What is green grading in coffee?

Green grading is the physical assessment of unroasted green coffee beans to identify and quantify defects, evaluate appearance, and determine whether a lot meets specialty grade standards. It is performed on a standardised 350g sample drawn from the lot and involves visually sorting the sample to count and categorise defects according to the SCA or other grading protocols.

The SCA green grading system classifies defects into two categories. Primary defects - including full blacks, fulls ours, dried cherry, fungus damage, foreign matter, and severe insect damage - each count as a full defect unit. Secondary defects - including partial blacks, partial sours, parchment, floaters, shells, broken beans, cuts, and husks - require multiple occurrences to equal one defect unit. Specialty grade requires zero primary defects and a maximum of five secondary defect units per 350g sample.

Green grading is typically performed at the dry mill before export, on arrival at the import warehouse, and sometimes again by roasters before a new lot is committed to production roasting. For buyers, understanding green grading helps interpret the defect counts and preparation standards listed on offer sheets, and provides context for how a lot's physical quality relates to its cup potential. A lot described as "EP" (European Preparation) or "Double Washed" has been graded and prepared to specific standards that reduce defect counts below the export minimum.