Grading and classifying coffee

Every bean has a story

When sourcing green beans, it is important to understand the meanings of bean classification and grading.

Green coffee is identified by:

• Country of Origin
• State in country
• Farm name (if large enough)
• Elevation of growth
• Crop year
• Port of embarkation
• Name of green coffee processor
• Name of exporter

It will also be classified by its grade, bean size and processing method.

All of these factors tell a buyer a story about the coffee.

Is it current crop? At what elevation was it grown? Was there a drought or frost in that region during that period? How many defects are likely to be found? How large are the beans? Was it dry processed or wet processed?

Each origin will have some general flavour characteristics apparent in their coffee. As with wines, nuances of flavour and body will differ from farm to farm and from one season to another. The joy of experiencing single origin coffees is discovering these variations in aroma, flavour and body.

We only select from the highest grade and most recent crop of Arabica coffees from each origin, and is why our coffee tastes so good.