Q Grader Certification

I am glad to share that I earned the Q Grader certification—the industry standard for calibrated sensory evaluation and Arabica green-coffee grading.

Together with my classmates, we were the first cohort of certified Q Graders in Chengdu. That milestone matters for our city’s specialty coffee community: it establishes a local bench of graders who can evaluate and describe coffee against the same framework used internationally.

The Q program pushes cupping discipline, defect recognition, and scoring alignment across triangulation, roast identification, organic acids, and green grading. Finishing it was demanding and rewarding in equal measure.

Scenes from the journey:

I look forward to putting these skills to use in cupping, sourcing conversations, and helping others build confidence on the table.