brewing Time
When water is at maximum capacity, the brewing machine must be able to send the water through the coffee grounds within the prescribed time period of between four and eight minutes. Brewers that take more than eight minutes to complete a brew cycle cannot be awarded SCA certification.
Coffee
Coffee brewed by the SCA as part of certification testing is approximately one to one and a half weeks from roasting. According to the SCA, “Evaluations of minimum technical requirements … will be made using coffee beans in the medium roast range.” Coffees in the dark roast range will also be used in certification testing.
Coffee Volume
The brew basket’s volume must be properly aligned with the machine’s maximum capacity. The coffee grounds must not overflow the filter basket when they swell as part of the brewing process.
Coffee to Water Ratios
Coffee brewed for SCA certification testing is made at the ratio of 55 grams of coffee per liter of water, using the actual maximum water tank capacity provided by the brewer.
Grind
Coffee used in SCA certification testing must fall into appropriate grind size percentages as outlined by the SCA.
Holding Receptacle and Temperature
Brewing machines are tested to make sure that the water holding receptacle is large enough to hold the coffee brewed with the water at maximum capacity. Holding receptacles must maintain a temperature between 80 and 85 degrees Celsius, or 176 to 185 degrees Fahrenheit, for at least 30 minutes after brewing. The water must be maintained at the proper water temperature once it’s inside the holding receptacle, or the coffee machine will be disqualified from certification.
Operating Manuals and Other Instructional Materials
Materials evaluated in this category include all pamphlets, operating materials, or other instructional materials or promotional materials included with purchase of the coffee maker. There must be instructions on the ratio of coffee and water to use, and these instructions must result in coffee with the appropriate beverage clarity and extraction as defined in other categories. Cleaning instructions should also be included as part of the materials that accompany a brewing machine.
The SCA provides the company seeking certification suggested changes or additions to their materials. The brewing machine cannot be certified until the changes suggested by the SCA have been made.
Uniformity of Extraction
Coffee is brewed at maximum water capacity, then the grounds are analyzed to ensure the extraction process is uniform in the outside, middle, and inside of the brewer. The SCA has Uniformity of Extraction Procedures that assign a numerical score to the extraction uniformity.
Uniformity of Performance
Between five and 10 individual coffee makers are tested for uniformity of performance. Each individual brewing machine will be run for at least 10 separate brew cycles. The coffee resulting from the test cycles will be evaluated for solubles concentration and solubles yield. The concentration must fall between 1.15 and 1.35 percent, and the solubles yield must fall between 18 and 22 percent.
Water
Water used in preparing coffee for SCA certification testing must be 15 degrees Celsius (59 degrees Fahrenheit), give or take five degrees Celsius (41 degrees Fahrenheit). The water must also meet certain baselines for dissolved mineral content, and specifically hard minerals, as well as pH level.
Water Supply
According to the SCA, “For plumbed-in units, the water pressure will be controlled by a pressure regulator to maintain the minimum pressure designated by the manufacturer.”
Now you know which of the Bunn coffee makers are SCA certified as well as what SCA certification entails. Remember when shopping that SCA certification is voluntary, and to participate a company must register with the SCA, provide them with five to 10 brewing machines, and pay a testing fee of $1800. You should also be aware as you shop that SCA and SCAA are used interchangeably and both refer to the Specialty Coffee Association of America.