Quality grading
Q Grade (Q Arabica / Q Robusta) and Q Grader licence
The Q system is the specialty industry's grading credential. A 'Q grade' is a quality certificate for a particular lot of coffee issued under the Coffee Quality Institute's system, while a 'Q Grader' is a person licensed to score coffee; the licence has recently moved to the Specialty Coffee Association. The 80-point threshold mirrors the SCA definition of specialty coffee.
- Register
- Not openNo public register to check
- Founded
- not published
- Run by
- Coffee Quality Institute (Q coffee system, nonprofit); Specialty Coffee Association (Q Grader licence)
- Covers
- Farms and producer groups
What it requires
In this atlas's own wordsQ certificates apply to lots of coffee, not businesses: licensed Q Graders cup a green-coffee sample blind through an in-country partner, and lots meeting the green-grading and cup standard (specialty arabica scoring 80 points or more) receive a Q certificate. The related Q Grader licence certifies people: it is now issued by the SCA after a course and assessments and renewed every three years with continuing development.
Countries active
No country list recorded.
Checking a claim
The register
No open register
No register address recorded.
No public register of Q-certified lots or Q Graders was located; CQI's site lists a members-only database.
Logo use
Use of the Q Coffee mark is reported to require a separate licence from CQI; not confirmed on a fetched page.