Kona Coffee Purveyors’ Quality Control/Green Coffee Buyer and Apprentice Roaster Achieve Q Grader Certification Jacqueline Suiter and Timothy “TK” Yamada join an elite group of 300 Licensed Q Graders in the United States certified by Coffee Quality Institute

Kona Coffee Purveyors’ core philosophy is based upon passion for Kona coffee quality in fact the company motto is “Lavish care and attention to every detail from the coffee blossom to the cup.”  This week, two of Kona Coffee Purveyor’s key employees, Jacqueline Suiter and Timothy “TK” Yamada, successfully completed their Q Grader Certification through the Coffee Quality Institute (CQI) becoming one of 300 elite Licensed Q Graders in the United States.

The test, which was no small feat, is comprised of 22 individual tests scheduled over a 6-day period which must be successfully completed before the exam is passed. The tests are oriented around determining the precision in which the cupper is able to detect levels and quality of attributes associated with speciality coffee: fragrance, aroma, flavor, body, acidity, sweetness, uniformity, and balance (how all these attributes work with each other).

A Licensed Q Grader is an accredited cupper who uses their trained sense of smell, sight, and taste to determine the quality of green and roasted coffee through a standard evaluation process developed by the Speciality Coffee Association of America (SCAA). The license must be renewed once every three years.

“Passing my exam is one of my greatest personal achievements. There is so much that goes into the production of a pound of roasted coffee, and I look forward to sharing my knowledge because it makes each cup of coffee that much more precious” says Jackie Suiter.

“Jackie and TK’s certification as Licensed Q Graders is an example of our  commitment to the quality and integrity of Kona coffee. Their skills affect decisions that are made in the purchasing of green coffee all the way through how the coffee is roasted” says Founder and Master Roaster, Raymond Suiter. “This was their first attempt at certification and I am very proud of their accomplishment.”

Kona Coffee Purveyors, recently launched their e-commerce website, so that Kona coffee drinkers around the world have, for the first time, access to fresh artisan-roasted, single-estate, high-elevation Kona coffee.

The company will be launching a roastery tour/workshop soon in which coffee drinkers, cafe owners, restauranteurs can come to learn about the different attributes in a cup of coffee and get a hands opportunity to experience the differences in coffee that result from origin, processing, roasting profiles, and brewing techniques.

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