When we first met Kyumin, he told us his dream: to become a Q Grader.
Last week, he did it.
Our head roaster is now a licensed SCA Q GRADER and honestly, watching someone chase a goal for this long and actually land it is awesome.
WHAT IS A Q GRADER, ACTUALLY?
The Q Grader License is one of the most important credentials in specialty coffee, recognised globally across sourcing, roasting, and quality control. Issued by the Specialty Coffee Association, it proves a coffee professional's ability to evaluate, describe, and communicate coffee quality using internationally recognised standards, Coffee Value Assessment (CVA), and a shared industry vocabulary.
It isn't a weekend workshop. The course runs six days, covering sensory evaluation, cupping, finding defects and scoring green coffee.
There are 9 total assessments, 8 practical evaluations and 1 written exam and every single one has to be passed to earn the license.
Kyumin passed all nine.
WHY THIS ISN'T JUST A NICE CERTIFICATE ON THE WALL
Becoming a Q Grader means Kyumin can now assess coffee the same way top buyers, exporters and producers do worldwide using a shared, standardised language for flavour, aroma and quality. When Kyumin says a coffee is exceptional, that call is now backed by an internationally recognised standard, not just a good palate and a hunch (though he's always had that too).
For you, that means:
- Sharper sourcing. Every green coffee we bring in is now assessed against the same Coffee Value Assessment framework used across the industry , so it has to earn its place before it even reaches the roaster.
- Tighter quality control. More precise, more consistent evaluation, batch to batch, bag to bag.
- Better calls on co-ferment and micro lots. The more technically demanding the process, the more a trained palate matters. Kyumin now has more structure to use for roast development in these special coffees.
THE SHORT VERSION
Our coffee was already good. Now it's being roasted by someone who set a goal years ago, worked toward it the whole time we've known him, and just achieved it officially licensed to know exactly how good our coffee is.
Turns out dreams do come true.
Congrats, Kyumin.
Buy the man a coffee. Or better yet, let him pick one for you.