QUESTION: What does it mean for a coffee maker to be SCA certified? I keep seeing notations on coffee makers I’m considering that say SCA certified or SCAA certified. What’s the difference, and what does this mean? — Tara B.
ANSWER: You may see notes on coffee packaging or in product descriptions online that designate coffee makers as SCA or SCAA certified when you’re shopping for a coffee maker. You might have also seen lists of the best certified coffee makers. We’re ready to delve into exactly what this means. Just keep reading.
What’s the Difference Between SCA Certified and SCAA Certified?
First things first: There is no difference between SCA Certified and SCAA Certified coffee makers. Both these abbreviations refer to the Specialty Coffee Association of America. The Association is sometimes simply referred to as the Specialty Coffee Association, which is where the confusion stems from.
What Does SCA Certified or SCAA Certified Mean for a Coffee Maker?
The Specialty Coffee Association has set certain requirements for coffee makers that they say are connected to the quality of brewed coffee. You can view these requirements at the SCA’s website.
They include guidelines for the following:
- Beverage clarity
- Beverage preparation
- Brewing temperature
- Brewing time
- Coffee volume
- Holding receptacle and temperature
- Operating manuals and other instructional materials
- Uniformity of extraction
- Uniformity of performance
The coffee makers are tested by the SCA to see how they perform in the following areas:
- Batch size
- Coffee
- Coffee to water ratios
- Grind
- Water
- Water supply
Coffee makers that meet these requirements and perform well in testing are awarded SCA certification. That means that the certification comes along with some level of confidence when you purchase an SCA certified coffee maker.
However, you should know that coffee makers must register with the SCA and pay a testing fee of $1800 in order to be considered. They must also send multiple coffee makers to the SCA to be used in testing. This means that the absence of SCA certification shouldn’t be interpreted as indicating anything about the coffee maker’s quality. Some companies, for whatever reason, won’t be interested in submitting their coffee makers for testing.
What Coffee Makers Are SCA Certified?
The following coffee makers are currently SCA certified:
- Behmor Brazen Connected 8 Cup Coffee Maker
- Behmor Connected Brewer or Behmor Connected Coffee Brew System
- Bonavita Coffee Maker (model BV1900TS)
- Bonavita BV1900TD 8-Cup Digital Coffee Brewer
- BUNN 10-Cup Programmable Coffee Maker
- Cuisinart PurePrecision Pour Over Coffee Brewer
- KitchenAid Coffee Maker KCM0802
- KitchenAid Pour Over Coffee Brewer (model KCM0801OB)
- OXO On 9-Cup Coffee Maker
- OXO On 12-Cup Coffee Maker
- Technivorm Moccamaster
- Wilfa Precision Coffee Maker
Now you know that there’s no difference between SCA certification and SCAA certification. You’ve also learned exactly what SCA certification means for a coffee maker. If you’re interested in more details about the testing or requirements for certification, you can follow the link provided above to the SCA website.
Learn More About SCA Certified Coffee Machines
https://www.delonghi.com/en-us/faqs/What-does-SCA-Certified-mean/a/80870
https://sca.coffee/certified-home-brewer
http://www.scaa.org/?page=cert2&xid=17259,15700023,15700186,15700190,15700256,15700259,15700262