ROBUSTA COFFEE
- Green Beans - North Sumatra - IDR 25.000,-/kg
- Green Beans - Mt. Kerinci - IDR 26.000,-/kg
- Green Beans - South Sumatra - IDR 21.000,-/kg
- Green Beans - Lampung - IDR 21.000,-/kg
- Green Beans - Central Java - IDR 20.000,-/kg
- Green Beans - East Java - IDR 20.000,-/kg
- Roasted Beans - Aceh - IDR 35.000,-/kg
- Roasted Beans - Central Java - IDR 30.000,-/kg
- Roasted Beans - East Java - IDR 30.000,-/kg
ARABICA COFFEE
- Green Beans - Aceh - N/A
- Green Beans - Jogjakarta - IDR 35.000,-/kg
- Green Beans - South Sulawesi - IDR 35.000,-/kg
- Roasted Beans - Aceh - IDR 50.000,-/kg
- Roasted Beans - Jogjakarta - 45.000,-/kg
- Roasted Beans - South Sulawesi - N/A
- Roasted Powder - Gayo Aceh - IDR 45.000,-/kg
- Roasted Powder - Gayo Aceh - IDR 55.000,-/kg
Certification
BUYING SPECIALTY GREEN COFFEE
The green coffee seller is responsible for grading coffee beans before sending the coffee to the buyer. Once graded, "Exceptional" and "Specialty" green coffee beans can still have problems that are not necessarily accounted for in coffee grading. These coffee "defects" are less serious, but harm the potential of the coffee. You can tell a great deal about the processing conditions of a coffee by looking at the appearance of the green coffee beans. Although cupping is the definitive way to check for problems, a good prognostic tool is to compare coffee beans.
Things to Consider when Buying Coffee:
- The green coffee beans should be of nearly equal size 17/18, 15/16, 13/14 etc, be similarly shaped, and have a similar color. The reason for this has to do with how evenly the coffee will roast which will affect the appearance and taste of the roasted coffee. Smaller coffee beans will roast differently than larger beans resulting in an uneven cup. Uneven coloring hints toward drying problems, whereas uneven shapes may indicate a mixing of cultivars.
- Ensure that the producer separates coffee lots by both geographic area and coffee varietal. These lots should be harvested, processed, and cupped separately before blending in the silos.
- Washed Arabica coffees should be even and bright. The coffee beans should not have an uneven or dull color. If they do, they are likely to have been dried or processed incorrectly. Coffee processing is essential for specialty green coffee. If the green coffee beans look faded, the cup quality will be faded.
- Inquire about the coffee drying conditions on the coffee estate. If they seem to have invested a significant amount of time into ensuring that they are drying the coffee properly, the coffee quality will generally show this in the cup. Improper drying on patios or in mechanical dryers can usually be observed visually. Rapid drying in mechanical dryers results in dull or brown coffees. Coffee beans that are mottled (or quakers when roasted) result when the coffee is dried too quickly, spread too thin on the patios, or not rotated as frequently as recommended. Some people recommend drying coffee on patios first to dry the skin, then transfer to mechanical dryers, and then bring the coffee back to the patios for the final drying. They believe that this helps improve color. Others send coffee beans to the dryers several times, while in between drying sessions they allow the coffees to rest in silos so that the moisture content of the bean can come to equilibrium. This is important since the outside of the coffee bean will dry faster than the inside of the bean. Inquire about the temperature used on the dryers. Is it over 42°C? If so you can expect a dull or baked cup, resulting in a coffee grade that is less than desirable.
- For all coffees, inquire about the coffee processing. Make sure they process the coffee estate is processing green coffee beans immediately upon harvesting. Otherwise you are guaranteed a fermented cup since coffee begins fermenting immediately upon picking. Ask how they use the fermentation tanks and why? Do they separate out coffees that float to the top of the tanks during fermentation? After pulping, do they separate coffees by density before they add them to the tanks? Only coffee estates that have dedicated a significant amount of time to improving coffee quality will know why these steps are important and necessary. If coffee pulp is present in the tanks during processing, it can result in brownish tinges on the green coffee beans. This is also indicative of harvesting over-ripe coffee cherries.
- Natural (dry) processed coffees will often be covered in brown silverskin which has attached itself to the bean. In Brazil they call this a "fox bean" and it is not considered a defect. Novice classifiers might expect this type of bean to be a defect, but if you can remove a portion of the silver-skin by rubbing on the black sorting mat it is not considered a defect. Green (under ripe) coffee also has a silver-skin attached to it, but this cannot be removed by simple rubbing. In a washed coffee, fox beans may indicate sour, fruity, or Rio tastes. This should be confirmed in the cup and not visually.
- Do the coffee beans have a little pink skin covering them or inside the crack of the bean? In some areas this is a serious defect which most people do not consider to be a defect. Since it is not a part of the green coffee classification, these beans could be passed on to the buyer as specialty coffee. These coffee beans should be separated and cupped to determine if the defect is serious.
- Are the coffee beans whitish or faded around the edges? This is likely a result of insufficient drying or storage in humid conditions. The cup will be bland and ordinary. These white marks are also observed in coffees that have not been dried evenly. The portion of the bean that has a whitish tone has higher moisture than the other parts of the bean. Whitish or discolored coffee beans can also result from oxidation, contact with the earth, or polluted waters.
- Before you buy green coffee beans, smell them. Ferment and smoke damage can be easily detected at this point, whereas they might be more subtle when roasted.
- Pick up the green coffee beans. How do they feel? If they feel glass-like and fragile, they have been over dried or dried at too high of a temperature. If they are pliable, they have not been dried sufficiently and should be rejected since mold growth at this point is unavoidable.
Green Coffee Beans Sizing Chart
| 1/64 inch | mm | Classification | Central America and Mexico | Colombia | Africa and India |
| 20 | 8 | Very Large | Superior | Supremo | AA |
| 19.5 | 7.75 | ||||
| 19 | 7.5 | ||||
| 18.5 | 7.25 | Large | |||
| 16 | 6.5 | Medium | Segundas | Excelso | B |
| 15 | 6 | ||||
| 14 | 5.5 | Small | Terceras | C | |
| 13 | 5.25 | Shells | Caracol | PB | |
| 12 | 5 | ||||
| 11 | 4.5 | Caracolli | |||
| 10 | 4 | ||||
| 9 | 3.5 | Caracolillo | |||
| 8 | 3 |
Grade 1: Specialty Grade Coffee Beans: no primary defects, 0-3 full defects, sorted with a maximum of 5% above and 5% below specified screen size or range of screen size, and exhibiting a distinct attribute in one or more of the following areas: taste, acidity, body, or aroma. Also must be free of cup faults and taints. Zero quakers allowed. Moisture content between 9-13%.
Grade 2: Premium Grade Coffee Beans: Same as Grade 1 except maximum of 3 quakers. 0-8 full defects.
Grade 3: Exchange Grade Coffee Beans: 50% above screen 15 and less than 5% below screen 15. Max of 5 quakers. Must be free from faults. 9-23 full defects.
Grade 4: Standard Grade Coffee Beans: 24-86 full defects.
Grade 5: Off Grade Coffee Beans: More than 86 full defects.
Source: Green Coffee Classification System Poster from the Specialty Coffee Association of America.
SCAA Coffee Beans Classification
The green coffee beans classification standard provided by the SCAA is an excellent method to compare coffee beans. It is superior over some systems in that it better accounts for the relationship between the defective coffee beans and the cup quality. However, it leaves out a few of the important coffee defects that can occur in coffee (See the Brazilian green coffee beans classification method).
SCAA Method of Coffee Grading
Three-hundred grams of properly hulled coffee beans should be sorted using screens 14, 15, 16, 17, and 18. The coffee beans remaining in each screen is weighed and the percentage is recorded. Since classifying 300 grams of coffee is very time consuming, 100 grams of coffee is typically used. If you are dealing with a high grade coffee with only a few defects, use 300 grams. If the coffee is of a lower quality with many defects, 100 grams will often suffice in a correct classification as either Below Standard Grade or Off Grade. The coffees then must be roasted and cupped to evaluate cup characteristics.
Specialty Grade Green Coffee (1): Specialty green coffee beans have no more than 5 full defects in 300 grams of coffee. No primary defects are allowed. A maximum of 5% above or below screen size indicated is tolerated. Specialty coffee m ust possess at least one distinctive attribute in the body, flavor, aroma, or acidity. Must be free of faults and taints. No quakers are permitted. Moisture content is between 9-13%.
Premium Coffee Grade (2): Premium coffee must have no more than 8 full defects in 300 grams. Primary defects are permitted. A maximum of 5% above or below screen size indicated is tolerated. Must possess at least one distinctive attribute in the body, flavor, aroma, or acidity. Must be free of faults and may contain only 3 quakers. Moisture content is between 9-13%.
Exchange Coffee Grade (3): Exchange grade coffee must have no more than 9-23 full defects in 300 grams. It must be 50% by weight above screen size 15 with no more than 5% of screen size below 14. No cup faults are permitted and a maximum of 5 quakers are allowed. Moisture content is between 9-13%.
Below Standard Coffee Grade (4): 24-86 defects in 300 grams.
Off Grade Coffee (5): More than 86 defects in 300 grams.
Below is a chart for grading coffee beans. It is based on the primary defect and the number of defective coffee beans:
Primary Defects
| Primary Defect | Number of occurrences equal to one full defect. |
| Full Black | 1 |
| Full Sour | 1 |
| Pod/Cherry | 1 |
| Large Stones | 2 |
| Medium Stones | 5 |
| Large Sticks | 2 |
| Medium Sticks | 5 |
Secondary Defects
| Secondary Defects | Number of occurrences equal to one full defect |
| Parchment | 2-3 |
| Hull/Husk | 2-3 |
| Broken/Chipped | 5 |
| Insect Damage | 2-5 |
| Partial Black | 2-3 |
| Partial Sour | 2-3 |
| Floater | 5 |
| Shell | 5 |
| Small Stones | 1 |
| Small sticks | 1 |
| Water Damage | 2-5 |
Classification of Green Coffee Beans: Brazil / New York Method
Grading Coffee Beans in Brazil
In the Brazilian method 300 grams of coffee is classified. The number of coffee beans equivalent to one full defect is given below. For example, a set of three shells counts as one full defect. On the other hand, one large rock counts as five full defects. If a coffee bean has more than one defect, the highest defect is counted. For example, a bean that is black and damaged by insects counts as one full defect due to its black attribute. Generally, coffee beans without defects, of the same origin, and that are similar in size, color, and shape, are classified as specialty green coffee beans.
The coffee beans classification table is split up into two, since Brazilian legislation allows a maximum of 1% of foreign defects. After counting the number of defects, use the third chart is used to classify the type and its point rating.
| Intrinsic Defect | Number | Full Defects |
| Black Bean | 1 | 1 |
| Sour (including stinker beans) | 1 | 1 |
| Shells | 3 | 1 |
| Green | 5 | 1 |
| Broken | 5 | 1 |
| Insect Damage | 5 | 1 |
| Foreign Defect | Number | Full Defects |
| Dried Cherry | 1 | 1 |
| Floater | 2 | 1 |
| Large Rock or Stick | 1 | 5 |
| Medium Rock or Stick | 1 | 2 |
| Small Rock or Stick | 1 | 1 |
| Large Skin or husk | 1 | 1 |
| Medium Skin or husk | 3 | 1 |
| Small Skin or husk | 5 | 1 |
Large Rock or Stick - Screen Size 18/19/20
Medium Rock or Stick – Screen Size 15/16/17
| Defect | Type | Points | Defects | Type | Points |
| 4 | 2 | 100 | 49 | 5-5 | -55 |
| 4 | 2-5 | 95 | 53 | 5-10 | -60 |
| 5 | 2-10 | 90 | 57 | 5-15 | -65 |
| 6 | 2-15 | 85 | 61 | 5-2- | -70 |
| 7 | 2-20 | 80 | 64 | 5-25 5/6 | -75 |
| 8 | 2-25 2/3 | 75 | 68 | 5-30 | -80 |
| 9 | 2-30 | 70 | 71 | 5-35 | -85 |
| 10 | 2-35 | 65 | 75 | 5-40 | -90 |
| 11 | 2-40 | 60 | 79 | 5-45 | -95 |
| 11 | 2-45 | 55 | 86 | 6 | -100 |
| 12 | 3 | 50 | 93 | 6-5 | -105 |
| 13 | 3-5 | 45 | 100 | 6-10 | -110 |
| 15 | 3-10 | 40 | 108 | 6-15 | -115 |
| 17 | 3-15 | 35 | 115 | 6-20 | -120 |
| 18 | 3-20 | 30 | 123 | 6-25 6/7 | -125 |
| 19 | 3-25 3/4 | 25 | 130 | 6-30 | -130 |
| 20 | 3-30 | 20 | 138 | 6-35 | -135 |
| 22 | 3-35 | 15 | 145 | 6-40 | -140 |
| 23 | 3-40 | 10 | 153 | 6-45 | -145 |
| 25 | 3-45 | 5 | 160 | 7 | -150 |
| 26 | 4 | 0 | 180 | 7-5 | -155 |
| 28 | 4-5 | -5 | 200 | 7-10 | -160 |
| 30 | 4-10 | -10 | 220 | 7-15 | -165 |
| 32 | 4-15 | -15 | 240 | 7-20 | -170 |
| 34 | 4-20 | -20 | 260 | 7-25 7/8 | -175 |
| 36 | 4-25 4/5 | -25 | 280 | 7-30 | -180 |
| 38 | 4-30 | -30 | 300 | 7-35 | -185 |
| 40 | 4-35 | -35 | 320 | 7-40 | -190 |
| 42 | 4-40 | -40 | 340 | 7-45 | -195 |
| 44 | 4-45 | -45 | 360 | 8 | -200 |
| 46 | 5 | -50 | >360 | Above 8 |
Coffee Beans Classification: Compare Coffee Beans by Size
Many countries will classify and compare coffee beans by using a screen size sorting system. The theory behind this method of coffee bean classification is that coffees of the highest altitudes are more dense and larger in size than at the other altitudes. It is also known that coffees of higher altitudes (i.e. slower coffee bean development rates) have the best flavor profiles. Therefore, there is a correlation between coffee bean size, density, and quality. However, this correlation has numerous exceptions and size classification should only be used to verify that the coffee lot is uniform in size which helps ensure a uniform roast.
The different coffee growing regions have their own preferred terminology, but the best indicator of size is to know the screen size. The screen size is usually reported as 17/18, 15/16, 13/14, etc. This means 17/64 of an inch, 18/64 of an inch, etc.
