While there is no universal grading or classification system in the world of coffee, a “Grade 1” coffee indicates that the coffee in question is in the category of the highest quality of coffee grown in any particular country.
Quality is determined in two main ways: by visual inspection and by tasting the coffee.
When raw coffee beans are inspected by industry experts, they can quickly spot defects in the beans that might have arisen through the way the coffee has been processed or from damage caused by insects while the coffee is still hanging on the tree.
For a coffee to qualify as “speciality”, it must have zero ‘primary’ defects and less than five ‘secondary’ defects.
“Grade 1” coffee also suggests that the coffee beans are of a uniform size as well as quality.
The tasting test is performed by “cupping” the coffee which is the industry’s name for testing or sampling.
By using standardised protocols, different coffees can be assessed against certain measures such as balance, uniformity, cleanliness, sweetness, body, acidity, aroma, and flavour.
Coffee-sampling experts are referred to as Q-graders since their job is to grade the quality of the coffee. “Specialty” coffee must score at least 80 points out of 100 on the 100-point scale developed by the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA).
Within this top bracket of coffees, a “Grade 1” coffee will typically score at 84-85 or higher whereas a “Grade 2” coffee will range from 82 to 84-85.
In Ethiopia, the famous coffee-growing regions are Yirgacheffe and Sidama and sometimes people will tell you that a “Grade 2” Yigracheffe is worth more – i.e. tastes even better – than a “Grade 1” from another region of the country.
However, as they say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and that also applies to how coffee is enjoyed all over the world!
At Pace we want our customers to enjoy some of the finest coffees from across Ethiopia. Our two single-origin coffees – which means that they can be traced back to one specific location in Ethiopia – are Grade 1 coffees. Thank you for the great feedback you have given us about these coffees and for plenty of repeat purchases!
