The Operation of the Standard Coffee Bean grading system for Coffee grading and the effect of grading on Price

What is coffee grading?

Coffee grading is a basis for evaluating the quality of raw coffee beans before export. at present, there is no unified grading system in the world, but different grading systems according to different coffee producing countries.

This means that coffee is graded according to different standards in different regions, and sometimes the same meaning is presented in different terms. The International Trade Centre noted that coffee is usually classified and classified according to the following criteria:

1. Altitude / region

2. Coffee tree varieties

3. Treatment (washing, solarization, honey treatment, peeling and sunbathing. )

4. Coffee bean size (number of items), and sometimes even look at bean shape and color

5. Defect rate

6. Baking performance and cup test quality (flavor, characteristics, dryness)

7. Bean density (related to planting altitude)

Although there is no uniform grading standard, there are suggested ways. The Fine Coffee Association SCA has a standard for judging the grade of raw beans, which SCA describes as "a quantifiable method of quality identification, and defines the grade or grade of coffee according to scientific verification. "

The SCA criteria include the percentage of defective beans and the water activity of raw beans, and they also outline the environment in which coffee is rated, including the appropriate light source and the size of the table.

Although many producing countries comply with SCA standards and refine their agreements based on experience, not every producing country has relevant physical organizations that regulate coffee exports. For example, Ecuador does not have a physical organization that can establish a basis for grading. Most of Ecuador's exporters comply with the standards of neighboring Colombia, and the grading is carried out directly in accordance with the SCA agreement without fine-tuning, but it is the responsibility of the exporter of the quality control room.

Although grading is usually defined according to defect rate and related factors, an important consideration is the size of beans, which is simply sifted with sieves of different sizes.

It is generally believed that larger beans are better, but this is not accurate, and there are many exceptions to this rule, especially the size of different varieties of coffee beans.

Bean size is useful for determining the consistency of each batch of coffee, and it also helps to ensure the consistency of roasting, resulting in better quality coffee products, but bean size alone is not enough to judge the quality of coffee.

How does the grading system work?

The SCA standard recommends a graded sample of 350g of coffee beans, which are determined by a series of sieves or sieves.

Commercial-grade coffee is usually roasted into formula beans, so bean size is important because beans of different sizes transfer heat to different degrees during roasting.

Although the screen size used in each producing country or region is the same, the terminology is different. For example, very large coffee beans (19-20 orders) are called AA in Africa and Supremo in Colombia.

An area that is not classified by size.

Ethiopia has a lot of wild coffee, and the size of beans is usually small, so the grading method is different from that of other countries. If you look at Ethiopian coffee beans, you will find that they are generally small, so the size of beans does not affect the quality of Ethiopian coffee, and Ethiopian coffee beans are much smaller than those in other countries.

The reason why beans are relatively small is due to growth factors. Ethiopia has many so-called native species, that is, undefined qualities, while almost all Ethiopian coffee is grown by small farmers, and there are all kinds of wild Arabica.

In Kenya, coffee must be graded according to the size of the beans and then by density before being sent to the auction. In Ethiopia, there is no such grading, just put the graded beans into a container. Before participating in the auction, the cup will be tested by the national cup surveyor, and then a grade will be obtained according to the flavor profile measured by the cup. The flavor is graded not only according to the size or density of beans, but also according to the cup.

Even if you don't look at the area of wild coffee, there are some problems with using bean size grading. Some coffees are grown at higher altitudes, such as Colombian Nari ñ o beans, which have a very special cup flavor, which is obviously affected not only by altitude, but also by latitude, soil mineral content and climate.

Therefore, in addition to the size of beans, each grading system will also use other ways to assist judgment, and these grading methods are agreed between exporters and buyers.

Each customer is free to demand the mode of production of raw coffee beans, and there are usually stricter grading and packaging specifications for high-quality batches, which requires the experience of exporters and buyers and more effort to control the quality.

When it comes to defects in raw coffee beans, although different countries have different standards, the guidelines developed by SCA are still very important and can be used as a communication tool, because this is based on long-term research and accumulation of experience, involving specific defects that often occur in a certain area, which may be caused by local treatments and varieties, which will affect the flavor and quality of coffee.

How does grading affect the price?

Grading will directly affect the price, buyers will often choose coffee according to the grading criteria, rather than according to the cup test sample.

Usually buyers of commercial beans pay more for larger coffee beans and less for smaller beans. And they will be willing to pay more for pearl beans. On the other hand, people who buy boutique coffee are looking at the cup to test the flavor, even if the bean size is too large or too small.

Coffee grading is an ununified field in the coffee industry, and it is more difficult to compare when different countries use different systems, but grading should not only be used to judge the quality, after all, the quality should not be limited to the size and origin of beans.

When you buy coffee, you can dig into more information, find out the taste you want through the cup test, keep an open mind between each sample, and maybe find out the flavor you like in the unexpected one.