Coffee grading in Kenya

The growth environment of boutique coffee beans also has higher requirements. Generally grow at an altitude of 1500 meters or even more than 2000 meters above sea level, with appropriate precipitation, sunshine, temperature and soil conditions. Some world-famous coffee beans also have a special geographical environment, such as the alpine clouds in the Blue Mountains, the free shade provided by Kona's "Flying Cloud" in the afternoon, and the volcanic ash soil in Antigua, which provide conditions for the growth of boutique coffee.

Usually Kenyan coffee is classified as follows:

1) Common categories:

Hand-picked coffee fruit, picked by hand, picked out immature fruit (unripe), overripe fruit (overripe) and other defects, peeled, after about 36 hours of fermentation, placed on a metal grid for sun drying, in the processing plant to remove the seed shell (parchment), become a blue-green appearance of attractive Kenyan raw beans.

These beautiful raw beans are graded according to particle size (size), shape (shape) and weight (weight):

E:kenya E, elephant beans, above elephant bean,18 (including round beans)

Round beans containing large grains, like PB, are small in quantity.

AA:Kenya AA,17-18 mesh

AB:Kenya AB,15-16, which is a mixture of An and B.

Grade An above 17 mesh (6.8mm), grade B above 16 mesh (6.3mm)

Light beans selected by TT:AA and AB by airflow separator

Over PB:Kenya PB,15, round beans and peaberry account for about 10% of Kenyan coffee.

CRV 12-14 mesh and PB light bean screened by air flow separator

Under 12 eyes, there are more defective beans, chopped beans and light beans.

HE: beyond the above level becomes HE (Hulled Ears)

2) the raw beans without official standard grading are UG (ungrade).

E,AA,AB,PB → UG1

C,TT,T,HE → UG2

3) MBUNI (sun beans, non-washing treatment)

All raw beans are sorted by gravity (gravity separator)

MH:heavy mbuni, heavy beans, yellow, free of black beans, fragments, dried fruit or other defects

The cup test shows a typical sun flavor with no taste defects.

ML:light mbuni yellowish green, with a small amount of worm-eaten beans or black beans, no stinky beans or fragments

There is no earthy or other bad taste in the cup test.