NORTHERN COFFEE SCHOOL · COURSE MODULE · RSTSCA CERTIFIED · MANCHESTER · 2026
RST · roasting · at heart & graft

learn to
roast

From your first charge to managing a production line - roast curves, machinery, heat transfer and flavour, across three certified levels.

01 · foundation

Foundation

MIN 7 HRS · MIN 2 LEARNERS
02 · intermediate

Intermediate

MIN 21 HRS · INC. EXAM · MIN 2 LEARNERS
03 · professional

Professional

3 DAYS · MIN 2 LEARNERS
01
SCA · RST-FND

Roasting
Foundation

MIN 7 HRS · MIN 2 LEARNERS
£395

A broad understanding of the coffee roasting process. The physical changes a bean goes through during a roast cycle, managing flavour and aroma between light and dark, plus drum-roaster components, safety and maintenance.

who it’s for
  • Beginners, hobbyists and enthusiasts with little to no experience.
  • Budding production baristas and café team members.
prerequisites
  • None. This is the entry point to the roasting pathway.
note - An Introduction to Coffee course is recommended for context. Only people with 1+ year of professional roasting are advised to skip this introductory course.

What you’ll learn

Roaster Basics & Operation

  • Identify structural elements, controls and airflow of a drum roaster.
  • Learn the purpose of bean and air temperature probes.
  • Understand how rotation prevents scorching and ensures even heat.

Roasting Stages & Profile Logic

  • Track milestones from charge to turnaround point.
  • Follow moisture loss, colour shift and cracking events.
  • Record data to calculate weight-loss percentages and volume gains.

Flavour Control & Safety

  • Learn how final roast colour guides acidity, sweetness and bitterness.
  • Develop tasting skills to characterise light vs dark profiles.
  • Recognise hazards and apply maintenance and fire protocols.
what’s included
Instructor & trainer feesLab & production roaster accessPractice green coffee lotsHandoutsOfficial digital certification (on passing)All registration & exam fees
Dates, fees & places
Live availability - updates automatically
● LIVE
Check dates & bookAsk a question
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02
SCA · RST-INT

Roasting
Intermediate

MIN 21 HRS · INC. EXAM · MIN 2 LEARNERS
£795

Builds on Foundation for those with some experience - how a roast profile changes colour, taste and development time, the physical and chemical changes inside the machine, sample roasting, and safety.

who it’s for
  • Roasters moving to tracking roast curves and colour data.
  • Production assistants and QC staff stepping up technically.
  • Shop managers maintaining batch consistency.
prerequisites
note - Basic skills in tracking temperatures and recording data on a roast log are assumed.

What you’ll learn

Roast Profiles & Heat Control

  • Collect measurements on raw and roasted beans - size, moisture, density.
  • Learn burner energy adjustments versus probe readings.
  • Read curves to predict, manage and duplicate batch timing.

Chemical Shifts & Colour

  • Study browning reactions that break down sugars and change colour.
  • Use colour meters for objective whole-bean and ground values.
  • Set consistency ranges for the production line.

Engineering & Heat Transfer

  • Explore how air, heat and coffee move from hopper to cooling tray.
  • Compare convection, conduction and radiant heat.
  • See how temperature and airflow mistakes cause defects.

Flavour & Sample Management

  • Adjust acidity, sweetness and bitterness via roast level and timing.
  • Identify faults - sour vegetal or bitter, ashy tastes.
  • Run a sample roaster to evaluate contract lots.

Plant Safety & Storage

  • Set cleaning schedules to cut residue and fire risk.
  • Learn conditions to protect green coffee shelf life.
  • Review food-safety requirements and traceability.
what’s included
Instructor & trainer feesLab & production roaster accessPractice green coffee lotsHandoutsOfficial digital certification (on passing)All registration & exam fees
Dates, fees & places
Live availability - updates automatically
● LIVE
Check dates & bookAsk a question
See all dates on the calendar →
03
SCA · RST-PRO

Roasting
Professional

3 DAYS · MIN 2 LEARNERS
£1,100

Head Roaster level roasting - a deeper look at roast curves, machinery choices and advanced taste evaluation, plus designing coffee portfolios, costing the business and quality control across production lines.

who it’s for
  • Experienced roasters and production managers.
  • QC directors managing multiple machines or origins.
  • Consultants handling inventory, roastery design and costs.
prerequisites
note - SCA Sensory Skills Intermediate and SCA Green Coffee Intermediate are highly recommended.

What you’ll learn

Engineering & Heat Diffusion

  • Study how machine designs balance convection, contact and radiant heat.
  • Understand how heat travels from surface to core during drying.
  • See how moisture moves heat early, then forms barriers.
  • Identify defects like exterior scorching or tip burning.

Physical & Chemical Changes

  • Learn the glass-transition phase that lets beans swell, not shatter.
  • Understand how roast speed changes cell structure and extraction.
  • Study Maillard and caramelization behind colour, aroma and bitterness.
  • Track when acrylamide forms and breaks down.

Business & Production Management

  • Calculate the true cost of a bag across fuel, packaging and weight loss.
  • Use turnaround maths to size your roaster to production goals.
  • Weigh pre-roast vs post-roast blending.
  • Build QC with colour meters and trace sheets.
  • Understand how dark roasts speed oil and residue buildup.
what’s included
Instructor & trainer feesLab & production roaster accessPractice green coffee lotsHandoutsOfficial digital certification (on passing)All registration & exam fees
Dates, fees & places
Live availability - updates automatically
● LIVE
Check dates & bookAsk a question
See all dates on the calendar →

Find your pathway

Tell us where you are - total beginner, working barista, or aiming for Q - and we’ll map the right pathway through the school.

See upcoming datesTalk to a trainer

NORTHERN COFFEE SCHOOL · AT HEART & GRAFT COFFEE ROASTERY · MANCHESTER
SCA AUTHORISED TRAINING · CERTIFICATION ON SUCCESSFUL ASSESSMENT