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What does G1MagneG2 stand for in coffee? how to distinguish the grades of Ethiopian coffee beans?

Published: 2024-09-19 Author: World Gafei

Last Updated: 2024/09/19, In order to distinguish between good quality coffee beans and poor quality coffee beans, manufacturers have to grade coffee. Coffee is usually graded according to the defect rate and the size of beans.

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As the concept of specialty coffee became more and more popular, many people began to learn to buy their own coffee beans, grind, and brew. Have you noticed that there are many mysterious letters on the coffee bag, such as AA and G1? What do they all mean? This article introduces the meaning of the letters on the coffee packaging bag.

Ethiopia (graded by percentage of defective beans)

Prior to the emergence of the Ethiopia Commodity Exchange (ECX), Ethiopia's coffee export grades were established by the Cupping and Liquoring Unit of the Ministry of Agriculture, which graded coffee green beans mainly by the number of defective beans contained in 300g.

level

Number of defective beans (per 300g)

Grade 1

≤3

Grade 2

4-12

Grade 3

13-25

Grade 4

26-45

Grade 5

46-90

Generally, the washing treatment is G1-G2. Due to the technical problems of solarization treatment at that time, the number of defects of solarization raw beans is relatively large, generally G3-G5. With the improvement of solarization treatment technology, the present solarization beans can also reach G1-G2 grade.

Since the establishment of ECX (Ethiopian Commodity Exchange) in 2008, green coffee beans have been graded using a combination of physical attributes and cup flavor characteristics.

ECX defines all coffee as unwashed and washed according to treatment into three types:

a. Speciality has few defects and high cup taste quality

b. Commercial does not reach the fine grade, but it is higher than the Local /Domestic consumption grade.

c. Local/Domestic Coffee with relatively poor flavor due to high number of defective beans (immature beans), over-season and poor storage.

Among them, fine and commercial are aimed at the export international market. ECX divides green coffee beans into nine grades according to the total score of physical attribute characteristics and cup test flavor characteristics, among which physical characteristic scores account for 40% and cup test quality scores account for 60%.

Physical characteristics (40%):

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

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

Cup mass (60%)

level

score

water washing

non-washing

Grade 1

91-100

Grade 2

81-90

Grade 3

71-80

Grade 4

63-70

Grade 5

58-62

Grade 6

50-70

Grade 7

40-49

Grade 8

31-39

Grade 9

20-30

G1-G3 were cup-tested again according to SCAA standard, and their flavor attributes were evaluated in more detail. G1 and G2 with no less than 85 points were rated as Q1 grade, G1 ,G2 and G3 with 80 to 85 points were rated as Q2 grade, and all G1,G2 and G3 with less than 80 points were rated as G3 grade.

Q1 and Q2 are classified as fine grade exports. G4- G9 remain the same classification, with G3 classified as commercial grade exports.

Kenya (graded by particle size)

Kenyan coffee grading is mainly based on coffee particle size, usually divided into eight grades.

E (elephant bean): The "E" here stands for Elephant, that is,"elephant", but not the elephant bean (Maragogype) in the coffee bean variety, it is a kind of abnormal development, two seeds intertwined with each other, forming a "seemingly one" bean, which is regarded as a defect. Generally speaking, a fruit will have two seeds, face to face together, so there will be a flat side, called flat beans, mother beans. An E-grade bean was a bean that had two seeds that fused together during the process of growth and became extremely large. Grade E beans are about 18 mesh in size (1/64 inch in one mesh) and are rare.

AA: The size of this grade is about 17~18 mesh (about 6.7~7.1mm), which is the Kenyan coffee classification that most people often hear, and in fine coffee, this grade is usually called AA TOP, which is also a bean that most coffee shops will promote, but it is not AA on behalf of the best, this is just the bean particle size can not be confused with flavor.

AB: Most coffee beans are in this classification, the reason why AB is mainly because the size of A is 6.80 mm, B is 6.20 mm, and these two sizes of coffee beans (A and B) will be mixed together, so it is called AB, the size is about 15~16 mesh (about 6.0~6.4mm).

C: The particle size is about 14~15 mesh (about 5.6~6.0mm), which is smaller than Class B.

PB: Peaberry, also known as small round beans, can also be called male beans. Compared to ordinary flat beans, this is also rare, accounting for about 10% of all coffee beans, mainly because only one seed in the fruit is fully developed, resulting in a small and round bean. Some people will love PB flavor, so PB will be singled out for sale.

TT: This type of coffee bean is a light bean selected from AA and AB beans through an air separator, usually light in weight and sub-standard in hardness, and there are cracked and defective beans.

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

MH/ML: This type of coffee beans are not exported, usually overripe and dropped on the ground, poor quality, accounting for about 7% of all coffee beans, only for the Kenyan domestic market.

There are many other countries graded by raw bean particle size, such as Tanzania, Rwanda, Colombia, Jamaica and so on.

Colombia

level

size standard

Supreme Screen 18+

95% 18 mesh or more

Supreme

95% 17 + mesh

Excelso Extra

95% 16 mesh or more

Excelso EP

14-16 mesh

U.G.Q

More than 14 items

Jamaica

level

Size standard (defect rate less than 3%)

NO.1

More than 17 items

NO.2

More than 16 items

NO.3

More than 15 items

More than 14 items

Costa Rica, Panama, Guatemala (graded by raw bean hardness)

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

level

altitude

SHB (Strictly Hard Bean)

≥1400m

HB (Hard Bean)

1200-1400m

SH (Semi Hard Bean)

1100-1200m

EPW (Extra Prime Washed)

900-1100m

PW (Prime Washed)

800-900m

EGW (Extra Good Washed)

600-800m

GW (Good Washed)

≤600m

El Salvador, Honduras (graded by altitude)

level

Elevation (El Salvador)

Elevation (Honduras)

SHB (Strictly High Grown)

≥1200m

≥1221m

HG (High Grown)

900-1200m

915-1220m

S (Standard)

610-915m

CS (Central Standard)

500-900m

Brazil (graded by particle size, defect rate, cup score)

Brazil believes that a perfectly flawless bean is NY.1, and a perfectly flawless bean is non-defective. Therefore, among the raw beans in Brazil, the best one is NY.2.

According to coffee bean size (NY grading method)

type

quality

NY.2

17-18 FC

NY.2/3

14-16 FC

NY.3/4

DD Quality

NY.4/5

14-16 GC