Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) is an ancestral crop from the Andes of South America. Due to its high nutritional value, several countries started to promote research to develop quinoa as a new crop. One of quinoa problems is the poor germinability of their seeds. In this investigation, isothermal microcalorimetry is used as a monitor of two cultivars (cv. Robura and cv. Sajama) of quinoa seed germination. Results are compared with seed imbibition measurements. The optimum temperature of germination for seeds, cv. Robura was 25 degrees C. A higher rate of germination is observed for seeds cv. Sajama at 25 degrees C attributed to a higher rate of water uptake during the first 15 min. The enthalpy due to hydration of quinoa seeds was determined to be -16.6 J g(-1) (seed) for both cultivars corresponding to a moisture content of 0.27. The estimated enthalpies, until the moment that the first root protrudes, are coincident for seeds of both cultivars. The same behaviour is observed with the estimated enthalpies of germination.