Coffee Bean Grading Yirgacheffe Classification System

Ethiopian Coffee Naming and Grading System

Ethiopian coffee is named after its origin, typically by province. This is somewhat like the Bordeaux region in French wine, where several production areas are known to everyone. Note that Yirgacheffe is a small production area within Sidamo province, and because of its unique flavour profile it has become an independent brand. This naming approach differs from other African countries, including the grading system introduced below. Descriptions you often see, such as "FrontStreet Coffee Yirgacheffe Grade-2" or "Harrar Grade-3," do not actually represent quality levels. So what do they represent? 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 a 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 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 "zero" defect requirement means that Gr-1 beans, washed or natural, are extremely rare because processing costs are high 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 clear 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 as an export certificate.

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 and so on, 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 and 3 are completely different from Yirgacheffe Grade-2 or Harrar Grade-3; they are domestic grading identifiers used for auctions, not export grade naming.

Two major factors determine the above grades: Raw Value (physical factors) accounts for 40 points, and Cup Quality Value (cupping factors) accounts for 60 points, for 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: beans graded 1, 2 or 3 undergo another evaluation, a cupping assessment whose criteria are basically the same as SCAA standards.

Note: For all the cupping evaluations 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 is blending. Blending has two meanings:

a) Blending beans from different mountains;

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

We have already introduced grades 1 through 9 and UG. Now let's use Yirgacheffe as an example. 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 would not coincidentally hold as much as 20 tons. Being acquired in several batches means different micro-regions and different Parchment grades. For example, if acquired in 4 batches, those 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%

The Parchment coffee is then sent to the processing plant to be turned into 20 tons of green beans for export. Before export it must of course 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.

So although both are called Yirgacheffe-G2, A's quality is definitely better than B's — much better. That doesn't mean B is unscrupulous, because B's export price is lower than A's. It embodies the principle that you get what you pay for.

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

Summary

1) Besides cultivation, the key steps affecting quality are step 4) and step 9).

2) Step 9) is very important: good management at the processing plant produces good products. Measures like scheduled worker breaks, for example, can effectively improve bean sorting quality.

3) You get what you pay for. While importers can negotiate prices, they cannot control step 9). Exporters will not tell you how they blend. Importers simply need to find exporters who take coffee seriously.

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

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

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If the grading detail above makes you want to taste the difference a grade makes, start with FrontStreet Coffee's Washed Yirgacheffe. It is the clearest reference point for the region: white jasmine, bright citrus and lemon acidity, a clean, tea-like body. Brew it in a V60 with 15g of coffee at 90–91°C and a 1:15 ratio, grinding to about fine-sugar size — EK43s setting 10, or 80% through a #20 sieve. Pour 30g for a 30-second bloom, add 95g, then finish to 225g, in 2:00–2:10. FrontStreet Coffee's Natural Red Cherry shows the same region through the natural process: berry, honey and a creamy body.