CHAPTER 6: Coffee Grading and Marketing

In this chapter, coffee grading is understood as defect removal and bean sizing in order to refine the natural quality of the coffee lot and bring it to standards demanded by different markets. This type of grading is performed in three stages – cleaning, sizing, and sorting of defects, usually in this order. Different markets require different bean size distributions and defect contents that are associated with appearance and, most importantly, quality. Bean size affects the aspect of coffee more than its cup quality that is related with the number and type of defects found in it as well as by processing, climate, variety, etc. Some countries have established export types or qualities associated mostly with bean size and defect count, e.g. Colombia Supremo and Kenya AA. Other countries have this grading system also linked to cup quality and deliver mostly to clients' requirements, for example, Brazil. Roasters and soluble makers usually use coffees from different origins and qualities to create their own blends, with single-origin coffees representing a small part of importing countries' markets.