Yirgacheffe and the Grade Difference Between G1 and G2 Ethiopian Beans

Ethiopian coffee is graded by defect count, and G1 means the lot has the fewest defects, often fewer than three per 300 grams. G2 allows slightly more. Washed Yirgacheffe lots are frequently sold as G1 or G2, and the gap shows up in cup clarity. G1 tends to taste cleaner with brighter acidity, while G2 may carry a little more body and slight earthy notes. Both can be excellent.

The grading happens at washing stations and export centers, where workers sort cherries and later hand-pick dried beans on tables. Grade does not measure flavor directly, but fewer defects usually mean fewer off notes. Blue Mountain and other famous coffees use different systems, so grade names cannot be compared across origins. For buyers, G1 and G2 labels are a starting point, not a final judgment on quality.

Ethiopia, as the genetic treasury of Arabica, has a coffee bean grading system that is truly unique. Because there are many varieties, mostly growing wild or semi-wild, coffee farmers often harvest them in mixed batches, making it difficult to grade by size. Therefore, the Ethiopian government chose defect rate as the main criterion. After the new ECX system was implemented in 2009, cupping scores were also included in the rating system, and naturally processed beans finally had a chance to rank among G1 and G2. So, for washed Yirgacheffe of the same origin, how big is the difference between G1 and G2? Front Street Coffee takes Kochere G1 and washed Yirgacheffe everyday drinking beans G2 as examples, comparing green bean appearance, defect rate, and cupping flavor to take you through it.

Coffee bean grading methods vary by origin, each with its own rules. Kenya judges by bean size, Blue Mountain coffee values altitude, while Ethiopia uses defect rate as its core indicator.

Ethiopia is a genetic treasure trove of Arabica, with coffee varieties so numerous and complex that identification is extremely difficult. To protect these unknown varieties and prevent industry players from various countries from scrambling to obtain them, the local government collectively calls them "Heirloom." Green beans labeled as Heirloom are small in size, uneven in shape and size, and relatively round in appearance.

In Ethiopia, coffee trees mostly grow in a wild or semi-wild state. When harvest season arrives, ripe coffee cherries can be seen everywhere in fields, backyards, and even forests. In a single coffee forest, dozens of varieties of different forms growing mixed together is already commonplace. Coffee farmers do not deliberately distinguish varieties, but harvest in a "mixed" manner, then send the coffee cherries to nearby processing stations for unified processing. It is precisely because of this "loose" production and harvesting method that Ethiopian coffee beans are often uneven in size and varied in shape.

Based on this, it is difficult to grade by green bean size at export like Kenya does, so the Ethiopian government decided to classify grades by defect rate.

Ethiopia's old grading system simply classified by defect rate. Before 2009, that is, before the emergence of the Ethiopia Commodity Exchange (ECX), coffee export grades were set by the CLU department (Cupping and Liquoring Unit) under the Ministry of Agriculture, and coffee beans were divided into five grades. Only washed processing method could qualify for G1 and G2, and only then could it be considered specialty coffee. Before 2009, washed beans exported from Ethiopia were all G2 grade, and G1 washed beans were extremely rare and generally very difficult to buy.

Traditional natural processing was too rough; every coffee farmer could do it in their own small yard, directly spreading the beans on rooftops or the ground to dry. Rough methods easily bring unpleasant flavors and may even mix in stones, twigs, and other debris, resulting in uneven coffee quality. In the 1970s, Ethiopia introduced the washed processing method from Central and South America. Compared with natural processing, washed processing adds a "flotation" step, removing underripe beans and debris floating on the water surface to obtain more stable coffee quality. At that time, washed processing was regarded as a higher-grade processing method. At that time, only washed beans could achieve G1 or G2 grades, while naturally processed beans were usually below G3.

Grade 1 (G1) means washed beans contain 0–3 defective beans per 300g;

Grade 2 (G2) means washed beans contain 4–12 defective beans per 300g.

The new ECX grading method (grading according to coffee bean defect rate and comprehensive cupping score)

In October 2009, Ethiopia officially launched the new grading system of the Ethiopia Commodity Exchange (ECX) with the endorsement and witness of the Specialty Coffee Association of America and the Specialty Coffee Association of Europe. On the basis of the original defect rate grading, it also needed to combine cupping scores for comprehensive rating. Naturally processed coffee beans were no longer limited to G3, G4, and G5 grades. As long as naturally processed beans passed evaluation by ECX cuppers, high-quality naturally processed beans could also be crowned Grade 1 and Grade 2, breaking the half-century-old "convention" that naturally processed beans had no first and second grades. Today, naturally processed Ethiopian coffee beans labeled G1 and G2 are often seen on the market, while G3 has gradually become less common.

ECX defines all coffee according to processing method: natural processing method and washed processing method, as three types:

For washed Yirgacheffe of G1 and G2 grades, how big is the difference?

Today Front Street compares Kochere coffee beans (G1) and washed Yirgacheffe everyday drinking beans (G2) to see just how big the difference between the two grades is.

From the perspective of unroasted green beans, G1 green beans are generally more uniform in size, more consistent in color, and clearly have fewer defective beans; while G2 green beans are somewhat uneven in size and have more defective beans. From the green bean defect rate, G1 has fewer than G2. People often have an illusion; for example, when we buy apples, whether they are relatively uniform in size or uneven in size, although there is no difference in taste, subjectively at first glance we think the uniform ones are more attractive. But this is only from a commercial perspective; being delicious often has no direct relationship with size. In daily roasting, coffee beans go through multiple rounds of sorting during the roasting process. Under such circumstances, coffee beans defined as G2 due to the number of defective beans in the sample become no different from G1. From the perspective of production efficiency, choosing G1 can greatly save the time cost of bean sorting.

Front Street considered that Yirgacheffe uses a light roast, and light-roasted beans are relatively hard, requiring higher-temperature water for brewing. Front Street uses V60 and 91°C water temperature, 80% grind size, and a 1:15 ratio for brewing.

Flavor of G2 washed Yirgacheffe: white floral, lemon, citrus, tea-like.

Since both batches are washed Yirgacheffe and both green beans and roasted beans have undergone sorting, the coffee flavor profile does not differ too much, and both present bright acidity and floral aroma. However, after direct comparison, the mouthfeel of G1 is clearly cleaner than G2, and the aroma is also more refined and richer.

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