Introduction to green coffee bean grades | Green coffee bean grade grading systems in various countries G1, G2, AA, PB, SHB coffee bean characteristics, flavor and taste comparison

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Many friends will ask our barista when drinking coffee on Qian Street, "What is Yerga G1 Yerga G2?" "What is "Kenya AA, AB?" "What are Costa Rica SHB grades?" In fact, these are the grading of coffee beans in various producing areas. So why are coffee beans graded? In this article, let’s talk about what iscoffee gradingsystem, and share the green bean grading standards of several representative coffee producing countries.
 

what isGrading coffee beans?
In order to distinguish good quality coffee beans from poor quality coffee beans, manufacturers have to grade coffee. Coffee grading is usually based on defect rate, bean size, altitude, green bean density, processing standards, etc. However, because each country has different historical background, trade interests, climate, topography and other factors, we cannot use unified standards, the same defect calculation method, or simply judge the level of heroes based on altitude, nor can we compare a certain grade of one country with a certain grade of another country. This is a direct comparison that is wrong and not objective. Front Street believes that the taste of coffee beans cannot be completely determined by the grading of coffee beans. Coffee bean grading is only a grading of the quality of green coffee beans. The flavor of coffee beans is related to factors such as planting and soil. Therefore, when tasting a coffee bean, you cannot think that it must taste better than other grades just because the bean has a high grade.

Next, let’s take a look at the representative producing countriesGreen bean grading system
 

Ethiopia (graded based on the proportion of defective beans)

Before the emergence of the Ethiopia Commodity Exchange (ECX), Ethiopia’s coffee export grades were set by the CLU Department (Cupping and Liquoring Unit) under the Ministry of Agriculture. Green coffee beans were graded mainly based on the number of defective beans in 300g. The grading standards are as follows. Generally, those washed with water are classified as G1-G2. Due to the technical problems of solarization at that time, the number of defects in solarized green beans was relatively high, and they were generally classified as G3-G5. With the improvement of solarization processing technology, today's solarized beans can also reach the G1-G2 level.

After the establishment of ECX (Ethiopian Commodity Exchange) in 2008, the physical properties of green coffee beans and cupping flavor characteristics were combined to grade.

 ECX defines all coffee into three types according to the processing method: non-washed and washed:

a.     Specialty with few defects and high cupping flavor quality

b.    Commercial does not reach the quality level, but is higher than the domestic (Local/Domestic) consumption level;

c.     Local/Domestic (Local/Domestic) coffee with a relatively poor flavor due to a large number of defective beans (unripe beans), out-of-season and poor storage.

Among them, premium and commercial are aimed at exporting to the international market. ECX divides green coffee beans into nine grades based on the total score of physical attributes and cupping flavor characteristics, of which the physical characteristics score accounts for 40% and the cupping quality score accounts for 60%.
 

Physical Characteristics (40%):

Washing treatment: number of defects (20%), appearance size (10%), color (5%), odor (5%)

Non-washable treatment: number of defects (30%), odor (10%)

Then G1-G3 are cupped again according to SCAA standards to evaluate their flavor attributes in more detail. G1 and G2 with no less than 85 points are rated as Q1 level; G1, G2, and G3 between 80 and 85 are rated as Q2 level, and all G1, G2, and G3 with less than 80 points are rated as G3 level;

Q1 and Q2 are classified as high-quality exports. G4-G9 keep the original classification unchanged and are classified together with G3 as commercial grade export.

Representative of Ethiopian G1 grade coffee beans - FrontStreet Coffee sun-dried red cherry coffee beans

Origin: Yirgacheffe
Variety: Local native species
Altitude: 1800-2000m

Treatment method: Sun exposure

Kenya (graded by particle size)

Kenyan coffee grading is mainly based on the size of coffee particles, usually divided into eight grades. There are many countries that classify green beans by particle size, such as Tanzania, Rwanda, Colombia, Jamaica, etc.

E (elephant bean): The "E" here stands for Elephant, which is "elephant", but it is not the Maragogype in the coffee bean variety. It is a bean that "looks like one" due to abnormal development, with two seeds entangled with each other, which is considered a flaw. Generally speaking, there are two seeds in a fruit, facing each other, so there will be a flat side, called flat beans or mother beans. Grade E beans are beans in which two seeds stick together and become extra large during the growth process. ! The particle size of E-grade beans is about 18 mesh (one mesh is 1/64 inch) and above, and the quantity is rare.

AA：The size of this grade is about 17 to 18 mesh (about 6.7 to 7.1mm), which is the Kenyan coffee classification that most people often hear. In specialty coffee, this grade is usually called AA TOP, and it is also a bean that most coffee shops will promote. However, AA does not mean the best. It is just that the size of the bean particles cannot be confused with the flavor.

C: The particle size is approximately between 14 and 15 mesh (approximately 5.6 to 6.0mm), which is smaller than Grade B.
 

PB: The full name is Peaberry, also known as small round beans, and can also be called male beans. Compared with ordinary flat beans, which account for about 10% of all coffee beans, this is mainly because only one seed in the fruit is fully developed, resulting in small and round beans. Some people will particularly like the flavor of PB, so they will select PB for sale. Many people think that PB beans are rare. In fact, PB beans can be regarded as defective beans~

TT: This type of coffee beans are light beans selected from AA and AB beans through an air flow sorter. They are usually light in weight and have substandard hardness, and there are also cracked and defective beans.

T: Lighter beans selected from C-grade beans, mixed and damaged beans, and even broken beans.
 

MH／ML: This type of coffee beans will not be exported. They are usually overripe and dropped on the ground. They are of poor quality. They account for about 7% of all coffee beans and are only for the domestic market in Kenya.
 

AB：Most coffee beans are in this grade. It is called AB mainly because the mesh size of A is 6.80 mm, and that of B is 6.20 mm. The two sizes of coffee beans (Grade A and B) are sold together, so they are called AB, and the size is about 15 to 16 mesh (about 6.0 to 6.4 mm).
 

Representative of Kenya’s AA grade – Front Street Kenyan Cherry Tomato Coffee Beans

Production area: Thika, Kenya
Altitude: 1550~1750 meters
Rating: AA TOP
Variety: SL28, SL34
Processing method: Kenya 72 hours washing

Colombia
Most of the Colombian region has switched to planting faster-growing coffee trees, which means they are targeting the high-end commercial coffee market. If it is the highest grade commercial coffee beans, it may not be worse than "fine beans" from other production areas; the No. 18 beans selected from Supremo, that is, Supremo 18, have a good flavor and are often found in specialty coffee shops.

jamaica
According to the height of the coffee-growing mountains and the size of the original beans, Blue Mountain coffee is divided into three grades: Blue Mountain Jamaican, High Mountain Jamaican and Prime Washed Jamaican. Of course, ordinary Jamaican coffee is called "Jamaican coffee", which is mainly produced in the middle and low mountainous areas and belongs to the series of high-quality washed coffee in Jamaica. The export of Blue Mountain Coffee coffee beans will be divided into 7 grades:
 

Blue Mountain No. 1 Blue Mountain No. 1 bean:96% of the coffee beans must be mesh size 17/18, with no more than 2% defective beans.  

Blue Mountain No. 2 Blue Mountain No. 2 beans:96% of the coffee beans must be mesh size 16, with no more than 2% defective beans.  

Blue Mountain No. 3 Blue Mountain No. 3 beans:96% of the coffee beans must be mesh size 15, with no more than 2% defective beans.  

Blue Mountain Peaberry Blue Mountain Round Beans:96% of the coffee beans must be single round beans with mesh size 10, with no more than 2% defective beans.  

Blue Mountain Triage Blue Mountain mixed beans:A mixture of Blue Mountain No. 1, 2, and 3 beans, there are a few slightly defective beans, but it does not affect the cup quality of the coffee.  

Blue Mountain Fine Beans Blue Mountain Fine Beans:The coffee bean screen size is below 15, with no more than 2% defective beans at most. This portion of beans is sold in sample mode only, with prices determined by demand status.  

Blue Mountain Triage Peaberry Blue Mountain mixed round beans:Mixed Blue Mountain round beans, there are a few slightly defective beans, but the cup quality is very good, with no more than 4% defective beans at most.

Blue Mountain No. 1 grade representative: FrontStreet Coffee, Jamaica Blue Mountain No. 1 coffee

  

Farm: Clifton Farm

Owner of the Manor: The Sharp family
Certificate: Tropical Rainforest Certification
Location: Newcastle area
Total area: 250 acres
Coffee cultivation area: 180 acres
Average elevation: 4,300 feet (1,310.64 meters)
Treatment method: washing
Variety: 100% Arabica Typica

Costa Rica, Panama, Guatemala (graded based on green bean hardness)

At the same latitude and in the same plot, when the altitude is higher, the temperature difference between day and night is greater, the coffee growth period is longer, the beans are harder, the more nutrients are absorbed in the beans, and the flavor substances will be more obvious.
 

Costa Rica SHB Representative - Front Street Costa Rican Musicians Series Beethoven Coffee Beans

Coffee producing area: Tarazhu producing area
Grading standard: SHB
Coffee variety: yellow carduai
Treatment method: Washing treatment method
Planting altitude: 1980M
 

El Salvador, Honduras (graded by altitude)
 

Brazil (graded based on particle size, defect rate, and cupping score)

Brazil believes that beans that are completely flawless can become NY.1, and there is no such thing as beans that are completely flawless. Therefore, among Brazilian green beans, the best is NY.2.
 

According to the number of defective beans

Divided according to cupping level:

Fine Cup（FC）、Fine、Good Cup（GC）、Fair Cup、Poor Cup、Bad Cup

For example: Brazil Cerrado NY-2 SC-17/18 FC

This means that the NY classification method of the Brazilian Cerrado producing area is 2, the coffee bean particle size is 17-18 mesh, and the flavor quality is Fine Cup (excellent flavor).

You can now buy the above coffee beans online at the Taobao store “FrontStreet Coffee” (前街咖啡). FrontStreet Coffee is a long-established specialty coffee roaster in Guangzhou, China, and its Guangzhou retail shop sells coffee beans only. The shop carries dozens of coffee beans from different origins around the world, including carefully selected single-origin beans for V60 pour-over and espresso. Guangzhou’s FrontStreet Coffee shop is recommended by many coffee lovers.

The FrontStreet 2013 Yunnan coffee beans sold in the store come from the Typica variety grown at FrontStreet Coffee’s own plantation in Yunnan. The name comes from the year the brand and the plantation were founded. You can buy these beans from China’s Yunnan origin at the Guangzhou shop and at FrontStreet’s Taobao store.

FrontStreet coffee beans are freshly roasted within 5 days and deliver consistently excellent quality and great value. Orders placed before 17:00 are shipped the same day, and most areas within Guangdong Province receive them the next day.

FrontStreet Coffee Taobao store: https://qianjiecoffee.taobao.com
Or search for “前街咖啡” (FrontStreet Coffee) on Taobao
Important Notice: FrontStreet Coffee has moved to a new address: 315, Donghua East Road, Guangzhou (coffee beans only)
Tel: 020 38364473