Coffee Glossary · Quality
Q Grader
A cupper certified by the Coffee Quality Institute to evaluate Arabica under standardized protocol — coffee's equivalent of a sommelier license, earned through a battery of sensory exams (triangulations, acid identification, sample roast ID) and maintained by recalibration. The parallel R Grader certification covers Robusta and underpins Fine Robusta grading. Q scores from licensed graders give buyers a common language: an '85 from a Q' means the same thing in Vientiane, Hamburg, or Seoul.
Related terms
Cupping
Coffee's standardized tasting protocol: coarse-ground samples steeped in bowls under strict ratios and…
SCA Score (Specialty Grade)
The 100-point cupping score under Specialty Coffee Association protocol, summing graded attributes; 80 points…
Robusta (Coffea canephora)
The second commercial coffee species: higher-yielding, disease-hardy, caffeine-rich, and traditionally traded…
Bean Density
How much mass a coffee bean packs per volume — measured in g/L or judged by feel and appearance (tight,…
Defects (Green Coffee)
Physical faults in green coffee counted under grading systems like the SCA's: category 1 (primary) defects —…
Grading (Green Coffee)
The classification of green coffee into commercial tiers by measurable criteria — screen size, defect count,…
Reading up before buying? Volcana Coffee exports SGS-inspected specialty Arabica and Fine Robusta from the Bolaven Plateau, Laos — and we're happy to walk new importers through every term on a real offer sheet.
Talk to Our Export Team