Yirgacheffe Grade Classification Based on Defective Beans - Are Arabica Coffee Beans Expensive?

FrontStreet Coffee's Guide to Ethiopian Yirgacheffe Grade Classification

The Ethiopia Commodity Exchange (ECX) Overview

The Ethiopia Commodity Exchange (ECX) is an agricultural marketplace where buyers and sellers gather to trade, guaranteeing quality, delivery, and payment. ECX's vision is to transform Ethiopia's economy by becoming the preferred choice of global commodity markets. Its mission is to connect all buyers and sellers in an efficient, reliable, and transparent market by leveraging innovation and technology, founded on continuous learning, fairness, and excellence.

ECX has established regional warehouses throughout Ethiopia that provide crop collection, grading, and storage, before lots enter a unified trading auction platform for ECX-registered members to transact. The buyers here are private exporters. Since 2008, Ethiopia has required all private exporters to trade coffee through the ECX. Its one major limitation is that it cannot meet current buyer demands for traceability. Coffee traded through the ECX is only divided by region, so it cannot tell you which washing station it came from - it may come from many different stations, mixed together and packed into gunny sacks for auction in large batches. But after Specialty G1 goes through the strict selection process below, would you still question its quality?

Ethiopia's Historical and Current Grading Systems

Ethiopia's old grading method was based simply on defect counts, with the highest grade for washed coffee being Grade 1 (G1) and the highest for natural coffee being Grade 3 (G3). The current grading system was established by the ECX, combining physical attribute characteristics with cupping flavor characteristics to determine grade levels.

Coffee Classification by Processing Method

All coffees are defined into three types according to processing method (natural or washed):

a. Specialty (washed & unwashed): few defects and high cupping quality;

b. Commercial (washed & unwashed): does not reach specialty grade, but is higher than the domestic consumption grade;

c. Local/Domestic (washed & unwashed): coffee with many defects (unripe beans), off-season lots, and poor storage, resulting in relatively poor flavor.

Among these, Specialty and Commercial are targeted for export to international markets, while Local is for coffee sold on the domestic market.

ECX Specific Grading and Scoring Standards

A. Scoring Definition for the Washed Process

1. Physical characteristics account for 40%: defect count (20%), bean size (10%), color (5%), aroma (5%)

2. Cup quality accounts for 60%: cleanliness (15%), acidity (15%), mouthfeel (15%), flavor character (15%)

B. Scoring Definition for the Natural Process

1. Physical characteristics account for 40%: defect count (30%), aroma (10%)

2. Cup quality accounts for 60%: cleanliness (15%), acidity (15%), mouthfeel (15%), flavor character (15%)

C. Overall Summary:

1. All coffee is first classified by processing method: natural or washed;

2. Each lot is scored on physical characteristics and basic cup quality into 9 grades: G1-G9;

3. G1-G3 are then cupped again under SCAA standards to assess their flavor attributes in finer detail. G1 and G2 lots scoring no less than 85 points are graded Q1;

4. G1, G2, and G3 lots scoring between 80 and 85 are graded Q2, while all G1, G2, and G3 lots scoring below 80 are downgraded to G3;

5. Q1 and Q2 are classified as Specialty Grade for export. G4-G9 keep their original grades and are exported as Commercial Grade together with G3.

Quality and Value Discussion

Many customers ask FrontStreet Coffee whether Arabica coffee beans are expensive. Certainly, high-quality Arabica beans are expensive, but low-quality ones are comparatively cheap. This is exactly why a coffee grading system exists to distinguish quality levels.

Knowledge Extension

"Acidity" in coffee is similar to the acidity of red wine, and there is a saying that "sweetness is easy, good acidity is rare." However, as coffee temperature decreases, perceived acidity will correspondingly increase.

FrontStreet Coffee's Philosophy

In short: FrontStreet Coffee is a coffee research house, happy to share coffee knowledge with everyone. We share without reservation only to let more friends fall in love with coffee. Every month, we hold three low-discount coffee events because FrontStreet Coffee wants to let more friends drink the best coffee at the lowest price. This has been FrontStreet Coffee's philosophy for the past 6 years!

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Want to taste what top-graded Ethiopian Arabica is like? Start with FrontStreet Coffee's washed Yirgacheffe, the classic everyday introduction to the region. Yirgacheffe sits at roughly 1700-2100 meters in Ethiopia's south, with coffee grown above 1800 meters - among the highest coffee elevations in the world - and it is famous for its distinctive white jasmine florals, bright citrus and lemon acidity, and tea-like finish.

For brewing, FrontStreet Coffee suggests a V60, 15 g of coffee, a 1:15 ratio, water at 90-91 degrees C, and a medium-fine grind. Pour 30 g of water for a 30-second bloom, then pour to 125 g on the scale within about a minute, and finish pouring to 225 g by about 1:35, with drawdown complete between 2:00 and 2:10. If you prefer fruitier aromatics, the natural-process FrontStreet Red Cherry lot - dried as whole ripe cherries for three to five weeks - offers citrus acidity, berry juiciness, honeyed sweetness, and a creamy smoothness.