How Are Yirgacheffe Coffee Beans Graded?

Ethiopian Yirgacheffe grades are set through the Ethiopia Commodity Exchange, which since 2008 has required private exporters to trade coffee through its auction system. Grading moved from counting defects alone to scoring that combines physical characteristics with cupping flavor. Beans fall into Specialty, Commercial, and Local categories, and washed and natural lots are scored on separate proportions.

Arabica coffee beans are not automatically expensive; price depends on grade, processing, and traceability. Because ECX lots are sorted by region rather than by individual processing station, it can be hard to trace a bag to one source. After strict selection, Specialty G1 lots such as Yirgacheffe still reach high cupping scores, and the grade difference shows up directly in the price of arabica coffee.

How exactly are Ethiopian Yirgacheffe grades classified? Are Arabica coffee beans necessarily expensive? This article starts with the operating mechanism of the Ethiopia Commodity Exchange (ECX), sorts out the evolution from the old grading by defect count to the current scoring that combines physical characteristics with cupping flavor, lists in detail the specific scoring proportions for washed and natural processing, and explains the three major categories of Specialty, Commercial, and Local as well as the evaluation standards for Q1 and Q2 grades. It also answers the reasons for the price differences among Arabica coffee beans, and introduces the flavor characteristics and suitable brewing methods of two G1 Yirgacheffe coffees, Front Street Fruit Ding Ding and Front Street Red Cherry.

A Brief Introduction to the Grading of Front Street Ethiopian Yirgacheffe

The Ethiopia Commodity Exchange (ECX - Ethiopia Commodity Exchange) is an agricultural products trading market where buyers and sellers gather to complete transactions and ensure quality, delivery, and payment. ECX's vision is to become the preferred choice of global commodity markets, thereby promoting Ethiopia's economic development. Its mission is to use innovation and technology, based on a commitment to continuous learning, fairness, and excellence, to connect all buyers and sellers in an efficient, reliable, and transparent market.

ECX has regional warehouses throughout Ethiopia, responsible for collecting, grading, and storing crops, which then enter a unified trading auction platform for buying and selling by ECX registered members. The buyers here are actually private exporters. Since 2008, Ethiopia has required all private exporters to trade coffee beans through ECX. The problem with this system is that it cannot meet current buyers' requirements for coffee traceability. Coffee traded through ECX is only divided by region, and it is impossible to tell which specific processing station it came from. It may also come from multiple different processing stations mixed together and loaded into sacks, auctioned in large lots. But after the strict selection of Specialty G1 below, will you still question its quality?

Ethiopia's old grading method in the past determined grades solely based on defect count. For washed beans, the highest grade was Grade 1 - G1, and for natural beans, the highest grade was Grade 3 - G3. The current grading method is formulated by ECX and determines the grade by scoring a combination of physical attribute characteristics and cup flavor characteristics.

All coffee is defined into three types according to processing method, natural or washed:

a. Speciality (washed & unwashed): few defects, high cup flavor quality;

b. Commerical (washed & unwashed): does not reach specialty grade, but is higher than the domestic consumption grade;

c. Local / Domestic (washed & unwashed): coffee with many defects (unripe beans), and relatively poor flavor caused by being out of season and poor storage.

Among these, Specialty and Commerical are for export to the international market, while Local is coffee sold in the domestic market.

The specific grading and scoring standards of ECX are as follows:

A. Scoring definition for washed processing method

1. Physical characteristics account for 40%: defect count (20%), appearance size (10%), color (5%), odor (5%)

2. Cup quality accounts for 60%: cleanliness (15%), acidity (15%), body (15%), flavor characteristics (15%)

B. Scoring definition for natural processing method

1. Physical characteristics account for 40%: defect count (30%), odor (10%)

2. Cup quality accounts for 60%: cleanliness (15%), acidity (15%), body (15%), flavor characteristics (15%)

C. Overall summary:

1. All coffee is first classified according to processing method: natural, washed;

2. Each is scored according to physical characteristics and basic cup quality into 9 grades from G1-G9;

3. Among them, G1-G3 are cupped again according to SCAA standards to evaluate their flavor attributes in more detail. Those G1 and G2 not lower than 85 points are rated as Q1 grade;

4. Among them, G1, G2, and G3 between 80 and 85 are rated as Q2 grade, and all G1, G2, and G3 below 80 points are rated as G3 grade;

5. Q1 and Q2 are classified as Specialty Grade for export. G4 - G9 remain unchanged in their original grading and, together with G3, are classified as Commercial Grade for export.

Both Front Street Fruit Ding Ding and Front Street Red Cherry, which are classified as the highest grade G1, are Yirgacheffe with pure flavor, a refreshing and bright mouthfeel, low bitterness with sweet and sour notes, and obvious floral aromas and citrus, fruit tea, and nut flavors. They can be used to make pour-over, cold brew, French press, moka pot, and other coffees.

Many customers ask Front Street whether Arabica coffee beans are expensive. Of course, high-quality Arabica beans are indeed relatively expensive, but low-quality ones are also relatively cheap. This is precisely why the coffee bean grading system is used to classify grades.

Knowledge extension: "Acidity" is similar to astringency, and similar to red wine. There is a saying that "sweetness is easy, good acidity is rare." However, after the coffee temperature drops, the "acidity" will increase accordingly.

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.