14/10/2026
After harvesting and drying, coffee's journey continues through a complex, yet essential and fascinating phase: classification.
In how many ways can coffee be classified? Six, and they are well worth knowing.
The first is origin—that is, the country it comes from. The International Coffee Agreement divides it into milds, robusta, and unwashed arabica (specifically Brazilian). Then there is the botanical species: almost always Arabica or Robusta, as Liberica and Excelsa are rarely found nowadays.
The harvest year also matters. A recent crop and an older one do not command the same price. Next is the processing method—wet (washed), dry (natural), or other methods—as well as bean shape: peaberry and Maragogype, to name a couple, end up in specialty markets.
The final criterion is grade, which is determined by counting defects in a batch: broken, black, unripe, or fermented beans, along with foreign objects and processing debris. Nothing goes to waste, but naturally, perfect beans command a higher market price.
It might sound like something meant strictly for industry insiders, and in a way, it is.
Watching a professional cupper around a cupping table is a genuine experience. Building knowledge of these characteristics takes a long time and plenty of patience, because all parameters must come together—so much so that even a small bean can sometimes taste wonderful. Every choice in the roastery stems from this, and the coffee you drink every morning depends on this very foundation.
