Coffee Explained

COFFEA ARABICA

Without doubt the most popular bean; bright, sweet, complex with lovely acidity and body. Arabica has the most varietals, each developed to adapt the species to local environments. Arabica and Robusta belong to the Rubiacea plant family that have over six thousand genus or sub families.

COFFEA CANEPHORA

Better known as Robusta. Robusta has gained respect through beans like Indian Kaapi Royale, the only Robusta that has earned the SCAA’s ‘Fine Cup’ grading. There’s even a Robusta Q Cupper qualification.  We stock a range of Robusta’s from India, Brazil, Mexico, PNG, Tanzania, PNG and Vietnam.

VARIETALS

Here’s a quick summary of the most popular Arabica’s:

Arusha                     

Variety of Typica, grown in Tanzania and Papua New Guinea

Blue Mountain        

Typica, grown in Jamaica, Papua New Guinea, Hawaii, Kenya and Haiti

Bourbon

Named after an island now known as Reunion. First grown by the French then planted in Brazil. Bourbon is now grown throughout South and Central America.

Caturra                     

Developed by Brazil in 1937, a natural mutation from a line of Bourbon. High yielding, good branch spread and shorter than Bourbon.

Catuai                       

Hybrid of Mundo Novo and Caturra, developed by Brazil in the 40’s.

Catimor                    

Developed by the Portuguese in 1959 from a combination of Timor and Caturra coffee

Harrar, Sidamo, Yirgachaffe                   

Three Ethiopian varietals named after their respective regions and trademarked by the Ethiopian government

Geisha/Gesha         

Named after the village of Gesha, Ethiopia and grown in Boquette, Panama. Also grown in Indonesia. Legend has it that the Gesha in Panama originated in Tanzania.

Maragogype or Maragogipe

A Typica named after a state in Bahia [Brazil] producing large beans.

Mundo Novo                       

Hybrid between Bourbon and Typica.

Pacamara     

Large bean hybrid developed from a Bourbon mutation; Pacas and Maragogype.

Pacas

Natural mutation of Bourbon that occurred in El Salvador

Ruiru 11                   

Developed in Kenya and released in 1985 for its disease resistance. Initially thought to produce a bland cup, todays hybrids have developed for taste.

S795                          

Released in the 40’s, cross between Kents and S288 varieties. One of the main varietals in India and South East Asia

Sarchimor               

A hybrid between the Costa Rican Villa Sarchi and the Timor variety.

SL28 & SL34           

Two popular varietals developed in Kenya. [SL stands for Selection]

Sulawesi Toraja Kalossi

The S795 varietal, grown at high altitudes on the island of Sulawesi

Hybrido de Timor

A hybrid of two species of coffee; Coffea Arabica and Coffea Canephora

Typica

Originating from Yemen plants taken to India and from there to Indonesia. Typica varietals include Kona, Jamaica Blue Mountain and Kents.

By strict SCAA definition, this is a coffee scoring 80+ using the Q Grade protocols that have been around for a longtime. It’s well defined and originated to ensure farmers get feedback from a universal system whether the cupper is in Singapore, Sydney or Nairobi. In reality, it’s a word that covers a multitude of meanings to different people.

It’s also one those words open to so many variations and interpretations. For us to grade a coffee as Specialty it has to score 84 or over and stand out flavour is the driver behind the score. Our recommendation is to use scores as a guide only, go by taste.

SCAA define coffees that don’t meet Specialty standards as Premium Grade and below Premium is Exchange Grade. Premium Grade coffees can taste great and Exchange Grade coffees can work well in certain blends where price is critical.

Our advice with coffee is always to cup and decide for yourself what is going to work best for your customers. How a coffee  beats any score, colourful tasting notes or coffee name. As we said, useful as a guide but taste is everything!

The higher the altitude; the denser the bean structure is a general rule.  Another factor at the higher altitudes is a slower ripening creating greater flavour and complexity. This, added with the local origin environment plays an essential part in the overall taste of the bean. That said, some low grown Arabica’s produce great flavour and body.  Altitude is always shown as MASL – Metres Above Sea Level

Explaining each origin’s grading would require its own website. Here’s a selection that you’ll see on our coffees-

BRAZIL

As the largest grower there are numerous Brazilian classifications. Here’s the main ones we use:-

SS – Strictly Soft. Best defined as a typical, sweet coffee. As opposed to Hard or Rio like.

NY2/3 – Stands for New York, 2/3 is a grade that allows for 9 defects. Also known as Extra Prime.

GC/FC – Good Cup and Fine Cup; used to describe Strictly Soft Brazilian coffees. Very little difference between the two, classified by the tasters in origin.

Grsh – Green/greenish. Indicates fresh crop.

Grinders – Screen 13 with a set number of defects. Good blending coffee.

MTGB – Medium To Good Bean size, screen size 15 – 16

COLOMBIA

Colombia has set Excelso as the minimum standard for coffees to carry the 100% Colombian Coffee logo as a guarantee of origin and quality. What this means is that coffee bags will be marked as Excelso [Screen size 14 up] indicating it has met the required quality standard on one side but on the other side could be marked Supremo [Screen size 17]

EP – European Preparation. Means that green beans are hand sorted prior to export.

COSTA RICA

HB – Hard Bean, grown at 800 – 1100 MASL  [Metres above sea level]

HGA – High Grown Atlantic. Grown at 900 – 1200 MASL

SHB – Strictly Hard Bean. Grown at 1200 – 1650 MASL. Usually coffees from Central Valley and Tarazzu

ETHIOPIA

UG – UG, or Ungraded, refers to coffee beans that have not gone through the formal grading process or may not meet the criteria for higher-grade classifications.

GUATEMALA

SHB – Strictly Hard Bean. Between 1600 – 1700 MASL

EP – European Preparation. Screen 15 Plus with low defect count

HONDURAS

HG – High Grown, grown at 1000 – 1500 MASL

SHG – Strictly High Grown, grown at 1500 – 2000 MASL

EP – European Preparation. Screen 15 Plus with low defect count

INDONESIA

TP – Triple Pass. Coffee that has been hand sorted three times.

WIB – West Indische Bereiding old Dutch term that refers to the better standard of preparation. Applies to Robusta.

AP – this has numerous meanings but essentially means the coffee has been dry processed. Applies to Robusta.

INDIA

MNEB – Mysore Nuggets Extra Bold, top grade Indian coffee

PLT – Plantation, Premium grade washed coffees.

A Grade – Screen 17

B Grade – Screen 15

Cherry – Naturally processed Arabica/Robusta

KENYA

AA Grade – Screen Size 17 & 18

AB Grade – Screen Size 15 & 16

FAQ – Fair Average Quality, Normally screen sizes 17 and 18.

MEXICO

HG – High Grown, Up to 1600 MASL. Known as Altura

EP – European Preparation. Strict sorting

NICARAGUA

SHG – Strictly High Grown – grown at 1200 MASL and above

EP – European Preparation; strict sorting with a Screen Size of 15+

PERU

MCM – Machine Cleaned Mejorado. Strict machine sorting and grading for export

HB – Hard Bean, normally from 750 – 1900+ MASL

PAPUA NEW GUINEA

PNG launched new standards in 2021 to streamline classifications

A Grade – Blueish green beans. 10 defects per 1kg

X Grade – Even, green to bluish. 30 defects per 1kg

Y Grade – Pale green to green. 70 defects per 1kg

Y2 Grade – Mixed light green to green. 150 defects per 1kg

Y3 Grade – Mixed bean colours, 30% defects by weight

Still being used are a C Grade, usually between an X and Y1. Some coffees are also still marked as PSC, standing for Premium Smallholder Coffee. Normally indicative of a good coffee. 

EL SALVADOR

SHG – Strictly High Grown. 1200 MASL

TANZANIA

AA Grade – Screen Size 18

AB Grade – Screen Sizes 15.5 – 18

UGANDA

AA Grade – Screen Size 17 [90%]

AB Grade – Screen 16 [60%] Up

Bugisu – Washed Arabica grown in Eastern Uganda

Drugar – Dried Ugandan Arabica – Naturally processed

The Washed [or Wet] Process is where coffee cherries have the skin removed in a de-pulping machine ideally within 12 hours of picking. The coffee beans are then put in open concrete tanks of water where a natural fermentation process removes the remaining fruit residue. This process takes from 12 – 48 hours. By this stage, the beans, still covered in their parchment skin, are taken to be dried.

This process requires access to fresh water as the tanks have to be refreshed with clean water after 3 – 4 cycles otherwise tainting can occur. Most origins now divert the used water to drying pans where the water evaporates and the remaining sludge is dried and used as a fertiliser. Previously, the enzyme rich water was released back into rivers causing extensive pollution. Many mills will also make the dried cherry skins available to farmers for mulch.

Much the same as semi washed, cherries are pulped then sun dried with as much mucilage or fruit remaining on the bean. As beans dry in the sun, the mucilage darkens. There are a number of variations such as Black Honey,  Red Honey, Black Honey, Yellow Honey, 30% Honey and 40% Honey. Most depend on the time taken to dry and exposure to sun. A coffee processed this way will have a lovely, bright sweetness to it created by the sugars being absorbed from the mucilage into the bean.