Q Arabica Grader Skill Building Workshop

What are the skills that active Q Graders use in the workplace?

Cupping Skills

• Use a cupping form to clearly communicate the attributes of coffee samples 
• Correctly record and detail uniformity issues, defects, taints & faults  
• Score attributes appropriately and consistently with the calibrated Q Grader community 

Sensory Analysis Skills

Olfactory & Gustatory Skills

• Recall, classify and match fragrances and aromas commonly found in Arabica and Robusta coffee 
• Identify and recall taste modalities and flavors 
• Identify common acids that influence a coffee’s acidity 

Discrimination Skills

• Differentiate coffees by quality level 
• Differentiate coffees by roast level 
• Differentiate coffees by acidity 

This 2-Day Workshop was designed to build and practice the skills that are tested in the Q Grader Training and Exam Course. These skills are an integral part of being able to professionally evaluate coffee quality consistent with a global network of calibrated coffee professionals.

It is important to note that this workshop is not a pre-Q. The activities that we use to introduce, practice and evaluate skills are not the same test formats in a Q Grader course. The skills practiced and developed, however, are the skills that you will use in a Q Grader Exam Course. Our testing procedures evaluate your skills via sensory analysis testing that would be used in a quality assurance system.

Our skill building and skill evaluation methodologies are consistent with sensory science best practices and ISO definitions. The skills of identifying, matching, naming, describing and scoring are universal and can be taught and practiced in many ways. The test formats of the Q Grader course are proprietary to CQI. 

Skills you will practice and develop include:

• Using the Arabica cupping form correctly 
• Describing a coffee’s attributes (aroma, flavor, aftertaste, acidity, body & balance) appropriately
• Differentiating among, and correct reporting of, Off-Flavors and Flavor Defects 
• Differentiating among coffee quality levels along the Specialty Grade continuum  
• Recognizing and recalling fragrances and aromas commonly found in coffee 
• Recognizing and identifying acids found in coffee 
• Differentiating among, and correct reporting of, properly roasted and improperly roasted cupping samples 

Pre-course knowledge building materials include: 

• SCA & CQI Cupping Protocols  
• Sample Roast Protocols 
• Cupping Form Tutorial 

In-course skill building activities  

In-course skill building activities will introduce and practice Q Grader skills. Each skill building activity will have an assessment and feedback from Q Instructors, Q Assistant Instructors and Calibrated Q Graders. Skill areas include: 

Cupping Tables  

• One reference cupping table and two Q style cupping tables 
• Descriptive calibration with assessment and feedback 
• Statistical calibration with assessment and feedback 
• Proper detecting and recording of cupping defects 
• Use of the cupping form assessment and feedback 

Taste Modality 

• Explore threshold sensitivity to sweet, sour, salt, bitter and umami taste modalities 
• Recall and identify a single taste modality in an aqueous solution 
• Determine the component taste modalities in a blended aqueous solution 

Fragrance & Aroma 

• Learn and recall fragrances commonly found in coffee 
• Match and group similar fragrances 

Triangulation  

• Two Q style triangulation tables 
• Includes coaching, tips & strategies 

Coffee Acids 

• Learn and recall coffee acids 
• Identify coffee acids among cups of control coffee and acidified coffee 

Roast Sample Evaluation 

• Define flavor profiles of correctly and incorrectly roasted samples 
• Identify correctly roasted samples among cups of incorrectly roasted samples