Coffee Bean Classification: Introduction to Brazilian Green Coffee Defect Grading System

Brazilian Coffee Grading System Introduction

Brazilian Green Bean Grading

First, coffee beans with parchment are dehulled by a machine to remove the parchment. Workers then use vibration screening to grade the coffee by the density of the green beans. Density is one of the important standards for measuring coffee quality. After grading, the beans are cleaned again, and the cleaned beans are sent to the lab for final color grading. A colorimeter uses lasers to detect defects or stains on the bean surface. Overall, the mechanization level of green bean sorting in Brazil is extremely high. Machine processing not only avoids unnecessary mistakes but also helps solve the labor shortage caused by high wage levels.

Brazilian green bean grading is mainly based on defect rate, size, and cupping quality. Let's take each in turn.

Defect Rate Grading

Brazilian defect rate grading has two standards: the traditional historical COB grading and NY grading. In the Brazilian defect grading method, grading is based on the defect score contained in 300g of green coffee beans. The table below shows defect types and how they are scored. For example, an insect-damaged bean counts as 1/5, meaning 5 beans count as one point (a complete defect). A large wood defect counts as 5, meaning one large piece of wood or stone counts as 5 points (a complete defect).

Grading by Size

Brazil grades directly by screen size, with the screen size standardized right in the green bean grade. For example, SC 17/18 means the coffee bean size is 17/18 screen.

Grading by Cupping Quality

Brazil divides coffee into fine cup, fine, good cup, fair cup, poor cup, and bad cup according to quality. FC (Fine Cup) and GC (Good Cup) are the most common.

With these grades in hand, we can better understand the meaning and rules behind Brazilian green bean names: Brazil Santos NY.2 FC means Brazilian Santos, graded 2 by the New York grading method, with a flavor quality of Fine Cup.

Knowledge Point: Brazil has the highest production and export volume in the world. Its exports account for about one-third of the world's total, and it is also a major coffee-consuming country, with consumption second only to the United States and ranking second in the world.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Brazil's grading system is rigorous, and if you want to taste what a well-graded Brazilian bean delivers in the cup, FrontStreet's Brazil Cerrado Red Bourbon is a classic single origin. Cerrado is a well-known region prized for high-quality beans, and this lot is the red Bourbon common across South America. Medium-roasted, it gives creamy peanut, toasted bread, caramel, and hazelnut aromas, with a rounded body, no sharp acidity, and a faint bittersweet finish. Brew it as a pour-over, or use a moka pot, espresso SOE, siphon, or French press.

For something a little rarer, FrontStreet's Brazil Queen Estate Yellow Bourbon comes from Mogiana, near South Minas, where fertile red volcanic soil feeds the fruit. This rare Yellow Bourbon, a mutation of Red Bourbon, cups cleaner in fruit; brewed as a pour-over, in a moka pot, or on a home machine, it shows a sugarcane-like sweetness along with gentle fruit and chocolate. Brazil's balanced, low-acid character also makes it a favorite base for espresso blends, where it adds chocolate and cream aromas and a soft sweet-bitter balance that keeps extraction stable.