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.

Update (4.24.2026): SCA updated the Q Grader certificate with a refreshed visual style and a revised expiration date. Both versions are kept below.

Updated Q Grader certificate (4.24.2026)

Original Q Grader certificate

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.