Coffee bean grade

Coffee beans are graded first by size and then by density. All coffee beans have fairly standard sizes and the same proportions, except for two exceptions, which are flat on one side and semi-elliptical on the other. The exceptions are pea-shaped beans that are more elliptical in shape and giant beans with large grains, which always cost more. We also classify coffee beans as A, B, C, D, E, and F.

A Cup of Excellence (cupping score 90+), also known as COE (Cup of Excellence) in the industry, is the best of the best, the most outstanding coffee beans . Every year, the Specialty Coffee Association of America works with the host country of the COE cupping competition to complete the cupping screening and online auction of specialty coffee. Specialty coffee growers or coffee farms submit their best coffee beans to the association's inspectors for review. After three stages of rigorous review, coffee beans that are considered to be the highest grade will be awarded the COE title. Coffee beans with the COE title can be traded at high prices in international online auctions that focus on specialty coffee.

B Specialty Coffee (cupping score 80-90 points). The term "specialty coffee" was first proposed by American Ms. Knudsen. The most popular way of saying it is coffee beans with unique aroma and outstanding flavor cultivated under ideal climate and geographical conditions, which are different from mediocre commercial coffee. Specialty coffee focuses on every link of coffee variety, origin, environment, screening and processing. The American Specialty Coffee Association's evaluation criteria for specialty coffee include: whether it has rich dry aroma, wet aroma, acidity, body, aftertaste, taste and whether the taste is balanced. Specialty coffee beans must be of excellent varieties, excellent planting environment, and manually harvested to prevent coffee beans of inconsistent maturity from mixing together and affecting the taste. They must be high-quality beans that have been screened and have no defects.

C Premium coffee (cup test score 70-80 points). Some conscientious coffee shops in the industry, some more artistic coffee shops, and some five-star and above hotels provide non-free coffee to customers, which will use beans of this grade. In fact, the boundary between commodity beans and boutique beans is quite vague in premium coffee. If you must find the difference, then compared with commodity beans, premium beans are mostly fresher and have better flavor recognition. There will be a certain proportion of boutique beans in the blended beans. Or some well-known coffee bean varieties, the uniformity and consistency of the beans are not very high, and the cup test scores are not very high, but the freshness and taste are better, they smell good and taste not too bitter, and can make people feel pleasant after drinking.

D General circulation products (cup test score below 70). This is what the coffee industry often calls "commodity beans". Starbucks, McCafé and most commercial coffee shops use beans of this grade. They are purchased in bulk and circulated in large quantities in the coffee market. Their sales volume accounts for a major share of the market. We can easily buy them in large chain supermarkets and e-commerce platforms. In particular, the largest sales volume on JD.com and Tmall Taobao is usually this type of commodity beans. Among them, illy and Lavazza are the most well-known to consumers. The coffee capsules used in capsule machines are also basically beans of this grade. Commodity beans are generally blended beans. Strictly speaking, some well-known brands of commodity beans have stable quality because of their strict quality management and special production and packaging processes. Consumers normally will not drink coffee that is too unpalatable, but it is just not unpalatable. If you want to drink various flavors and rich layers in commodity beans, you basically don't have to think about it. You just need to look at the production date and shelf life of these beans, and you will probably understand. The tasting period of boutique coffee is about one month, and the shelf life is generally three months, otherwise the flavor is basically lost. The shelf life you see on the packaging of commercial beans is usually between 18 and 24 months, so this grade of coffee tastes bitter, but not smelly.

E Coffee outside the specification (generally not evaluated). The unlimited coffee served in hotel buffets and the free coffee provided at breakfast are basically made from beans of this grade. Don't complain that the free coffee in hotels is unpalatable, because it is free, so the hotel must save costs. However, many coffee shops also use this kind of bitter, astringent and smelly beans, which is really unacceptable. The industry has lost its conscience. I once drank this kind of ground coffee in a coffee shop on Xidi, Xiamen. I couldn't swallow it and it was countless times more unpalatable than instant coffee. There is also the coffee shop that claims to be the largest in X continent, which also uses beans of this grade.

F. Dedicated to domestic consumption in producing countries (generally not discussed). Coffee is the second largest commodity in the world after crude oil. Most of the major coffee producing countries are poor countries. As an important cash crop, coffee is an important resource for national export and foreign exchange earning. It is also the most important source of income for farmers in coffee producing areas. Therefore, all high-grade beans are used for export and foreign exchange earning, and those that do not meet export standards are kept for their own use. The government of Ethiopia, a world-famous coffee producing country, once used administrative means to restrict domestic coffee consumption in order to increase foreign exchange earnings through export. The regulatory measures even included controlling circulation and sales channels. Farmers had to keep the poor-quality beans that could not be sold for themselves.