Earlier this year, CQI announced the 2023 Distinguished Instructor recipients, a recognition honoring instructors who have achieved a number of milestones. The recipients of this designation have met a set of criteria – for both Quality Evaluation and Post-Harvest Processing programs. For details click here.
Throughout 2023 we will introduce each distinguished instructor.
In this spotlight we are catching up with Q Arabica Instructor, Damon Chen. Continue reading below to learn more about Damon.
What was your first job?
My first job was in a chain steak house. I was making salad for a month then got promoted to cook the actual steak but then I quit because I went off to Brazil for a coffee trip.
What do you wish someone would have told you when you were first starting out in coffee?
That I should spend some months in Colombia exploring coffee. They are amazing, also Ethiopia.
What is the thing you enjoy the most about teaching CQI education?
I like to order 2x the number of sets of Q green coffee so I can constantly taste coffees at different Q venues/SCA campuses – which helps me understand more about flavor change under different conditions and environments.
Anything else you would like to share?
I think producers need to have the ability to roast coffee or purchase a small cheap sample roaster to taste what they grow.
