Grading Coffee Beans Like a Barista

Grading coffee beans like a barista is no easy task. A barista is a person who makes specialized coffee drinks professionally. You may very well expect a barista to judge coffee beans differently than someone approaching coffee from a different perspective.

Another profession you may not be familiar with is a cupper. A cupper is a professional taster or someone who judges coffee contests. Cuppers and company buyers share a common goal with the barista... find beans that will produce a terrific drink. The barista is the one who must face the public every day and is the one who will receive the immediate feedback on the quality of the final product.

So, what does the barista really think about the beans and the resulting product?

Approximately 70 countries currently grow coffee for the beans... from Africa to the Middle East, from South America and the Caribbean to Hawaii... all in a narrow band around the equator of about 25 degrees to the north and south.

With all these differences, it is not surprising to find that beans grown in differing altitudes and climates, using various techniques and other local factors are very different from one another. Even neighboring plantations can have very different beans.

Despite these differences, coffee plants fall into two categories: Arabica and Robusta.

The Arabica is used almost exclusively for the finest coffees produced, mostly because it only has half the caffeine of the Robusta variety. The beans of the Arabica are unrivaled for flavor and aroma.

Coffee favors the growing conditions at higher altitudes. Beans grown at these higher altitudes are known as Milds and Arabica beans from 3000 feet (915m) or higher are preferred. Brazils on the other hand, are Arabica beans from Brazil grown at lower altitudes.

After this distinction, judges will differ in their opinion depending on whether the customer is planning on roasting their own or not. Beans that are not roasted are soft, green, and have a plant odor, which is completely normal.

As you travel through the color scale, cups of coffee made from the corresponding beans will be progressively sweeter and less acidic. Carmelization (browning and thickening into a syrup) of sugars from being roasted causes this progression. Roasting also burns away some of the caffeine, which is a bitter chemical, thus creating a mellower cup of coffee.

The Bean Grader's Art - Grading Coffee Beans

Beans are appraised meticulously for several characteristics.

First, they should be rather uniform in shape and size. This ensures an even roast. Large beans roast differently than small beans. With beans of differing sizes, roasting times can't be adequately adjusted. Some beans will end up browning and popping before others.

Another important characteristic that bean graders look for is even coloring. Beans with uneven coloring may have dried at different rates, or they may be different cultivars that got mixed in by mistake. Either situation will lead to an inconsistency in flavor and roasting time.

Beans are kept separate by the geographic region they were grown in, and by which cultivar they are so the final result lives up to expectation. All harvesting, processing and drying must be done separately to preserve the uniqueness qualities for which they were grown.

The best coffee results when beans are processed quickly after harvest. After harvesting, the beans naturally ferment slightly. This process produces unwanted chemical changes. Drying quickly after harvest stops this process before it begins.

A great many processors will separate defective beans by wet processing... that is, they float the beans in water. Beans varying in density will float at different levels. For truly fine beans, however, the processor must use a more time-consuming process known as dry processing.

Beans that have been dry processed will have a brown silverskin. They're called fox beans in Brazil.

If, when rubbed, the silverskin can be removed, it is not considered a defect, but as proof that a bean was dry processed. Under ripe beans can also have silverskin, but rubbing will not remove it. Under ripe beans will make a sour coffee.

Drying coffee beans is an art in itself. Plantations may express their pride in the care and skill they use during the drying process. Incorrect drying will show in the finished product. Sometimes processors are pressed to use crude mechanical drying methods by economics, but drying the bean too quickly or not turning them enough can cause beans to have a mottled, uneven coloring.

Properly dried beans will spend time on a patio first, to dry the skin. Next, they'll be put into a mechanical dryer. For superior quality beans, several short periods in the dryer at 104º F (40º C) are necessary instead of one long drying period. This will produce even coloring and proper moisture content.

When grading coffee beans, another characteristic that is looked for are beans with a white edge. This is the result of faulty drying or being stored in the wrong conditions. This will make a bland cup of coffee.

Quality Arabica beans should have an even, bright countenance. These are the types of beans that will be used in fine coffee blends.