I recently took the Q Grader course at Boot Coffee Campus with Valerian Hrala and had an amazing experience. Since the class was small with only eight participants, we each received valuable one-on-one time with Valerian to work through topics we were struggling with. Despite the grueling nature of the course, Valerian and his assistant made the material approachable and easy to comprehend.
I highly recommend this course to anyone interested in pursuing their Q certification. Having passed and received my license, I can confidently say it was well worth the investment of time and money.
I look forward to reconnecting with the group when it comes time to recalibrate!
I was a student with Valerian Hrala for the SCA Sensory Skills Foundation, SCA Sensory Skills Intermediate, SCA Q Grader, and coffee business course.
I give my fullest recommendation for Valerian as an instructor to students who are passionate about coffee, care deeply about people, and value learning in a respectful, collaborative, and welcoming environment.
I entrust Valerian with furthering my coffee education firstly for his generosity with sharing his deep knowledge and experience. Coffee is a complicated subject, and having a professional guide and train your skillset is an invaluable asset. A skilled and passionate teacher, Valerian explains important ideas with clarity and emphasis, taking the time to use different teaching modalities to assist all types of learners understand and internalize important lessons.
Valerian prepares and teaches with great detail and intention. As a student, you will find countless instances where his exceptional dedication and care enrich a routine exercise into a memorable learning experience. For example, to teach us how to identify roast defects, Valerian roasted cofffees himself to the standard of the SCA definition, as he found that to be higher fidelity than ready- made demonstration kits. In sensory development and olfactory description, he taught us a framework for communicating and categorizing scents and supplemented the Le Nez du Cafe kit with many other interesting scents to expand our ability to discern a wide variety of fragrances. I felt deeply moved by his dedication and commitment to our growth and success.
Valerian is also a great resource for entrepreneurs establishing a coffee business. In the business course, he shares hard-earned practical advice and experience while encouraging students to exercise their creativity and individuality in their product, packaging, and marketing. I regard his mentorship as a worthwhile time and cost-saving investment, and I would recommend it to those who are serious about pursuing a successful venture in this field.
Beyond that, Valerian is also a fantastic person to be around. He is approachable, honest, and humorous. In moments when student’s experience tension, fatigue, or fixation, he is a person that will give perspective and encouragement. As a result, class is always a joyful event, regardless how challenging the schedule or exercise may feel. I am grateful to find a gathering place for individuals who love both people and coffee.
Valerian brings out the best of you, and you will have a great experience learning from him. I depart each course with a greater appreciation for my craft and peers, and I am sure you will too.
Valerian is one of those teachers that makes you forget that you're learning. He teaches people, not content. Always making it as personal and applicable as possible. Extremely down to earth and an all around wonderful person!
I highly recommend learning from Valerian! You will never regret the experience of taking a class with him!
Usually people only write reviews when they have a really bad experience or a really good one. For me, taking classes with Valerian was such a good experience that I genuinely wanted to share it with others.
I took my first roasting class with Valerian when I knew absolutely nothing about coffee. I came in as a blank paper, and today I have my own roasting business. I feel incredibly lucky to have learned from one of the best.
Valerian is incredibly patient, never makes you feel dumb for asking questions, and somehow explains coffee in a way that just clicks. Things that felt intimidating at first became fun and exciting to learn about.
I later came back to take the Q Grader course with him for the new CVA exams. I’ve heard so many people say the Q Grader is extremely difficult and stressful, so I was honestly nervous going into it. But Valerian made the whole experience surprisingly enjoyable and memorable. The course was organized so well, and every lesson built naturally into the next. Instead of feeling overwhelmed, I actually found myself really enjoying the process.
The Q Grader course was honestly one of the best classes I’ve ever taken. I cannot recommend Valerian enough, whether you are completely new to coffee or looking to deepen your professional knowledge.
Typical day for me in a class with the venerable Valerian Hrala:
Students bring stone fruits and mulberries and we are all enjoying and nibbling…
Someone picks up a prickly, round, hair-ball of a fruit with an innocent question, ‘What is this?’…
To which I confidently assert, in a studious, stentorian manner…’That, is a Lychee’…
Thatcher Sunday, from Lima in Fort Collins, CO:
‘Rambutan, man’
‘Ah, Yes’ I intone…;)
I’m on my third class with the lovely folks at Boot Coffee Campus. I now dream of this place. I have my OWN roasting room and this place constantly beckons me. Willem Boot and Valerian Hrala and the groovy team around them have become touchstones to me, helping me understand my own senses and coffee in a fundamentally primordial way.
This go round, studying to become a Q-Grader, confronting the friendly, forgiving…but, ultimately, the most serious, no-BS, unrelenting, precise, accurate, consistent, self-correcting, balanced, astute, sensitive, funny, sincere, passionate, au courant person I have ever found, good lord, who are these people????
Something deep within me assures me:
Raise the freaking tent pole Higher !
I now have the courage, the permission, the willpower, the strength AND the power to ‘raise’ our tent pole at CoffeeShop and broadcast to the World that Olga and myself are definitely here to protect this bean and Serve the people❤️
Wilson Jones and Olga Boiko :)
Roasters, CoffeeShop
I recently completed the new version of the Q Grader course by the Specialty Coffee Association, and it was an unforgettable experience.
Before taking this course, I practiced cupping and Le Nez du Café at home, but during the course I learned how to evaluate coffee much more precisely and systematically. Triangulation was especially challenging for me at first 😱 but through the guidance and patient instruction from Valerian, I gradually gained confidence and understanding.
The instruction style was supportive, detailed, and encouraging, which matched my learning style very well. Even though the course was intense and sometimes stressful, the class atmosphere felt warm and positive throughout the week.
I would recommend this course to anyone serious about developing professional sensory skills in coffee. It is challenging, but incredibly rewarding.
Now that I have my Q Grader certification, I hope to use these skills for my specialty coffee importing business focused on Panamanian coffee, and continue growing in the coffee industry.
Thank you again, Valerian, for your kindness, guidance, and support throughout the course!
I recently completed the Coffee Roasting course at Boot Coffee and had a great experience. It gave me a much better understanding of roasting fundamentals and improved my confidence in my work.
As someone working in coffee, I found the hands-on approach and Valerian’s guidance extremely valuable. Highly recommend
I had a wonderful experience and learned a lot from my courses. I feel way more prepared for my Q and inspired to continue working in coffee. Thank you Valerian and Willem!
Amazing learning experience! I was at a mental roadblock in my business and this course cleared the way to knowing how to take my coffee business to the next level! Thank you Valerian!
This course broadened my knowledge of coffee. I have never roast coffee before so it was all new to me. Valerian was very helpful and knowledgeable about the coffee culture, trend, and business. I definitely recommend this course for those who are interested in coffee roasting business.
The course was exactly what I was looking for. I wanted to learn to roast on a larger machine with more control and software to track, learn more about some confusion I had around certain parts of roasting theory - we did that and more within the first 3 days. I wanted to get a better understanding of how to go about a roasting business - we did that and more with the rest of the week. All to say, my confidence in roasting and starting a business has grew. I feel that the ROI from the knowledge I gained through the coffee business course will return x folds. Invest in yourself and check out Boot classes!
My mom and I both took the COFFEE ROASTING LAB PRO BUSINESS course and had an amazing experience. We started out knowing nothing about roasting, and left knowing more than most people. Valerian is such a good and inspirational teacher. I felt comfortable to ask a plethora of questions, and have them all answered in depth. The amount of knowledge I learned about coffee, roasting, and the coffee business in just five days is incredible.
I also took the coffee foundations course and it was amazing as well. After these courses, I feel equipped to be a better coffee consumer, connoisseur, roaster, and to enter the coffee industry. I highly recommend going to Boot Coffee Campus and taking Valerians courses. I am excited to go back for more.
"Transformative Course – Worth Every Mile!"
This course was incredibly valuable—far more than just theoretical knowledge. Valerian brings genuine practical wisdom, drawing from his deep expertise in coffee and his own journey as a roaster and business owner. His anecdotes and real-world insights helped me manage my expectations, adapt my approach, and refine my business strategy.
I walked away truly changed after taking his roasting and coffee business course. Even though I drove 6.5 hours to attend, I’d do it again in a heartbeat. Highly recommended for anyone serious about coffee!
I would highly recommend this course to anyone who is serious about starting a coffee roasting business. This is the third course I have taken at Boot Coffee Campus with Valerian. After each course, I am amazed by the sheer volume of information I have learned. One of my favorite aspects about Boot is that once you take a course, you are family. The journey doesn't end once the course is complete. Valerian's mentorship and support continue throughout his students' coffee journey.
The roasting lab Pro course was terrific. I learned so much. All very practical and useful info. And Valerian is an excellent instructor. Super knowledgeable about all aspects of the coffee business.
Verified Company
