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SCA Q Grader study materials
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SCA Q Grader practice questions

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Question 1Green Coffee Grading and Defect Identification

What is the standard sample size used for green coffee defect grading under SCA protocol?

  1. 100 g
  2. 500 g
  3. 350 g Correct answer.
  4. 250 g

Explanation

SCA green coffee grading uses a 350-gram sample, and defects found in that sample are expressed as full-defect equivalents. The same sample size is used when comparing a lot with grade limits.

Question 2Green Coffee Grading and Defect Identification

Which of the following is classified as a Category 1 full defect?

  1. Broken bean
  2. Foreign matter Correct answer.
  3. Minor insect damage
  4. Hull/husk

Explanation

Category 1 defects are full defects and count one-for-one. Foreign matter is one of the Category 1 defects, along with black bean, sour bean, fungus damage, and severe insect damage.

Question 3Green Coffee Grading and Defect Identification

Which of the following is classified as a Category 2 partial defect?

  1. Foreign matter
  2. Broken bean Correct answer.
  3. Black bean
  4. Sour bean

Explanation

Category 2 defects are partial defects, and five of them equal one full defect. Broken, chipped, and cut beans belong in this group.

Question 4Green Coffee Grading and Defect Identification

How many broken beans are equivalent to one full defect?

  1. 5 Correct answer.
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4

Explanation

Broken, chipped, and cut beans are Category 2 partial defects. Five of them equal one full defect for the purpose of the defect count.

Question 5Green Coffee Grading and Defect Identification

For Specialty Grade, how many Category 1 defects are permitted in a 350 g sample?

  1. 3
  2. 0 Correct answer.
  3. 5
  4. 1

Explanation

Specialty Grade requires zero Category 1 defects and no more than five Category 2 full-defect equivalents in a 350 g sample. A single Category 1 defect disqualifies the lot from Specialty Grade.

Question 6Green Coffee Grading and Defect Identification

What is the generally accepted target moisture range for green coffee?

  1. 6–8%
  2. 10–12% Correct answer.
  3. 13–15%
  4. 8–10%

Explanation

Green coffee is normally traded at about 10–12% moisture. Below 10% beans may crack and fade, while above 12% mold and quality loss become more likely.

Question 7Green Coffee Grading and Defect Identification

A screen size of 16 corresponds to a round-hole diameter of about:

  1. 7.14 mm
  2. 6.35 mm Correct answer.
  3. 5.16 mm
  4. 7.94 mm

Explanation

Screen sizes are stated in sixty-fourths of an inch, so screen 16 is 16/64 inch, or about 6.35 mm. Screens 14 and 18 correspond to about 5.56 mm and 7.14 mm.

Question 8Green Coffee Grading and Defect Identification

A green bean that is entirely black and opaque is graded as:

  1. Fungus damage
  2. Partial black
  3. Black bean Correct answer.
  4. Sour bean

Explanation

A fully black, opaque bean is a black bean, a Category 1 full defect. It usually reflects bean death from frost, overheating, or severe fermentation.

Question 9Green Coffee Grading and Defect Identification

In a 350 g sample, 20 broken beans and 2 black beans are found. What is the full-defect total?

  1. 5
  2. 4
  3. 7
  4. 6 Correct answer.

Explanation

Twenty broken beans count as four full defects because five partials equal one full defect. Adding the two black beans gives a total of six full defects.

Question 10Green Coffee Grading and Defect Identification

Severe insect damage, a Category 1 defect, is defined as a bean with:

  1. 1–2 holes
  2. a single crack
  3. 3+ holes Correct answer.
  4. a chipped edge

Explanation

In SCA classification, severe insect damage is a Category 1 full defect and is defined by three or more holes or equivalent tunnel damage. Beans with one or two holes fall under minor insect damage, a Category 2 partial defect.

Question 11Green Coffee Grading and Defect Identification

A bean with one or two insect holes is classified as:

  1. Severe insect damage
  2. Broken bean
  3. Fungus damage
  4. Minor insect damage Correct answer.

Explanation

Beans with one or two insect holes are classified as minor insect damage, a Category 2 defect; five such beans equal one full defect. Three or more holes move the bean into severe insect damage, Category 1.

Question 12Green Coffee Grading and Defect Identification

Which defect is most associated with over-fermentation and a vinegar-like odor?

  1. Black bean
  2. Fungus damage
  3. Sour bean Correct answer.
  4. Foreign matter

Explanation

Sour beans are typically yellowish-brown, waxy, and vinegary in odor, reflecting excessive fermentation or microbial activity. They are a Category 1 full defect.

Question 13Green Coffee Grading and Defect Identification

Visible mold and a musty odor on green beans indicate:

  1. Immature bean
  2. Hull/husk
  3. Fungus damage Correct answer.
  4. Sour bean

Explanation

Fungus damage is identified by visible mold, musty odor, or discoloration from fungal growth. It is a Category 1 full defect because of food-safety and cup-quality risks.

Question 14Green Coffee Grading and Defect Identification

Which item is classified as foreign matter in green coffee grading?

  1. A small stone Correct answer.
  2. A chipped bean
  3. A sour bean
  4. A hull fragment

Explanation

Foreign matter includes stones, sticks, glass, metal, and other non-coffee material. Each piece is a Category 1 full defect.

Question 15Green Coffee Grading and Defect Identification

A whole dried coffee cherry remaining in the sample is graded as:

  1. Pod/cherry Correct answer.
  2. Broken bean
  3. Hull/husk
  4. Foreign matter

Explanation

A whole dried cherry or pod is graded as pod/cherry and counts as one full Category 1 defect. It is distinct from hull/husk, which is only dried skin or parchment.

Question 16Green Coffee Grading and Defect Identification

Specialty Grade allows a maximum of how many Category 2 full-defect equivalents per 350 g?

  1. 3
  2. 4
  3. 6
  4. 5 Correct answer.

Explanation

Specialty Grade permits zero Category 1 defects and up to five Category 2 full-defect equivalents in a 350 g sample. Exceeding five full-defect equivalents fails the defect standard.

Question 17Green Coffee Grading and Defect Identification

A sample contains 5 broken beans, 5 hull/husk pieces, and 1 sour bean. What is the full-defect equivalent?

  1. 1
  2. 3 Correct answer.
  3. 2
  4. 4

Explanation

Five broken beans and five hull/husk pieces each equal one full defect. The sour bean is itself a Category 1 full defect, so the total is three.

Question 18Green Coffee Grading and Defect Identification

Green beans from unripe cherries are typically:

  1. pale and thin Correct answer.
  2. large and dense
  3. dark blue-green
  4. covered in parchment

Explanation

Beans from unripe cherries are immature: pale, thin, and low in density. After roasting, they often appear as pale quakers.

Question 19Green Coffee Grading and Defect Identification

Which odor in green coffee is considered a defect?

  1. medicinal Correct answer.
  2. floral
  3. grassy
  4. neutral

Explanation

Green coffee should have a clean, neutral odor. Medicinal, phenolic, musty, or chemical odors are defects that can carry into the cup.

Question 20Green Coffee Grading and Defect Identification

To reduce mold risk in stored green coffee, water activity should be kept below about:

  1. 0.85
  2. 0.95
  3. 0.60 Correct answer.
  4. 0.75

Explanation

Water activity measures free water available for microbial growth; keeping green coffee below about 0.60 reduces mold risk. Moisture content and water activity are related but not identical measures.

Question 21Green Coffee Grading and Defect Identification

In older grading terminology, primary defects correspond to which SCA category?

  1. Category 2 partials
  2. Category 1 full Correct answer.
  3. Screen-size grading
  4. Foreign matter only

Explanation

Older grading language called full defects primary defects and partial defects secondary defects. In SCA terms, primary defects correspond to Category 1.

Question 22Green Coffee Grading and Defect Identification

A 350 g sample contains 3 black beans, 10 broken beans, and 5 hull/husk pieces. What is the full-defect total?

  1. 6 Correct answer.
  2. 7
  3. 5
  4. 8

Explanation

Three black beans are three full defects; ten broken beans equal two full defects; five hull/husk pieces equal one. The total is six full defects.

Question 23Green Coffee Grading and Defect Identification

Quakers are pale, unripe-tasting beans that are identified:

  1. by moisture meter
  2. by screen size
  3. by water activity
  4. after roasting Correct answer.

Explanation

Quakers are unripe beans that remain pale after roasting and taste papery or grassy. They are identified on the roasted sample, not during green bean defect counting.

Question 24Green Coffee Grading and Defect Identification

The hull/husk defect consists of:

  1. an insect tunnel
  2. parchment or skin Correct answer.
  3. a broken endosperm
  4. a blackened embryo

Explanation

Hull/husk is dried parchment or skin remaining attached to the bean after milling. It is a Category 2 partial defect, with five pieces equal to one full defect.

Question 25Green Coffee Grading and Defect Identification

Which pairing of defect category and counting rule is correct?

  1. Cat 2: one bean = one defect
  2. Cat 1: five beans = one defect
  3. Foreign matter: five pieces = one defect
  4. Cat 2: five beans = one defect Correct answer.

Explanation

Category 2 partial defects are counted at a ratio of five beans per one full defect. Category 1 defects count one-for-one, and each piece of foreign matter counts as a full defect.

Question 26Sensory Skills and Olfactory Identification

Which basic taste is elicited primarily by L-glutamate and by nucleotides such as inosine monophosphate?

  1. Saltiness
  2. Sourness
  3. Umami Correct answer.
  4. Bitterness

Explanation

Umami is the savoury taste produced by glutamate, and it is strongly amplified by 5'-ribonucleotides such as inosine monophosphate and guanosine monophosphate. It is accepted as a basic taste alongside sweet, sour, salty and bitter.

Question 27Sensory Skills and Olfactory Identification

Volatile compounds released from coffee inside the mouth travel up the nasopharynx and stimulate the olfactory epithelium. Which route of perception does this describe?

  1. Retronasal olfaction Correct answer.
  2. Orthonasal olfaction
  3. Gustatory adaptation
  4. Trigeminal irritation

Explanation

Retronasal olfaction occurs when volatiles released from food or drink in the mouth pass behind the palate to the olfactory epithelium. Orthonasal olfaction is the same epithelium being stimulated from the front, by sniffing.

Question 28Sensory Skills and Olfactory Identification

Which of these is a chemesthetic (trigeminal) sensation rather than a basic taste or an odour?

  1. Sourness
  2. Bitterness
  3. Floral aroma
  4. Astringency Correct answer.

Explanation

Astringency is a tactile sensation of drying and puckering caused by compounds that bind salivary proteins, and it is carried by the trigeminal system. Bitterness and sourness are basic tastes, and floral notes are olfactory.

Question 29Sensory Skills and Olfactory Identification

In the Le Nez du Café aroma reference set, the family that contains smoky, burnt and ashy references is:

  1. Aromatic taints (chemical, medicinal)
  2. Dry distillation Correct answer.
  3. Enzymatic
  4. Sugar browning

Explanation

Dry distillation aromas arise from pyrolysis of the bean mass at high temperatures and include smoky, burnt, ashy and tarry notes. The other families cover green/vegetal notes, caramel and nutty notes, and chemical off-notes respectively.

Question 30Sensory Skills and Olfactory Identification

Caramel, toasted almond and malt-like aromas in roasted coffee are generated mainly by which reactions?

  1. Sugar browning reactions during roasting Correct answer.
  2. Dry distillation of the bean mass
  3. Microbial fermentation on the drying bed
  4. Enzymatic reactions in the green bean

Explanation

Sugar browning, meaning Maillard reactions and caramelisation, converts sugars and amino acids into the caramel, malt and toasted nut volatiles typical of roasted coffee. These reactions require roast heat and do not occur to any meaningful degree in the green bean.

Question 31Sensory Skills and Olfactory Identification

Which compound is most closely associated with a buttery, butterscotch-like aroma in coffee?

  1. Geosmin
  2. Diacetyl Correct answer.
  3. Furfural
  4. Trichloroanisole

Explanation

Diacetyl is the classic buttery, butterscotch or creamy note in coffee and is also familiar from butter-flavoured popcorn. It is a fermentation-related volatile that can read positively in small amounts.

Question 32Sensory Skills and Olfactory Identification

An earthy, muddy, beet-like off-aroma in green or brewed coffee is most often attributed to which compound?

  1. Ethyl acetate
  2. Geosmin Correct answer.
  3. Diacetyl
  4. Acetaldehyde

Explanation

Geosmin is a potent earthy compound produced by actinomycetes and moulds, and it is detected at extremely low concentrations. It is the reference compound behind muddy, beet-like and freshly turned soil off-notes.

Question 33Sensory Skills and Olfactory Identification

After a cupper has sniffed the same aroma vial for a minute or more, its intensity fades noticeably. This phenomenon is called:

  1. Adaptation Correct answer.
  2. Potentiation
  3. Cross-adaptation
  4. Sensitisation

Explanation

Adaptation is the temporary reduction in responsiveness to a stimulus after sustained exposure to it. It is why cuppers pause, move away from the cup and return later rather than sniffing continuously.

Question 34Sensory Skills and Olfactory Identification

The lowest concentration of a substance that a taster can reliably identify and name is known as the:

  1. Recognition threshold Correct answer.
  2. Terminal threshold
  3. Difference threshold
  4. Detection threshold

Explanation

The recognition threshold is the concentration at which a stimulus can be identified by name, and it is higher than the concentration at which it is merely noticed. The detection threshold is the point at which something is present but not yet identifiable.

Question 35Sensory Skills and Olfactory Identification

Adding a small amount of sodium chloride to a solution typically has which effect on the bitterness perceived in it?

  1. It intensifies the bitterness
  2. It has no measurable effect
  3. It suppresses the bitterness Correct answer.
  4. It converts bitterness into sourness

Explanation

Low concentrations of sodium chloride suppress perceived bitterness while often enhancing sweetness and saltiness. This suppression is one reason a pinch of salt is used in cooking to make bitter notes less prominent.

Question 36Sensory Skills and Olfactory Identification

On the SCA cupping form, the attribute scored as 'Fragrance' refers to the smell of:

  1. The dry ground coffee before water is added Correct answer.
  2. The brewed coffee after it has cooled
  3. The wet crust immediately after hot water is added
  4. The spent grounds left in the cup

Explanation

In the SCA protocol, Fragrance is evaluated on the dry grounds in the cup before water is poured, while Aroma is evaluated on the wet crust after hot water is added. The two are scored separately because they reflect different stages of volatile release.

Question 37Sensory Skills and Olfactory Identification

A triangle test is used in sensory evaluation primarily to determine whether:

  1. A panelist can rank samples by preference
  2. Two samples differ in a specific attribute intensity
  3. A detectable difference exists between two products Correct answer.
  4. A taster can name a reference aroma correctly

Explanation

In a triangle test the panelist receives three coded samples, two identical and one different, and must identify the odd one. A statistically significant number of correct selections indicates that an overall difference is detectable.

Question 38Sensory Skills and Olfactory Identification

Tasters given two identical sucrose solutions, one dyed red and one left clear, often rate the red one as sweeter. This best illustrates:

  1. Visual and expectancy effects on taste Correct answer.
  2. A trigeminal response to the colourant
  3. A difference in the actual sugar concentration
  4. Olfactory adaptation to the sucrose

Explanation

Colour creates an expectation about flavour, and that expectation biases the reported intensity of the taste. This is why cuppers work blind and why samples are presented in identical vessels under neutral light.

Question 39Sensory Skills and Olfactory Identification

Which acids are most closely associated with the clean, bright sourness perceived in brewed coffee?

  1. Sulfuric and nitric acids
  2. Citric and malic acids Correct answer.
  3. Butyric and caproic acids
  4. Palmitic and stearic acids

Explanation

Citric and malic acid are the fruit acids most associated with a bright, clean sour impression in coffee. Their perception shifts as the brew cools and as the balance with sweetness and bitterness changes.

Question 40Sensory Skills and Olfactory Identification

Which pair contributes most to the bitterness of a roasted coffee brew?

  1. Citric and malic acids, the main fruit acids
  2. Sucrose and fructose, the main bean sugars
  3. Diacetyl and acetaldehyde, the main volatiles
  4. Caffeine and chlorogenic acid lactones Correct answer.

Explanation

Caffeine and the lactones formed from chlorogenic acids during roasting are the principal bitter contributors in brewed coffee. Bitterness is a desirable component up to a point, beyond which it is read as harsh or ashy.

Question 41Sensory Skills and Olfactory Identification

Which practice best helps a cupper limit olfactory fatigue across a long table of samples?

  1. Sniffing each sample deeply and repeatedly for several minutes
  2. Refreshing the nose by sniffing one's own sleeve or skin Correct answer.
  3. Eating a strongly flavoured snack between cups
  4. Evaluating all samples at the hottest possible temperature

Explanation

Brief exposure to a neutral reference such as one's own skin or sleeve gives the olfactory system a reset between samples. Long, repeated sniffing of the same cup accelerates adaptation and reduces discrimination.

Question 42Sensory Skills and Olfactory Identification

A taster who finds PROP intensely bitter and who has a very high density of fungiform papillae is generally classed as a:

  1. Specific anosmic
  2. Trained panelist
  3. Non-taster
  4. Supertaster Correct answer.

Explanation

Heightened bitterness from PROP or PTC, together with a high density of fungiform papillae, defines the supertaster phenotype. This variation in sensitivity is genetic and affects how strongly bitterness is reported.

Question 43Sensory Skills and Olfactory Identification

Adding a vanilla or caramel odour to a low-sugar solution increases the sweetness that tasters report. This is an example of:

  1. Odour-induced taste enhancement Correct answer.
  2. Taste potentiation by trigeminal irritation
  3. A lowered detection threshold for sucrose
  4. Cross-adaptation between odorants

Explanation

Odours that are cognitively associated with sweetness can raise the sweetness reported for a solution even when the sugar level is unchanged. This cognitive association is one reason aroma quality is central to perceived sweetness in coffee.

Question 44Sensory Skills and Olfactory Identification

Cuppers slurp the sample forcefully because this action:

  1. Removes bitter compounds by aerating the brew
  2. Spreads coffee over the palate and carries volatiles to the nose Correct answer.
  3. Raises the temperature of the liquid so that more acids are released
  4. Neutralises the taster's palate between successive samples

Explanation

Slurping atomises the liquid so that it coats the tongue, palate and throat and releases volatiles that reach the olfactory epithelium retronasally. It increases exposure of the whole mouth to the sample rather than altering its chemistry.

Question 45Sensory Skills and Olfactory Identification

A panel is asked to place five brews in order from least to most bitter, without rating the size of the differences. This is a:

  1. Triangle test
  2. Ranking test Correct answer.
  3. Paired comparison test
  4. Descriptive profile

Explanation

A ranking test asks panelists to order several samples along one specified attribute and records only the order, not the magnitude. It is quick and useful for screening, but it gives no information about the size of the gaps.

Question 46Sensory Skills and Olfactory Identification

Why is the traditional 'tongue map' considered incorrect?

  1. Taste buds respond to odours as well as to dissolved molecules
  2. Bitter is only perceived on the tip of the tongue
  3. Sweet receptors are located only on the soft palate
  4. All five tastes can be detected across most of the tongue Correct answer.

Explanation

The original map came from a mistranslation and poor methodology; modern testing shows every basic taste can be detected over most of the tongue's surface. Sensitivity varies slightly by region, but there are no exclusive zones.

Question 47Sensory Skills and Olfactory Identification

Astringency is perceived as a drying, puckering sensation because the responsible compounds:

  1. Block the flow of volatiles to the olfactory epithelium
  2. Bind directly to bitter receptors on the circumvallate papillae
  3. Bind salivary proteins and reduce the lubricity of saliva Correct answer.
  4. Raise the pH of the oral cavity above neutrality

Explanation

Astringent compounds such as polyphenols and chlorogenic acid derivatives cross-link salivary proteins, so the film of saliva loses its lubricating quality. The resulting friction is felt as dryness and puckering rather than tasted.

Question 48Sensory Skills and Olfactory Identification

Which statement about olfactory receptor neurons is correct?

  1. They number roughly the same in every adult human
  2. They are replaced continuously throughout adult life Correct answer.
  3. They are replaced only when the olfactory epithelium is injured
  4. They are identical in function to taste receptor cells

Explanation

Olfactory receptor neurons turn over continuously from a population of basal stem cells, and each new neuron regrows its axon to the olfactory bulb. Taste receptor cells also renew, but the two systems detect different classes of stimulus.

Question 49Sensory Skills and Olfactory Identification

Repeated exposure to one odorant raises a taster's threshold for a different but related odorant. This is:

  1. Self-adaptation
  2. Cross-adaptation Correct answer.
  3. Cross-modal suppression
  4. Sensory sensitisation

Explanation

Cross-adaptation occurs when adaptation to one odorant reduces sensitivity to another odorant that shares receptor or perceptual properties. Self-adaptation refers to reduced sensitivity to the same odorant that was presented.

Question 50Sensory Skills and Olfactory Identification

The principle that perceived intensity grows as a power function of stimulus concentration is known as:

  1. Stevens' power law Correct answer.
  2. Beidler's taste receptor equation
  3. Fechner's logarithmic law
  4. Weber's law of just noticeable differences

Explanation

Stevens' power law relates judged intensity to physical concentration through an exponent that differs by modality. It replaced the earlier logarithmic formulation because it fits a wider range of sensory data, including taste and smell.