SCA Q Grader case studies
SCA Q Grader · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The Q Grader is a professional coffee-quality credential administered through the Coffee Quality Institute (CQI), a non-profit organization working internationally to improve the quality of coffee and the lives of people who produce it. It sits inside CQI's broader Q Certification program, which is aimed at the people who buy, sell, grade and improve coffee along the value chain. The SCA Q Grader case studies are 5 cases and about 4,135 words.
1One Sour Bean, Two Categories: Sorting a Lot Offered as Specialty
A 30-bag lot of washed Caturra from Huila arrives with a mill QC sheet reading 'Screen 15+, 0 full defects, Specialty grade'. You draw one 350 g green sample, spread it on a black tray under 5000 K light and sort it bean by bean.
851 words, about 4 min2Uniformity 10 With a Taint in Cups 2 and 4
A Q grader cups a washed Kenyan lot (Nyeri, SL28/SL34, roasted 24 hours before, Agtron 58) on a 5-cup table. The form reads: Fragrance/Aroma 8.5, Flavor 8.75, Aftertaste 8.25, Acidity 8.75, Body 8.5, Balance 8.75, Uniformity 10, Clean Cup 10, Sweetness 10.
767 words, about 4 min3Seven of Twelve: Calling Significance on a Triangle Test
A roastery's QC lead runs a triangulation to decide whether two drum profiles, A and B, should stay as separate products. Twelve trained staff each receive one triangle: two cups of A, one of B, coded, randomized, served at 60 °C, instruction 'pick the odd cup'.
802 words, about 4 min4Vinegar at the Rim: Is This High Acidity or a Defect?
Two lots from the same Costa Rican farm, different fermentations. Lot A is a 24 h washed ferment: lemon and citric lift, a green-apple middle, juicy and transparent.
819 words, about 4 min5Is It Geisha? A Variety Claim With No Paperwork
A broker offers six bags of 'Panama Geisha, washed, Boquete, 91-point potential' at roughly 40% below the going price for that name. The offer sheet lists screen 14/15, moisture 10.9%, water activity 0.55.
896 words, about 4 min