The Specialty Coffee Association And Coffee Quality Institute Announce The SCA Is Taking Over The Q Grader Program – CoffeeTalk

The Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) and the Coffee Quality Institute (CQI) have announced a historic partnership to improve support and educational opportunities for the coffee industry. Starting October 1, 2025, the SCA will operate an evolved Q Grader program based on the Coffee Value Assessment (CVA), with CQI no longer involved in its operations. The evolved Q Grader license will be the first and only program built on the SCA’s Coffee Value Assessment (CVA), an innovative evaluation system introduced in 2023 that expands coffee assessment to encompass flavor and other attributes that make a coffee special.

Coffee professionals will gain a globally recognized license to assess and communicate quality and value in specialty coffee. Individuals interested in the evolved Q license can quickly update their status by completing the SCA’s CVA for Cuppers course by December 31, 2025. The program is designed for professional cuppers and coffee assessors, teaching practical techniques in sensory evaluation, green coffee defect identification, and quality control. Upon completion, students will become licensed Q Graders.

The partnership between SCA and CQI aims to make coffee better, with Q Graders holding the evolved, CVA-based license setting the standard for modern coffee evaluation. Coffee Quality Institute CEO Michael Sheridan expressed pride in the role they have played in the first 20 years of the Q Grader program and is excited to partner with the Specialty Coffee Association to evolve the Q Grader program.

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