How do coffee bean grades differ between Ethiopia and Kenya?
African coffee bean grading has no single unified standard; each country runs its own system. Kenya grades by bean size. Grade E, called elephant bean, covers abnormally developed beans above 18 mesh, while AA covers 17 to 18 mesh, with later grades getting progressively smaller. Ethiopia grades by defect rate instead, counting defective beans per 300 grams.
Under the Ethiopian standard, fewer than three defective beans per 300 grams qualifies as G1, while four to twelve defective beans per 300 grams is G2, and so on down the scale. The specialty coffee normally drunk is top-grade G1. Labels such as Ethiopia G1 and Kenya AA therefore reflect two completely different grading methods, so the two are not directly comparable.
For enthusiasts who love pour-over coffee, specialty coffee beans from African regions are certainly familiar. They typically have bright acidity and rich floral aromas, leaving a deep impression. However, when we purchase coffee beans, we often see grade labels such as Front Street Ethiopia G1 and Front Street Kenya AA. How exactly are these grades divided? In fact, coffee bean grading in African regions does not have a unified standard; different countries adopt their own independent systems. This article will take the two most renowned African regions—Ethiopia and Kenya—as examples to analyze in detail their completely different coffee bean grading methods, helping you be more informed when purchasing.
I believe friends who often drink pour-over coffee are very familiar with African coffee beans. Specialty coffee beans from African regions have bright acidity and rich floral aromas. The coffee beans we usually drink come in various grade classifications, such as Front Street Ethiopia G1 and Front Street Kenya AA. So how are these grades divided? They do not follow a unified classification system; each region has its own classification system. Taking the most famous African regions we mentioned, Ethiopia and Kenya, as examples, their grading methods are completely different.
Kenyan coffee beans are graded by size. The largest coffee bean grade is E, also called elephant bean, which is an abnormally developed coffee bean with a volume above 18 mesh. Next is the AA grade, which is also the grade we most commonly drink. The size of coffee beans in this grade is between 17 and 18 mesh. By analogy, the coffee beans graded afterward become progressively smaller.
Ethiopian coffee beans are graded by defect rate, with the standard being: fewer than 3 defective beans per 300 grams of coffee beans can be classified as the top G1 grade, while 4 to 12 defective beans per 300 grams of coffee beans is G2 grade, and so on. Of course, the specialty coffee beans we drink are basically the top-grade G1 coffee beans.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
