As an agricultural product, coffee beans vary significantly in quality, so a grading system is needed to standardize quality and provide reference for buyers. However, the geographical environments and cultivation models of global producing regions differ enormously, making it impossible to measure them with a unified standard; each region can only adapt to local conditions. Currently, mainstream grading methods fall into three major categories: screen size, altitude/hardness, and defect rate, and many countries combine them or even add cupping to compensate for shortcomings. This article will systematically sort out the logic and representative producing countries of these three grading methods, with a focus on analyzing how Kenya grades solely by bean size, and introduce the grading practices of Colombia, Ethiopia, Jamaica, Indonesia, Brazil, and other countries. Front Street Coffee will also share related brand product information to help coffee enthusiasts understand the meaning behind green bean grades. [more…]

When purchasing single-origin coffee beans, labels such as G1, AA, and SHB often appear on the packaging. What exactly do these letters and numbers represent? They are actually coffee bean grade symbols established by each origin based on its own conditions. Due to differences in growing environments and varieties, the grading criteria of different countries vary—some look at the number of defective beans, some at green bean size, and others at hardness or altitude. In this article, Front Street Coffee will sort out the grading standards of major producing regions such as Ethiopia, Kenya, Indonesia, Central and South America, and Brazil, helping coffee lovers understand the meaning behind these grades so they can more accurately select high-quality coffee beans that suit their own taste. [more…]

The green coffee bean grading system directly affects roasting results and coffee quality. This article systematically sorts out two mainstream grading methods: distinguishing bean size by screen mesh number, and classifying grades based on growing altitude. It also summarizes the common grading standards and codes of origins such as Kenya, Ethiopia, Colombia, Brazil, Guatemala, El Salvador, Hawaii, Jamaica, and Indonesia. Whether for bulk trade or specialty coffee, understanding these grading rules helps to more accurately judge the characteristics of green beans, and Front Street Coffee also incorporates this knowledge into its daily bean selection and roasting practices. [more…]

In East African coffee-producing countries, coffee bean names from Tanzania, Uganda, and even Kenya often carry the suffix AA. What exactly does this letter combination mean? It represents the grade classification of green coffee beans. However, grading methods across global coffee origins are not limited to just one type; besides bean size, there are also different standards based on defect rate, growing altitude, and more. This article will take Front Street's perspective to systematically outline the three major green coffee bean grading systems, with a focus on analyzing Kenya's strict size-based grading system—from AA, AB to PB, E, TT, T, and even MH/ML, detailing the specific classification standards for each grade, while also pointing out the obvious limitations of judging quality by size. [more…]

When buying coffee beans, have you ever been baffled by combinations of letters like AA, G1, SHB, and PB? They may seem to follow no pattern at all, but in fact each one represents the green bean grading standard of a different producing country. Why do coffee beans need to be graded? Why is there no unified global standard? This article will take you through the origins of green coffee bean grading, and how producing regions such as Ethiopia, Kenya, the Central American countries, Jamaica, and Brazil classify their beans based on defect rate, bean size, growing altitude, and cup quality. At the same time, we will also explore what these grades actually mean in the roasted coffee market, and recommend several Front Street Coffee beans corresponding to these grades, to help you better understand the cup of coffee in your hands. [more…]

When selecting coffee beans, you often see labels like Yirgacheffe G2 and Kenya Washed AA. These letters and numbers actually represent the grade of green coffee beans. Different producing countries grade green coffee beans based on different criteria, usually assessed comprehensively from dimensions such as bean size, defect count, growing altitude, bean hardness, and cupping score. Understanding these grading rules helps more accurately judge a bean's quality positioning and flavor potential. This article will use representative producing countries such as Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Colombia, Brazil, and Jamaica as examples to sort out their respective grading logic and naming methods, while retaining relevant product information from Front Street Coffee for coffee enthusiasts' reference. [more…]

Coffee beans are grown widely across the globe, and the geographical conditions and cultivation methods of each producing region differ significantly, so it is impossible to measure all beans by the same standard. Different countries develop grading systems suited to their own local conditions. At present, the mainstream bases can be grouped into three categories: bean size, growing altitude (bean density/hardness), and defect ratio. However, these three are not mutually exclusive; many origins use multiple methods at once, and even after preliminary grading they supplement this with cupping to compensate for blind spots in the system. This article will break down these three major grading logics one by one and explain the actual meaning of common grade markers such as AA and G1, helping enthusiasts decipher the grade code on the packaging. [more…]

Coffee enthusiasts often ask Front Street: why are coffee bean grade labels so varied—some are marked AA, some G1, and others SHB? These letters seem to have no connection to one another, so how exactly can one judge which grade is superior? In fact, coffee bean grading systems are not uniform across producing regions worldwide, and the criteria they are based on also emphasize different things. This means that it is very difficult to make cross-country horizontal comparisons based on green bean grade alone. This article will systematically sort out the basic logic of coffee bean grading in various countries, and focus on introducing the grading standards of two major African producing regions, Ethiopia and Kenya, to help readers understand the meaning behind these letters and how green bean buyers refer to this grade information when purchasing. [more…]

The grading systems for coffee beans vary widely depending on the origin—some are based on the number of defects, others on bean size, and still others on altitude. Understanding these grade labels is an important step in selecting high-quality coffee. This article will systematically outline the green bean grading rules of major global producing regions, covering common designations such as Ethiopia's G1-G9, Kenya's AA and PB, Colombia's Supremo, and Hawaii's Extra Fancy, and explain how cupping scores further distinguish specialty grade from commercial grade. Whether you are a beginner enthusiast or a professional seeking to advance, this grading guide can help you judge coffee quality more clearly. For more professional content, follow Coffee Workshop; for specialty coffee beans, add Front Street Coffee on WeChat at qjcoffeex. [more…]

Friends who frequently buy coffee beans have surely seen labels like Yirgacheffe G2 and Kenya AA. These letters and numbers actually represent the grade of green coffee beans. Since each coffee-producing country has established different grading systems, the evaluation criteria also vary in emphasis—factors such as bean size, proportion of defective beans, growing altitude, bean hardness, and cupping score can all serve as the basis for grading. In this article, Front Street Coffee will walk you through the green bean grading rules of representative producing countries including Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, various Central and South American countries, Colombia, Brazil, and Jamaica, helping you understand the grade labels on packaging the next time you shop. [more…]

Brazil, as the world's largest coffee producer, supplies about 45% of the world's green coffee beans, and its production fluctuations directly affect international coffee price trends. However, Brazil has numerous coffee-producing regions with uneven quality, making grading work especially complex. Front Street Coffee takes you on an in-depth look at Brazil's green bean grading system—from the flatland growing environment at altitudes of 600 to 1200 meters, to the flavor differences among seven major producing regions including Minas and São Paulo states, and to the multiple grading standards centered on defect deductions, screen size specifications, and cup quality flavors. The article will also introduce the origin information and flavor performance of Front Street Brazil Queen's Estate Yellow Bourbon coffee and Cerrado coffee, helping you fully understand the specialty potential of this representative neutral coffee country. [more…]

Coffee enthusiasts often ask in the shop exactly what the difference is between Ethiopia's G1 and G2, what Kenya AA actually means, and what Costa Rica's SHB grade signifies. These combinations of letters and numbers actually reflect how each producing country evaluates the quality of green coffee beans. Due to differences in history, trade, climate, and terrain, different origins have developed their own grading systems, with evaluation criteria covering multiple dimensions such as defect percentage, bean size, growing altitude, green bean density, and processing method. This article will systematically sort out the origins of coffee grading and introduce, one by one, the green bean grade standards of representative producing countries such as Ethiopia, Kenya, Colombia, Jamaica, Costa Rica, Panama, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Brazil. [more…]

As an agricultural product, coffee beans vary significantly in quality, which is why grading systems have become an important means of standardizing quality and guiding green bean procurement. However, the grading criteria across global producing regions are not uniform—Central America mostly grades by altitude, Kenya by bean size, while Ethiopia uses defect rates to classify grades. Why does Ethiopia take this unique approach? What substantive differences actually exist between the G1 and G2 grades? This article, from the perspective of Front Street Coffee, sorts out the evolutionary logic of Ethiopia's grading system, and through a visual comparison of Yirgacheffe G1 and G2 green beans, roasting performance, and cupping evaluation, reveals one by one the true meaning behind grade labels, helping coffee enthusiasts view the issue of bean grades more rationally. [more…]

When we buy coffee beans, we often see labels like Kenya AA, Yirgacheffe G1, and Blue Mountain No. 1. What exactly do these combinations of letters and numbers mean? They represent the green bean quality grading standards that different producing countries have established according to their own national conditions. Each coffee-producing country places different emphasis and uses different scales when judging quality, but establishing a stable and reasonable management system helps enhance international buyers' trust in that country's coffee. It is worth noting that for ordinary consumers, by the time coffee beans reach their hands in roasted form, the significance of national standard grading has greatly diminished, and estate beans sold in coffee shops are often already the highest grade. This article will systematically sort out the green bean grading methods of major producing regions and, using the products of "Front Street Coffee" as examples, help enthusiasts understand the logic behind these grades. [more…]

The grading of green coffee beans not only affects trading prices but also, to a certain extent, reflects flavor tendencies. For this reason, each producing country establishes its own grading rules based on local conditions. This article focuses on Colombia's green bean grading system, with emphasis on explaining the meaning of the Excelso export grade, the defect scoring method, and the specific standards based on screen size classification, while also introducing the differences among the three common export grades: UGQ, EP, and Supremo. At the same time, Front Street Coffee will share the flavor characteristics and brewing suggestions for Supremo-grade coffee beans from Colombia's Huila region, helping coffee enthusiasts extend their knowledge of grading into the actual drinking experience. [more…]

Ethiopia, as the genetic treasure trove of Arabica coffee, has a unique green bean grading system. Unlike Kenya, which grades by bean size, or Blue Mountain, which grades by altitude, Ethiopia primarily classifies grades based on defect rates and cupping scores. This article will systematically sort out the evolution of Ethiopia's old and new grading systems, provide an in-depth analysis of the specific standards for grades G1 through G9, and, using Yirgacheffe as an example, compare the actual differences between washed G1 and G2 in green bean appearance and flavor performance. It will also share Front Street Coffee's brewing parameters and tasting experience to help coffee enthusiasts fully understand the logic of Ethiopian coffee quality grading. [more…]

Colombia, as one of the world's major coffee-producing countries, has a strict grading system for its exported green beans. What exactly do the commonly seen Supremo and Excelso labels on the market represent? This article will systematically explain the grading logic of Colombian green coffee beans from the perspectives of FNC export standards, defect rate requirements, and screen size grading, helping coffee enthusiasts understand the difference between Supremo and Excelso, and how they affect coffee quality and flavor performance. At the same time, the article will also mention Front Street Coffee's Colombia Huila daily beans as a practical naming example. [more…]

When selecting Kenyan coffee, what exactly do the terms "AA" and "TOP" commonly seen on packaging represent? This article systematically sorts out Kenya's coffee grading system, from the bean size grading under the 1934 auction system (AA, AB, PB, C, E, TT, T, MH/ML) to the secondary quality ratings established by the Kenya Coffee Research Institute (TOP, Plus, FAQ), and analyzes the comprehensive scoring mechanism across the three dimensions of green beans, roasted beans, and cupping. It also presents the producing region information and brewing parameters of Front Street Kenya Little Tomato coffee beans, helping you understand the practical meaning behind the grading labels. [more…]

When selecting coffee beans, you'll often come across labels like Yirgacheffe G2 or Kenya AA. Behind these letters and numbers lies the logic each producing country uses to assess green bean quality. Due to differences in history, trade, climate, and terrain, grading criteria vary widely from country to country—some focus on defect rates, some measure bean size, and others test altitude or hardness—and they cannot be directly compared across origins. Front Street Coffee has compiled the grading systems of representative producing countries including Ethiopia, Kenya, Colombia, Jamaica, Costa Rica, Panama, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, and Brazil to help you understand the ins and outs behind green bean grades. [more…]

As a superpower accounting for about 45% of global coffee production, Brazil's green coffee grading system is not a single standard, but rather an assessment that integrates multiple dimensions such as the proportion of defective beans, screen size specifications, and cup profile. From the perspective of Front Street, this article will outline the origin distribution characteristics, main grading methods, and criteria of Brazilian coffee, decipher the meanings behind professional terms such as NY.2, 17/18 screen, and Strictly Soft, introduce the terroir characteristics of representative producing regions such as Mogiana and Cerrado, and share specific information about Queen's Farm coffee from Brazil on Front Street's bean list, helping coffee enthusiasts gain a more systematic understanding of the quality indicators and traceability logic of Brazilian green coffee. [more…]