tags: [] - coffee/green-beans - coffee/green-beans/grading - coffee/geography aliases: - Coffee regional grades - Origin grading systems - Country coffee grades

Green Coffee Regional Grades¶

Tags: #coffee/green-beans #coffee/green-beans/grading #coffee/geography Aliases: Coffee regional grades, Origin grading systems, Country coffee grades Related: Green Coffee Grading | Coffee Origin MOC | Quality Control MOC | Ethiopia Coffee Production and Sourcing Status: ✅ Complete

Overview¶

There is no universal green coffee grading standard. Each major producing country uses its own system — some based on screen size, some on defect count, some on altitude, and some combining all three. "Grade 1" in Ethiopia means something entirely different from "Grade 1" in Indonesia. Understanding each origin's system is essential for sourcing and quality verification. The full grading methodology is covered in Green Coffee Grading.

Colombia¶

System basis: Screen size (primary)

Grade	Screen	Notes
Supremo	17+	Largest screen; premium pricing; export standard; not necessarily best cup quality
Excelso	14–16	Slightly smaller; often excellent cup quality; lower price than Supremo
UGQ (Usual Good Quality)	Mixed	Standard commercial; higher defect tolerance; domestic consumption

The specialty market increasingly looks beyond the Supremo/Excelso distinction; cup quality and direct trade relationships are more important than screen size in premium sourcing.

Ethiopia¶

System basis: Defect count per 300 g (defect-based; primary among African systems)

Grade	Defects per 300 g	Notes
Grade 1	0–3	Highest quality; often 85+ cup score; primarily washed
Grade 2	4–12	Most specialty coffee; 82–85 typical cup score
Grade 3	13–25	Commercial specialty; 80–82 cup score
Grade 4	26–45	Commercial; domestic market; below specialty threshold
Grade 5	46–100	Low grade; local consumption
UGQ (Unwashed Good Quality)	Similar to Grade 4–5	Natural process classification; can cup well

Grade 1 commands a significant premium. The ECX (Ethiopian Commodity Exchange) requires formal grading; direct trade operations often bypass the ECX and apply their own washing station quality control.

Kenya¶

System basis: Screen size (size-based auction system)

Grade	Screen	Notes
E (Elephant)	Extra-large	Very rare; novelty premium; not necessarily better cup quality
AA	18 (7.2 mm)	Largest standard grade; premium positioning; highest auction prices
AB	15–17 (6.0–6.8 mm)	Most common; often excellent cup quality; better value than AA
C	14 and below	Smaller beans; lower prices; can cup excellently
PB (Peaberry)	Round single bean	5–10% of crop; premium pricing; unique flavour profile
TT	Light density	Floaters; low quality
T (Triage)	Broken	Lowest grade; local market
MH/ML (Mbuni)	Natural/dry processed	Separate classification; different quality standards

Grades are sold at the Nairobi Coffee Auction. AA commands a demand-driven premium. Direct trade is growing and often bypasses the auction system.

Brazil¶

System basis: Defect count and cup quality (the NY Scale)

Classification	Character	Notes
Strictly Soft	0–4 defects; clean cup	Premium quality; no cup defects
Soft	Minor defects allowable	Commercial specialty
Softish	Some defect notes in cup	Medium commercial
Hard	Noticeable defects; harsher cup	Low commercial
Rioyish/Rio	Medicinal, iodine notes	Internationally considered a defect

Modern Brazilian grading is moving toward specialty standards, with regional classifications (Cerrado, Mogiana, Sul de Minas), screen sizing, and Cup of Excellence lots reaching 82+ points. Screen 17/18 Bourbon Santos is the reference for premium Brazilian specialty.

Indonesia (Giling Basah / Wet-Hulled)¶

System basis: Defect count (applied differently due to wet-hull process)

Grade	Defects per 300 g	Notes
Grade 1	Maximum 11	Best quality for wet-hulled; specialty potential
Grade 2	12–25	Good commercial quality; most export coffee
Grade 3	26–44	Commercial grade; domestic and export
Grades 4–6	Higher	Lower quality; local markets

The Giling Basah (wet-hulled) process creates a characteristic defect profile that differs from washed coffee. Blue-green bean appearance and earthy notes are not defects in this context — they are characteristic. Standards are applied accordingly. See Giling Basah for the processing method.

Regional sub-systems: Sumatra (Mandheling, Lintong), Sulawesi (Toraja), Java (estate grades), Bali (increasing specialty production).

Central America¶

System basis: Altitude (as a density proxy), often combined with screen size and defect count

Classification	Elevation	Notes
Strictly Hard Bean (SHB)	1,200–1,400 m+ (varies by country)	Hardest, densest beans; highest quality potential
Hard Bean (HB)	1,000–1,200 m	Good density; quality coffee
Semi-Hard Bean	600–1,000 m	Medium density; commercial grades

Many countries (Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador) combine altitude classification with screen size, defect count, and cup score. A Costa Rica SHB specialty lot would typically be: grown above 1,200 m, screen 17+, with a defined maximum defect count and an 80+ cup score.

Other Notable Systems¶

Papua New Guinea: AA (Screen 18+, 0–8 defects), A (Screen 16–17, 9–20 defects), AB (mixed). Similar structure to Kenya but with different standards.

India: Plantation (washed Arabica, graded by region), Cherry (natural process), Monsooned Malabar (unique ageing; separate classification). Screen size and defect count combined.

Yemen: Traditional hand sorting; limited formal grading; highly variable quality. Scarcity drives premium regardless of grade.

Hawaii: Extra Fancy, Fancy, No. 1, Select, Prime — screen size and defect-based system applied to Kona and other Hawaiian origins.

Key Facts¶

No universal green coffee grading standard exists — "Grade 1" means different things in different countries and is not directly comparable across origins
Ethiopian Grade 1: 0–3 defects per 300 g; Indonesian Grade 1: maximum 11 defects per 300 g
Kenyan and Colombian grades are primarily screen-size based; Ethiopian grades are defect-count based; Central American grades are altitude-based
Cup quality (80+ points SCA) is the closest thing to a universal standard, cutting across all regional systems
Understanding the applicable regional system is essential for accurate quality interpretation

References¶

Changelog¶

Date	Change
2026-05-03	Compliance review: added frontmatter, metadata block, all required sections; fixed table alignment; removed internal --- separators between country sections; fixed path-prefixed wikilinks; replaced non-coffee tags

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