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According to the Brazilian coffee grading system, why is the highest grade NY2?

Published: 2026-08-25 Author:

Last Updated: 2026/08/25, On the hemp bags exported by Brazil's coffee, there will be a series of English words and numbers, such as "CERRADO NY-2SC-17/18 SS FC." This string of numbers actually represents Brazil's classification of raw coffee beans, established by the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Supply (MAPA)

On the sacks of Brazilian coffee exports, there will be a series of English and numbers, such as "CERRADO NY-2 SC-17/18 SS FC". This string of figures, which actually represents Brazil's raw coffee bean classification, is established by the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and supply (MAPA) and is usually composed of specific producing areas, defect grades, coffee bean particle mesh, cup test scores and sensory grades.

In Brazil, there are 26 states, 17 of which grow and export coffee, so coffee producing areas in Brazil are distinguished by states. However, with the development of boutique coffee, there is a higher demand for coffee traceability, there is a more detailed distinction between producing areas, and many sub-producing areas are also distinguished in Brazilian coffee producing areas.

Relatively well-known and common are MOGIANA, SULDE MINAS, CERRADO and so on, so coffee beans produced by these areas will be specifically marked. In addition, some coffee beans will be marked with the port of export, such as Brazil's Santos port will be marked "SANTOS".

The latter NY2 is Brazil's classification of defects in raw coffee beans, which comes from the New York Coffee Bean Association (Green Coffee Association of New York), so it starts with "NY". However, Brazilian coffee has the highest defect rating of NY2, not NY1, which has aroused a lot of curiosity, and there are "G1" and "G2" grades in some other coffee-producing countries, such as Ethiopia.

According to the Brazilian grade, it is based on the number of defective beans in 300 grams of raw beans. Through the deduction method, the more the proportion of defects is, the more the deduction points are, the greater the grading is, which is divided into 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3, and 4 grades, and so on. Then why is there no highest level of NY1, all because Brazil believes that to reach the NY1 level requires completely flawless coffee beans, but this is completely impossible.

Coffee is mainly grown in the flat plateau of south-central Brazil, about 1000 meters above sea level, and is grown on a large scale. No other country can come close to the scale of coffee production in Brazil. And Brazil is the most advanced country in the world and most dependent on industrial coffee production, so large-scale mechanical operations can be seen in Brazilian coffee forests. Although mechanized harvesting can save labor costs, it affects the quality of coffee to a certain extent.

There are also some boutique coffee producing areas in Brazil, where coffee is grown in high mountains at an altitude of 1000-1400 meters, in steeper terrain areas, with a limited degree of mechanization, and most of them use artificially harvested crops. Even with the use of artificial postharvest coffee fruits, there is a certain guarantee of quality and quality, but Brazil believes that coffee is a crop and can never achieve zero defects, so there is no NY1 grade.

After the raw beans are graded for defects, a sieve is used to grade the number of coffee mesh. "SC" represents the mesh size, with a maximum of 19 mesh in Brazil, but the yield is very small, so it is more common to have 17 or 17 eyes.

Finally, the sample beans will be roasted after the cup test, the cup test will use the Fine Coffee Association (SCA) cup test scoring method, and will be divided into 7 grades. Among them, the score of 85 or more is rated as Strictly Soft (SS), and the score between 80 and 84 is Soft (S).

Finally, according to the taste classification, it is usually divided into Fine Cup, Fine, Good Cup, Fair Cup, Poor Cup, Bad Cup, a total of six grades, of which the most common are Fine Cup (FC) and Good Cup (GC).

Although Brazilian coffee is not outstanding in flavor and low in acidity, it has high output, low price, stable quality and flavor, a balanced flavor like cocoa and nuts, and a mellow flavor, so there are a variety of Italian beans in Qianjie coffee, all of which contain Brazilian coffee beans.

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