The SCA Just Took Over The Q Grader Exam

For over two decades, the Coffee Quality Institute has administered the Q Grader exam, a rigorous certification program that trained coffee professionals on how to evaluate and score coffee. More than just about any other certification in coffee, passing the Q has always been viewed as a monumental feat. And inarguably the most difficult.

And now, the Specialty Coffee Association has assumed control of the Q exam from the CQI.

Announced vis press release yesterday, April 24th, Q Grader program will transition to the SCA in a “historic partnership” that will “provide better support and more accessible educational opportunities to the coffee industry.” The CQI will have no involvement in the Q after October 1st, when the SCA officially owns and operates the exams.

In what the SCA calls the “Evolved Q Grader program,” the exam will be built on the Coffee Value Assessment, the SCA’s answer to the Q they rolled out in 2023 that is described as “an innovative evaluation system… that expands coffee assessment to encompass flavor and the many other attributes that make a coffee special.”

“Coffee is more than a score. The partnership between SCA and CQI to evolve the Q Grader program is the latest milestone towards delivering on the SCA’s purpose to MAKE COFFEE BETTER,” said Yannis Apostolopoulos, CEO of the Specialty Coffee Association. “Upon completion of the program, Q Graders holding the evolved, CVA-based license will set the standard for modern coffee evaluation. Through a system that takes a holistic view of value in coffee, they’ll play a key role in driving progress in the global specialty coffee industry.”

The Q was the crown jewel in the CQI’s curriculum, and without it the future of the non-profit as well as its Q instructors is unclear. The CQI still has their post-harvest processing courses, but that is still evolving and comprises a small portion of their educational calendar. Also in need of clarification is how the takeover will affect current Q graders, who were required by the CQI to re-certify ever three years. For current Q holders and instructors, the CQI has offered some guidance on what the future looks like via an FAQ page.

For more information, visit the SCA’s Evolved Q Grader page.

Zac Cadwalader is the managing editor at Sprudge Media Network and a staff writer based in Dallas. Read more Zac Cadwalader on Sprudge.