CQI's Fine Robusta Protocol: A Technical Breakdown

Short answer: The 2019 Coffee Quality Institute and Uganda Coffee Development Authority Fine Robusta Standards and Protocols set out specific sample preparation, physical criteria and sensory assessment rules. They are valuable historical technical evidence, not an automatically current certificate or a universal contract. CQI stopped taking new grading submissions on 30 September 2025, and the Specialty Coffee Association now administers the revised Q Grader programme.

Identify the edition before copying a number

Technical accuracy begins with the title, publisher, publication year and relevant section of the actual document. A slide deck, reseller website or AI summary may quote a correct number without explaining its sample size or whether a defect count represents individual beans or equivalent full defects. A laboratory should work from the correct complete protocol. A buyer should confirm whether the contract expressly adopts it or another standard.

The 2019 reference describes Fine Robusta physical preparation using a 350 ± 0.2 gram green-coffee sample. It specifies zero Category 1 full defects and a maximum of five Category 2 full defects. Those terms must not be rewritten as an arbitrary number of individual damaged beans in a 300-gram sample. Category definitions and equivalence calculations belong to the official method. Changing the denominator changes the meaning of the result.

Green sample and defect classification

A representative sample should be collected, identified and weighed under the governing method. Separate observed defects into the document's appropriate categories, apply the specified equivalence conversions, and retain a record of the actual findings. An inspector should note any uncertainty and preserve evidence for disputed material. A mere claim of 'zero defects' without the sample weight and defect definition tells a buyer little.

If coffee is re-sorted after a failure, the earlier sample does not become a pass retroactively. The reworked lot needs a new representative sample. The physical result should refer to the state of the material offered or shipped, not an unrelated preliminary handful chosen for marketing photography.

Roasted preparation and quakers

The historical document separately identifies a 100 ± 0.2 gram roasted sample for quaker inspection and permits a maximum of three quakers for Fine Robusta under the cited protocol. This differs from green-defect examination and should be reported in its own field. Do not combine green defect and roasted quaker numbers into an invented single metric. A commercial buyer using another specification may agree on different conditions; document that difference explicitly.

Quakers are not simply all lighter-looking beans in any retail roast photograph. Inspection needs controlled roasting and the appropriate method. A seller should not use a historical protocol figure to guarantee an unspecified future roasting result.

Moisture, odour and size

The 2019 protocol cites moisture content of 10–12% on a wet basis for its defined physical preparation. Moisture content and water activity are different measurements; buyers may need both depending on storage, shipment and contractual risk. Record the instrument, sample method and date. An average from one portion may conceal variation across the lot.

Foreign odour is another physical concern, and bean size is ordinarily linked to the applicable contractual specification. Do not invent a universal rule that every Fine Robusta bean must meet a certain screen size or that any five-percent size variation is an official condition in all cases. The exact written edition settles historical interpretation; the actual trade contract settles the current sale.

Sensory evaluation is another gate

The historical sensory form included fragrance/aroma, flavour, aftertaste, salt/acid aspect ratio, bitter/sweet aspect ratio, mouthfeel, balance, uniform cups, clean cups and overall, with defect treatment. A 100-point total of at least 80.00 was one condition of the historical Fine Robusta framework, but it did not replace the physical requirements. An 82-point screenshot without the relevant physical report or sample identity should not be presented as complete certification evidence.

Preparatory roast, dose, water, temperature, bowls and scoring procedures must follow the specified method. A laboratory that changes several variables cannot promise that its totals are directly comparable. For general grading, the registered Fine Robusta grading owner takes precedence; this page is a technical reading of one historical document.

The 2025 institutional boundary

CQI's public coffee archive explicitly states that new grading sample intake ended on 30 September 2025. SCA launched the revised Q Grader courses the following day and now describes Coffee Value Assessment through physical, descriptive, affective and extrinsic dimensions. Therefore an archived 2019 protocol is not sufficient to describe the current certification process. Professionals should check the present SCA material and the exact service being offered before claiming equivalence.

An old CQI result remains a valid historical record if authentic and interpreted correctly. Its scope does not expand to new harvests, future shipments or every coffee grown on the same farm. A grader's personal credential is also distinct from a coffee certificate. Always name which evidence is being discussed.

A laboratory reporting template

Report sample identifier and lot source; draw date and method; sample mass; standard and edition; physical defect categories and calculated equivalents; roasted-quaker result if tested; moisture, odour and size data where relevant; sensory protocol and evaluator; report date; and the decision under the stated criterion. Add an exception field for missing data or substitutions. Keep the raw worksheet for independent review. Never fill unavailable measurements with common values found on the internet.

For Cambodian procurement, a supplier may attach this technical record to the actual offer. The Fine Robusta standards owner covers wider standards interpretation and OCC Wholesale Coffee Supply provides the commercial route when a documented offer exists. No OCC stock, certification, laboratory or inspection service is asserted here.

Faq

Is the 2019 350-gram sample size the same as 300 grams? No. Use the correct sample mass and method.

Does an 80.00 score alone pass every requirement? No. Historical physical criteria also applied.

Must all current coffee transactions use the 2019 standard? No. Identify the current agreed trade and evaluation framework.

Can a historical certificate cover another crop? No. Confirm the coffee identity and dates.

Sources

• CQI/UCDA 2019 Fine Robusta Standards and Protocols: https://www.scith.coffee/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Fine-Robusta-Standards-Protocols.pdf
• CQI archive and closure notice: https://database.coffeeinstitute.org/coffees
• SCA revised Q Grader: https://sca.coffee/sca-news/2025/10/1/q-grader-courses-now-available-across-various-regions-and-languages-zakzc
• SCA CVA: https://sca.coffee/value-assessment

_Research checked 20 September 2026. This article is limited to a dated historical protocol and is not a certification claim._