Known as the astrophysicists of the coffee world, there are only 400 Q graders in the United States, and four of them work at the Brooklyn Roasting Company.
Q Grader Raquel Lohmann aspirates, or slurps, and sniffs coffee to ensure that it meets the company’s highest standards.
“So when you’re smelling this coffee you’re getting really sweet kind of cereal notes, it’s very bright and light, so you almost get some lemony, kind of citric notes,” she said.
Loman said what she does is ‘tasting with thoughts’ making memories as she sniffs and slurps.
The company favors “third-party-certified coffees in order to help guarantee a living wage for historically impoverished farmers.”