The IMCO Laboratory was established to ensure that every lot delivered to our clients undergoes a complete sensory and physicochemical evaluation and meets the international standards of the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA).
The IMCO Laboratory — Green Coffee Quality Control Centre
Laboratory equipment
The laboratory is equipped in accordance with SCA requirements for professional cupping and green coffee evaluation.
Our equipment and protocols include:
- specialised sample roasters with profile-linking functionality for sample roasting
- DiFluid moisture and density meters, as well as a bean size grader
- SCA-standard cupping bowls, spoons, and water
- a customised sample-roast profile tailored to the bean’s density, moisture content, and processing method
Each lot of green coffee undergoes
Сupping evaluation
Based on: fragrance and aroma, flavour, aftertaste, acidity, sweetness, body, clean cup, uniformity.
Sample roasting
In accordance with the SCA protocol.
Physical analysis
Primary and secondary defects, sorting and grading, density measurement, moisture measurement.
Operating Standards
Our Q Grader
Irina Sharipova, Head of the IMCO Laboratory, is a certified Arabica Q Grader who successfully completed the Coffee Quality Institute (CQI) certification programme.
Q Grader experience:
- over 14 years in the specialty coffee industry
- hands-on experience working with farmers, exporters, and roasters
- participation in international cuppings and competitions
- evaluation of coffee lots from Latin America, Africa, and Asia
- development and supervision of sensory training courses and educational programmes
06
Quality control before shipment to the client
05
Support with sourcing and lot consistency assessment
04
Development of flavour profile descriptions
03
Identification of flavour and processing defects
02
Green coffee evaluation and grading
Q Grader expertise includes
01
Professional sensory analysis
03
Sample roasting
Each lot is roasted according to standardised SCA parameters.
02
Physical analysis
We assess defects, moisture content, density, and compliance with the agreed specifications.
01
Sample receipt
We receive pre-shipment and arrival samples from our manufacturing partners.
05
Client report
We provide an evaluation sheet, comments from our Q Grader, and recommendations for further work with the lot.
06
Consistency control
For regular shipments, we periodically compare the cup profile and assess consistency across the current harvest.
04
Cupping (SCA Protocol)
Our team evaluates the coffee across ten sensory attributes and assigns a final score.
How the IMCO laboratory works
How the IMCO laboratory works
Who the IMCO
laboratory works with
Roasters who value consistency in the cup
Large-scale producers handling high-volume shipments
Companies sourcing green coffee for the HoReCa sector
Local and international specialty coffee brands
Coffee shops with in-house roasting
Who the IMCO
laboratory works with
Roasters who value consistency in the cup
Large-scale producers handling high-volume shipments
Companies sourcing green coffee for the HoReCa sector
Local and international specialty coffee brands
Coffee shops with in-house roasting
