SCA Q Grader study plan

Define from memory every SCA green-coffee defect in Category 1 (full) and Category 2 (secondary), including the count/weight rules that convert a defect into full-defect equivalents

Sort three 350 g green samples side by side and record each defect found with its name, category, and location in the sample

Calculate total full-defect equivalents for mixed samples containing both Category 1 and Category 2 defects

Trace each observed defect to its likely cause (genetic, insect, fungal, moisture, processing, storage) and the stage of the supply chain where it arises

Apply the specialty-grade defect thresholds to each sample and state pass or fail with justification

Grade three additional 350 g samples under a timer, finishing each within 15 minutes

Reproduce the SCA cupping form from memory, naming every attribute row, the 6-to-10 scale, and the definition of each anchor score

Apply the taint and fault deduction rules correctly to cupped samples that carry defects

Score two coffees on the full form and translate attribute scores into a final score that is arithmetically correct

Run 6-cup triangulation sets and record the odd cup in each trial, randomizing cup position to control for position bias

Hold constant dose, grind, water temperature, brew ratio, and cooling time across every triangulation set and document the controlled variables

Analyze error patterns across trials to identify whether misses cluster around temperature drift, position, or a specific attribute difference

Perform a basic taste-discrimination exercise separating sweet, sour, salty, and bitter in blinded solutions

Map each major organic acid in coffee (citric, malic, lactic, acetic, tartaric, quinic, phosphoric) to its taste quality, typical concentration range, and the flavors it contributes

Distinguish sourness from bitterness and astringency in blinded spiked solutions without relying on intensity alone

Spike a brewed coffee with known acids at graded concentrations and describe how each shifts the perceived cup

Explain how fermentation and roast level change the acid profile and what that means when scoring acidity on the cupping form

Name every major SCA flavor-wheel grouping and give three concrete examples inside each

Blind-identify aromas drawn from the enzymatic, sugar-browning, and dry-distillation families and classify each miss by family

Link specific aroma compounds (for example diacetyl, guaiacol, and the 3-mercapto-3-methylbutyl formate family) to the process or roast condition that produces them

Explain how acidity, sweetness, and bitterness interact so that one modality masks or amplifies another

Match roast color to SCA/Agtron tile values and identify a roast level from a tile comparison alone

Roast one coffee to three distinct levels on a sample roaster, hitting the intended level each time

Predict before cupping how each roast level will shift acidity, body, bitterness, and aroma, then check the prediction against the cup

Recalibrate after a miss by adjusting charge temperature, roast duration, or development time and re-roasting

Differentiate washed, natural, honey, wet-hulled, and anaerobic processing by mechanism and by cup signature

Compare at least four varieties (for example Typica, Bourbon, Geisha, Caturra/Catuai) on cup character, plant traits, and altitude requirements

Explain how altitude, latitude, soil, shade, and rainfall shift the profile of a coffee from the same variety

Cross-check three contrasting samples by cupping and match each to its declared process and variety

Recite the SCA certification and grading rules covering cupping judge conduct, calibration requirements, score validity, and conflict of interest

Score three coffees to within plus or minus 0.5 points of a reference calibration score

Audit your own earlier cupping forms for scoring drift, halo effect, and any bias introduced by knowing the coffee's identity

Sit a full-length mock exam and build a corrective plan for every domain under 80%