About this Event
SCA Sensory Skills Intermediate
COFFEENØW, in collaboration with Flow Float, is excited to welcome Neo Cheung from Hong Kong for a special SCA Sensory Skills Intermediate course.
This 2-day intensive program is designed for coffee professionals who already have a foundation in sensory skills and want to develop a deeper, more structured approach to coffee evaluation.
Participants will explore more advanced sensory concepts through theory and practical exercises, with a focus on sensory perception, taste and aroma recognition, discrimination testing, triangulation, calibration, descriptive analysis, sensory bias, and professional coffee evaluation.
The course is ideal for baristas, roasters, café owners, competitors, coffee educators and other coffee professionals looking to improve the accuracy, consistency and confidence of their sensory evaluation skills.
Led by Neo Cheung, SCA Authorized Trainer, CQI Q-Grader and R-Grader, the program combines classroom learning with hands-on tasting, cupping and sensory exercises.
Go beyond tasting coffee — learn to evaluate, calibrate and communicate with confidence.
COURSE INFORMATION
Dates: October 13–14, 2026
Time: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM daily
Location: COFFEENØW
Unit 12, 185 Riviera Dr, Markham, Ontario
Course: SCA Sensory Skills — Foundation + Intermediate
Format: 2-Day Intensive Program
Course Fee: CAD $1,380 (email us and pay via e-transfer enjoy a 5% off)
WHAT IS SENSORY SKILLS?
Great coffee evaluation goes beyond simply saying, “I like it” or “I don't like it.”
Sensory skills give coffee professionals a structured way to understand, evaluate and communicate what they experience in a cup.
Throughout this intensive program, participants will explore how our senses influence coffee perception and learn how to identify, differentiate and communicate sensory characteristics with greater accuracy and consistency.
The course combines theory, tasting, cupping, sensory exercises and practical calibration.
INTERMEDIATE — GO DEEPER
After establishing the fundamentals, participants will progress into SCA Sensory Skills Intermediate.
This level develops greater accuracy, consistency and confidence in sensory evaluation, with more emphasis on practical application within the coffee industry.
Participants will explore areas such as:
- Sensory perception in greater depth
- Taste and aroma identification
- Sensory thresholds
- Discrimination testing
- Triangulation exercises
- Sensory calibration
- Descriptive sensory analysis
- Understanding bias in sensory evaluation
- Building consistency between evaluations
- Cupping and coffee comparison
- Communicating coffee quality
- Applying sensory skills to professional coffee environments
Participants will repeatedly taste, compare, discuss and calibrate, helping transform sensory theory into practical skills.
MEET YOUR TRAINER — NEO CHEUNG
Joining us from Hong Kong, Neo Cheung is a specialty coffee educator, sensory professional, competition judge, coach and competitor with extensive experience in coffee education and professional certification.
His credentials include:
- SCAA CQI Q-Grader Certification
- SCAA CQI R-Grader Certification
- SCAE Authorized Trainer
- SCAE Barista Certification Certifier
- SCAE Grinding & Brewing Certification Certifier
- SCAE Cupping & Sensory Certification Certifier
- SCAE Green Bean Certification Certifier
- SCAE Roasting Certification Certifier
Neo also brings extensive competition experience as both a competitor and judge.
His career highlights include becoming the 2024 China Coffee Cupping Competition – Hong Kong Champion and 2025–26 Hong Kong Runner-up, alongside judging and coaching experience across barista, sensory, AeroPress, siphon, latte art and other coffee competitions.
His combination of education + sensory + competition experience brings a practical perspective to the classroom beyond theory alone.
WHO IS THIS COURSE FOR?
This intensive program is ideal for people who want to develop a more professional and systematic approach to tasting coffee, including baristas, roasters, café owners and managers, coffee buyers, QC professionals, competitors and coaches, and serious coffee enthusiasts.
You don't need to be a competition-level coffee professional to start developing better sensory skills. The program begins with Foundation concepts before progressing into Intermediate material.
📍 COFFEENØW
Unit 12, 185 Riviera Dr
Markham, Ontario
ORIGINAL PRICE: CAD $1,380 (email us and pay via e-transfer enjoy a 5% off)
Limited seats are available to maintain an effective environment for tasting, sensory exercises and calibration.
Same coffee. Deeper understanding.
Event venue & nearby stays
185 Riviera Dr unit 12, 185 Riviera Drive, Markham, Canada
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.