Coffee is one of the most popular hot beverages around the world with America being the highest consumer. This is because nearly twelve percent of the world’s population drinks coffee regularly. 

These raw coffee beans are cultivated in a large number of countries and Brazil is very popular among them. It is mainly because Brazil is the highest producer and exporter of coffee beans contributing to sixty percent.

The raw coffee beans are graded according to their quality by a specific process and this helps to determine its price. There are a number of grading processes where visual inspection and screening are done to analyze its quality and flavor. 

You must keep the grade of coffee beans in mind during purchase. Fine Cup Coffee Beans are identified as one of the highest-grade coffee available in the market.     

How to Grade Coffee Beans?

Raw coffee beans are mainly graded according to their physical characteristics which helps to define their quality. These characteristics mainly involve size and moisture content as primary aspects of grading. 

Grading processes also involve detecting defects and cup quality which is also crucial. You must know that coffee beans are graded by professionals trained with detailed knowledge about coffee beans.

Professionals around the world use a variety of grading processes for analyzing the quality of coffee beans. Most of these processes involve three basic steps, which are listed as follows:

• Visual Inspection: Professionals analyze the beans visually to detect any specific defects like broken or black ones.
• Screening: This step involves separation according to their size.
• Cupping: The coffee beans are cupped to analyze their aroma and flavor. This process involves the selection of fine cup coffee beans. 

The grading system used for the analysis of coffee beans tends to vary on the system being used. This is because there are a number of organizations that are responsible for defining different grading procedures. Such difference in the grading process is mainly because of the wide variety of coffee beans available in the various countries. 

Most Common Grading Processes

There are a number of grading processes that are followed for the classification of coffee beans. These processes are:

• SCA classification Process

The most widely used grading process to determine the quality of raw coffee beans is defined by an organization called SCA. This system is responsible for dividing the raw coffee beans into five grades according to cup quality and physical defects. 

• Columbian Grading System

This grading system is also used widely across many places and tends to divide the coffee beans into four grades. These divisions are done on the basis of their physical defects and size.

• Brazilian Coffee Grading System

This grading system is complex and involves analysis of a number of factors. Among these factors, size and defects are most crucial while other aspects involve cupping quality and moisture content. This system also involves grading according to the texture of the seeds and dividing them into good-cup and fine cup coffee beans.

• Central American Coffee Grading System

This system is similar to the SCA classification process but some of the differentiating criteria tend to vary. Raw coffee beans are mainly graded according to their size and altitude in this system. 

Coffee Beans Grades in Brazil

The Brazilian coffee grading system allows a specific number of defects for every three hundred grams of bean sample. According to this system, the lower the number of defects detected, the better the quality of coffee beans. Other than defects, the color and shape of the beans present in the sample are also taken into consideration.

The raw coffee beans available in various regions of Brazil are also classified in accordance with the cup. This is because coffee beans from different regions provide them with specific acidity and flavors. It is also identified that the process implemented from green to cherry beans has a significant impact on its taste.

• Group I: These natural Arabica seeds are marked as good cup or sometimes fine cup coffee beans. The good cup seeds are hard and uneven in nature while the fine cup beans are soft and smooth. 
• Group II: Such Arabica beans tend to have an iodine taste which is slight in the case of ‘riado’ and stronger in the case of ‘rio’. This makes the coffee beans different and less popular among people.

The Brazilian coffee producers offer some standard types for export markets which are aligned with the Green Coffee Association of New York. These standards involve the NY 2/3 mtgb which are fine cup coffee beans that have a low number of defects. These beans are also screened according to their size which ensures sweet and mild cupping with a rich taste. 

SCA Coffee Grades

Raw coffee beans are also graded according to the SCA classification system which is widely used in many parts around the world. This grading system is responsible for diving the coffee beans in five categories according to the number of defective beans in three hundred grams of sample. These grade are classified as follows:

Grade 1: Specialty Coffee Beans

This is the highest grade of coffee beans that is used by most café and premium roasters present in the markets. This is because such coffee beans have significantly no preliminary defects and every three-hundred-gram sample contains no more than five full defects. 

Such coffee beans tend to score more than eighty on a scale of hundred when cupped. This grade involves the fine cup coffee beans and is also devoid of any insect defects.

Grade 2: Premium Coffee Beans

These are also high quality coffee beans that are mainly used by commercial coffee roasters present around the world. The premium coffee beans are required to score eighty on a pointer scale of hundred when cupped. 

But there is a slight difference between Grade 1 and 2 beans which involves the presence of six defective seeds in every three-hundred-gram sample. Raw coffee beans selected in this division are capable of providing effective taste and are not inferior to Grade 1.  

Grade 3: Exchange Coffee Beans

These coffee beans are mainly of medium quality and are generally traded as exchange products. Most of the supermarkets are responsible for using this variety of coffee beans because of their comparatively lower price. 

These coffee beans have mainly nine to twenty-three full defects in every three-hundred-gram sample. The taste and texture of these beans tend to be of lower quality as compared to Grade 1 and 2 products. 

Grade 4: Standard Coffee Beans

The standard quality beans are mainly used in blends and mixtures of instant coffee because of their low quality. These beans are specifically composed of higher full defects which range from twenty-four to eighty-six per three-hundred-gram sample. 

This type of raw coffee bean is thus most easily available in the stores around you and is priced at comparatively less standard. The taste of these coffee beans is also not as rich as compared to high-grade seeds available in the market. 

Grade 5: Off-grade Coffee Beans

These are of significantly low quality and are not used for food purposes. The off-grade coffee beans are rejected due to a high number of defects or because they are damaged by mould. Sometimes such beans are also damaged to a significant level which makes them insignificant in taste when cupped.

Fine Cup Coffee Beans

Fine Cup Coffee Beans are mildly acidic in nature and comprise a soft aftertaste. This makes it one of the finest grades of coffee beans available in the market. The different type of coffee beans that qualify as fine cups is listed as follows:

• Rosa Morena: This presents a symmetrical mixture of soft acidity and delicate sweetness which is combined with a floral aroma and balanced body. This unique mixture of components makes it one of the best coffee beans with a taste incomparable to any other.
• Agata: This is a natural fine cup coffee bean that is popular for its sweet taste and balanced acidity. These features ensure that the taste is smooth when cupped. The sensory experience from this coffee bean involves filling the whole mouth with a sensation of softness.
• Esmeralda: This type of raw coffee bean is responsible for presenting marked acidity which expresses it as an extremely pleasant drink. The beans are strictly soft and do not contain defects making them premium in nature.
• Turquesa: These coffee beans are perfectly balanced semi-washed seeds with optimum acidity and body nature. The number of defects in this quality is also low, almost zero making it premium and rich in taste.
• Safira: This type of fine cup coffee bean is highly appreciated due to its medium acidity and smooth taste. This is significantly sweet in nature and capable of pleasing any drinker.

Conclusion

Thus it can be concluded that fine cup coffee beans are one of the best quality seeds that originate mainly in Brazil. This is analyzed by the grading system which tends to vary around the world. But the fine cup beans are considered exclusive according to all these grading systems due to their smooth texture and rich taste. 
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