Coffee Bean Grading Yirgacheffe Classification System

Ethiopian Coffee Naming and Grading System

Ethiopian coffee beans are named after their origin, typically by province. This is somewhat similar to the Bordeaux region in French wines, where several production areas are well-known to everyone. Note: Yirgacheffe is a small production area within the Sidamo province, and due to its unique flavor profile, it has become an independent brand. This naming method differs from other African countries (including the grading system introduced below). Descriptions you might often see, such as "FrontStreet Coffee Yirgacheffe Grade-2" or "Harrar Grade-3," actually don't fully represent quality levels. What do they represent then? As follows:

Coffee Processing Grades

Washed: Grade-1; Grade-2

Natural: Grade-3; Grade-4; Grade-5 and Grade-1

Important Notes

a) Both washed and natural coffees can be Grade-1, with the requirements being "zero" defects and Premium Cup. Whether washed or natural, Grade-1 is the rating for the best of specialty coffees or Cup of Excellence coffees.

b) Natural Yirgacheffe and Sidamo have a minimum grade of Gr-4, unlike Jimma which has Gr-5. However, if natural Yirgacheffe is Gr-4, Ethiopian exporters typically export it under the name of Sidamo Gr-4 (perhaps to avoid damaging Yirgacheffe's reputation).

c) Beans of the same grade, such as Limu Gr-2, can vary in quality—some good, some bad.

d) The requirement for "zero" defects means that Gr-1 beans (whether washed or natural) are extremely rare due to high processing costs, and very few suppliers produce them.

f) There will definitely not be natural Yirgacheffe, Sidamo, or Limu Grade-2 (Gr-2).

Parchment Coffee Grading System

First, it must be clarified that the following system applies only to the grading of Parchment Coffee before auction—that is, grading occurs at step 6), and the certificate issued is only used for auction purposes, not for export certificates.

General requirements: Natural coffee beans should not exceed 11.5% moisture content by weight, and at least 85% of beans should remain above 14 screen size after screening. (This is why Ethiopian beans may not look uniform: above 14 screen size means a mix of 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, etc., which naturally results in non-uniform beans).

Parchment Coffee grading: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, UG (undergrade). These grades 1, 2, 3 are completely different from Yirgacheffe Grade-2 or Harrar Grade-3; these are domestic grading identifiers used for auctions, not export grade naming.

Two major factors for determining the above grades: Raw Value (physical factors) accounts for 40 points, Cup Quality Value (cupping factors) accounts for 60 points, with a total of 100 points.

Physical factors include:

defects (20), appearance (10), color (5), aroma (5)

Cupping factors include:

clarity (15), acidity (15), mouthfeel (15), flavor (15)

Final grading is based on the total evaluated score.

To be classified as specialty, there is another round of finals—that is, beans graded as 1, 2, or 3 undergo another evaluation, which is a cupping assessment with evaluation criteria basically the same as SCAA standards.

Note: For all cupping evaluations mentioned above, the parchment is removed from samples before roasting and testing.

The Blending Process

After exporters win beans at auction, they proceed to step 9), which involves blending. Blending has two meanings:

a) Blending beans from different mountains;

b) Blending beans of different Parchment coffee grades. The quality is critically affected by step b).

We've already introduced grades 1 through 9 and UG. Now, let's use Yirgacheffe as an example to illustrate. Exporter A has an order for 20 tons of Yirgacheffe Grade-2 and acquires more than 20 tons of Parchment Yirgacheffe from the auction house. In most cases, these coffees are acquired in several separate batches because one mountain wouldn't coincidentally have as much as 20 tons of coffee. Being acquired in several batches means different micro-regions and different Parchment grades. For example, if acquired in 4 batches, these 4 batches would be:

Region A: 5 tons (Grade: 1); 25%

Region B: 2 tons (Grade: 2); 10%

Region C: 10 tons (Grade: 3); 50%

Region D: 3 tons (Grade: 4); 15%

Then the Parchment coffee is sent to the processing plant to be processed into 20 tons of green beans for export. Of course, before export, it must undergo export grade certification, with official certification of Yirgacheffe Grade-2.

Exporter B also has an order for 20 tons and also acquires 4 batches of parchment coffee from the auction house:

Region E: 1 ton (Grade: 1); 5%

Region F: 1 ton (Grade: 2); 5%

Region G: 10 tons (Grade: 3); 50%

Region H: 8 tons (Grade: 4); 40%

Similarly, B obtains certification for Yirgacheffe Grade-2 from official institutions.

Therefore, although both are called Yirgacheffe-G2, A's quality is definitely better than B's, and much better. Of course, this doesn't mean B is unscrupulous, because B's export price is lower than A's. This embodies the principle that you get what you pay for.

The same process applies to other Ethiopian coffees, such as Sidamo, Jimma, Lekempti, etc.

Summary

1) Besides cultivation, key steps affecting quality include step 4) and step 9)

2) Step 9) is very important—good management at the processing plant results in good products. For example, measures like scheduled worker breaks can effectively improve bean sorting quality.

3) You get what you pay for. While importers can negotiate prices, they cannot control step 9). Exporters won't tell you how they blend. Importers just need to find exporters who are serious about coffee.

4) Ethiopian grades include Parchment grades and export grades—two different but related systems.

5) Ethiopia's grading system is the most systematic grading standard known among African countries.

Important Notice :

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