I'm interested in starting a roasting business later down the road. I've been looking into the q grader certification, and unfortunately all the classes/exams are quite a distance away from me. I'm not seeing any online courses and exams, but maybe I'm not looking hard enough. Also, I'm wondering how serious I should be about about getting this certification before I start selling. Is this something all roasters absolutely have to have to be reputable or is this just mainly for importers.
Thanks for any advice! So glad I found this forum!!
hey Ambwinin.
Just quick information about Q grader certification. EVEN IF YOU LOOK SUPER HARD ENOUGH, YOU WILL NEVER FIND ONLINE COURSES on Q Graders!!!!!! Because you can not take testing on "aroma" "taste" & "texture" for cupping via computer screen... ha ha ha
to be a Q grader, you have to get min of 70% accuracy on 5 triangulation (90 cups for cupping). 1 triangulation is 18 cups of coffee for cupping. 1 triangulation is made of 3 tests. one test is 6 cups of coffee cupping.
One Test (3 cups + 3 cups) = 6 cups : in 3 cups, two are the same and one is different coffee. you have to be able to tell which one does not belong. So in 6 cups, there are 2 cups with same coffee, 2 cups with another same coffee and 1 cup with totally different coffee and finally another 1 with totally different coffee. (they will give you specific time to get it right. very little time)
One test (6 cups) x 3 = 18 cups = 1 triangulation. : you have to pick out 6 totally different coffee from others to get them right.
so 5 triangulation means 90 total cups to cup and 30 individual test (one individual test has 3 cups to cup. 2 are same and 1 is different).
so to become Q Grader, you have to get 21 individual test right out of 30 !!!!!!!!
Can you imagine how difficult this is? and how much of cupping experience you have to have to get this Q?
Becoming Q grader is not like taking a driver's test. You have to have a years..years of cupping experience with all different kinds of coffee.
Cupping involves.... Aroma (olfaction) + Taste (Gustation) + Texture (mounthfeel)...
BTW, you do not need Q to become a roaster. However, again, Roasting coffee beans is not as easy as you think. you have to know each beans characteristics in order to decide on temperature / time. some beans are big, some are soft, some are dense, some has more moisture than others....1000 things to consider. IT IS AN ART & SCIENCE put together to be a really good roaster. Also, takes long long long time.
However, that does not mean that you can not open roasting business. it is "business", so if you have the right people to do it for you, of course, you can open the business. but if you want to be a real good roaster and specially Q grader first, than open business? WoW... that will take about a decade or more.
anyway questions, just let me know. I will give you detailed information. thanks.
