Specialty Coffee Association
Q Grader Program
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Get started with coffee education through our certificate programs. Each program is designed to help you build expertise in different areas of the coffee industry.
SCA Q Grader Program
The Q Grader Program is specialty coffee’s leading license for professionals, encompassing cupping, sensory analysis, and green coffee evaluation.
Knowledge for Every Stage of Your Career
The Q Grader course curriculum prepares coffee professionals to demonstrate their ability to evaluate coffee by its physical, descriptive, affective, and extrinsic assessments. Graduates earn the globally respected Q Grader license, a mark of excellence recognized across the global coffee value chain.
Your Pathway to the Q Grader License
Whether you are new to the Q Grader Program or looking to take the fast track to the updated Q Grader or Q Instructor license, there are multiple pathways available. Follow the links below to learn more about each journey.
Q Graader
COURSE AT A GLANCE:
The Q Grader course is a six day intensive and assesses a learner’s readiness to evaluate coffee in a professional setting. Rooted in the Coffee Value Assessment, the curriculum is designed to allow experienced coffee professionals to demonstrate their ability to evaluate coffee by its physical, descriptive, affective, and extrinsic attributes.
The course includes 9 comprehensive exams (8 practical evaluations and 1 written assessment). During the course, learners are allowed two attempts to pass each exam^. All practical and written assessment must be passed in order to pass the course, and subsequently earn the first three-year license. Every three years, Q Graders are eligible to renew their license but will not need to take the full six-day course again to do so.
What does it mean to be a Q Grader?
Earning this prestigious license helps to signify that a coffee professional has the skills to make a comprehensive evaluation of coffee’s quality. A license holder is confirmed as having the sensory skills necessary to evaluate coffees at the highest level, and confirms that their knowledge includes the most modern understanding of how the industry evaluates quality.
What is the Q Grader License?
The Q Grader License is an internationally recognized credential for coffee professionals with experience in cupping and sensory analysis. It is issued by the Specialty Coffee Association, to individuals who successfully complete the Q Grader Course. The course ensures a learner’s comprehensive understanding the Coffee Value Assessment as well as their having precise coffee evaluation skills and a strong vocabulary for communicating coffee’s value.
How do you earn your Q?
Those with the necessary experience and knowledge can embark on their license journey by finding a Q Grader Course near them. Upon successful completion, they earn a license that validates their ability to evaluate coffee. Q Graders will be eligible to renew their license after demonstrating current knowledge and continued professional development every three years.
Unlock your professional potential.
Many companies consider the Q Grader license an essential qualification, demonstrating a person's ability to evaluate coffee quality rigorously. The license is a particular asset for someone pursuing a career in trading, sustainability, and quality control.
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Coffee Buyer
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Coffee Trader
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Coffee Quality Assessor
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Product Developer
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Sensory Scientist
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Quality Assurance
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Head Cupper
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Coffee Quality Specialist
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Quality Control Manager
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Head of Procurement
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Sustainable Sourcing Manager
Education
DAY 1
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Introduction to the Course
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Cupping: Key Concepts and Skills
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Introduction to Coffee Value Assessment
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CVA Physical Assessment and Form
DAY 2
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CVA Descriptive Assessment and Form (Part 1)
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Multi-Perspective Cupping
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Olfactory Category Examples
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Main Taste Solutions
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Physical Assessment Practical Exam
DAY 3
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CVA Descriptive Assessment and Form (Part 2)
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Triangulation Scenarios
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Incorrect Preparation
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Olfactory Category Examples Practical Exam
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CVA Descriptive Assessment and Form (Part 2)
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Triangulation Scenarios
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Incorrect Preparation
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Olfactory Category Examples Practical Exam
DAY 4
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Descriptive Assessment Practical Exam
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Triangulation Practical Exam
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CVA Affective Assessment and Form
DAY 5
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Roasting Problems Practical Exam
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Main Taste Solutions Practical Exam
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Affective Assessment Practical Exam
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CVA Extrinsic Assessment and Form
DAY 6
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Value Discovery
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End-of-Course Reflection and Review of Logistics
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
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Comprehensive understanding of the Coffee Value Assessment (CVA)
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Precise coffee evaluation skills, including physical, descriptive, affective, and extrinsic assessments.
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Heightened understanding of multi-perspective evaluation, including separating subjective and objective judgements
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Grasp of a strong shared vocabulary for communicating coffee’s value on a global stage
Meet The Trainer
A. Erhan Dizbay
Authorized SCA (Specialty Coffee Association) since 2016
Achivment:
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1st Place National Barista Championship 2026
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1st Place National Cup Tasters Championship 2026
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2nd Place National Barista Championship 2023
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2nd Place National Barista Championship 2022
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World Barista Championship Competitor Melbourne 2022
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Semi-Finalist at National Aeropress Championship 2022
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Semi-finalist at National Cup Tasters Championship 2022
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2nd Place National Barista Championship 2021
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2nd Place National Barista Championship 2020
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2nd Place NNBK Barista Championship 2019
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3rd Best Coffee Bar Dutch Hospitality Award 2018
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1st Best Coffee Bar of the State Dutch Hospitality Award 2018
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1st Best Coffee Bar in a Hotel Dutch Hospitality Award 2018
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Top 5 Entree Best Barista Competition of the Netherlands 2018
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1st place North Netherlands Barista Championship 2017-2018
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4th place National Barista Championship 2015
Specialty Coffee Association
Coffee Sustainability Program
Sustainability must be embraced by all actors in the value chain if the specialty coffee industry is to survive and thrive. The Coffee Sustainability Program is designed to explore what sustainability means and the challenges of acting sustainably across the coffee value chain.