Coffee tasters: learn how difficult it is for coffee tasters to know qgreder Coffee Q

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In the catering industry, the general saying is that the chef determines the taste of the food, and the concept seems to be the same with fine coffee: the barista is the key to determining the final flavor of the coffee. In fact, this statement is not quite true. Compared with the chef, baristas can control fewer factors on the bar and can only present the flavor of a cup of coffee through extraction rate, time and dose. The formation of coffee flavor depends on the first link before brewing: roasting. However, if the potential flavor of coffee beans is mediocre, no matter how clever the baker can make them into amazing coffee beans. Therefore, for a good cup of coffee, its raw beans must have a lot of "potential" waiting to be discovered by bakers and baristas. The responsibility for identifying the hidden potential of farmers' hard-growing coffee beans falls on the Q Grader coffee cup tester.

Q Grader is the person who guards the quality of raw beans, using cupping to evaluate, grade and grade each bean at the export stage, so that other buyers of raw coffee have a basic concept of the flavor of beans, and then they can plan the corresponding baking methods to bring out the potential of beans. The Q Grader certification system is designed by CQI (Coffee quality Association) to evaluate the quality of exported coffee beans in a language commonly used in the industry. Due to the use of common evaluation language and standards to determine the quality and price of coffee, the price of coffee will be more transparent and fair, and there will be no justification. Since Q Grader also rates coffee ("boutique" for a score above 80), it also encourages farmers to grow better quality coffee to sell at a good price.

There are tens of thousands of baristas around the world, and Q Grader has only a few thousand. From this number, you can see how difficult it is to qualify. At first, the Q Grader certification system was only used for Arabica bean Arabica, but now it also covers Robusta Robusta, all because the high quality Robusta should be discovered and given the status of "boutique coffee".

So what does the Q Grader exam cover? Candidates must complete 20 tests within 6 days and can only obtain certificates if they pass all the tests. If you fail the test, you may require a retake within 6 days of the course, or a make-up exam within 18 months after the end of the course. The validity period of the Q Grader certificate is 3 years. Before the expiration of the certificate, students must take a correction course (Q Grader Re-Calibration Course) to extend the validity of the certificate.

These 20 tests include:

​ Coffee Comprehensive knowledge examination (1 test)

Sensory skills test (3 tests)

Olfactory skills test (4 tests)

Cup test skills test (4 tests)

Triangle cup test skill test (4 tests)

Organic acid control test (1 test)

Arabica Raw Bean grading Test (3 tests)

Grading test of Arabica baked beans (1 test)

Baking degree identification (1 test)

There is no end to learning, even in the relatively small field of boutique coffee, there is a myriad of knowledge waiting for people to absorb. Being able to pass the Q Grader qualification will prove that your skills in this field have improved to a higher level.