Training on Coffee Quality

for coffee quality experts

Ethiopia Commodity Exchange

Outline of the presentation

 Introduction

 Factors affecting Coffee quality

 Green bean defects & their causes
 Procedure followed in coffee quality inspection
 Coffee defects observed on arrival coffees
 Conclusion & Recommendation
 1. Introduction
 The coffee sub-sector is very important to the Ethiopian economy
 In 1999 for instance, coffee generated about 58 percent of

all export earnings of the country

 In 2005, coffee export generated 41% of foreign exchange

earnings
 Its share in total earnings is declining which reached about

35 percent in 2005/06 and 2006/07

 Ethiopia earned $841.6 mln from the export of nearly 200,000
tones of coffee in 2010/2011
Cont’d
 The revenue figure represented a 59 percent rise
compared to revenue earned in 2009/2010 and 124
percent from 2008/2009.
 Coffee has also long been an important source of
tax revenue to the government (Love, 2002).
 Major source of employment in most rural areas,
especially for women.
 More than 15 million people are directly or
indirectly engaged in the production, processing and
trading of coffee.
Cont’d
 Social value - 40% is consumed domestically
 Coffee gives the consumer pleasure and satisfaction
through flavor, aroma and desirable physiological and
psychological effects (Yigzaw, 2005).
 Medicinal value
 It protects your heart- lower rates of stroke than
non coffee drinkers
 It diverts diabetes- lower risk of developing type 2
diabetes
Cont’d

 Your liver loves it - the lower incidence of cirrhosis

and other liver diseases.
 It boosts your brain power- help reduce risk of
dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, as well as
Parkinson’s disease
 It helps your headaches - provides relief from
headaches, including migraines.
2. Factors affecting coffee quality
 What is quality?
 Quality is conformance with requirements or fitness for
use in which the parties involved in the industry
(customer, processor, supplier, etc) (QSAE, 2000)
 Quality is described as “the ability of a set of inherent
characteristics of a product, system or process to fulfill
requirement of customers and other interested parties”
/ISO 9001:2000/.
Coffee quality…
 For coffee - at the farmer level, coffee quality is a
combination of production level, price and easiness of
culture;
 At the exporter or importer level, coffee quality is linked
to bean size, lack of defects and regularity of provision,
tonnage available, physical characteristics and price;
 At the roaster level, coffee quality depends on moisture
content, stability of the characteristics, origin, price,
biochemical compounds and organoleptic quality (Leroy
et al., 2006).
Coffee quality…
 coffee quality deals with price, taste and flavor, effects on
health and alertness, geographical origin, environmental and
sociological aspects (organic coffee, fair trade, etc (ISO
9001:2000).
 Coffee Quality control and auction Center was established
with a key objective of maintaining coffee quality control,
which in turn facilitates the coffee marketing system to be
standard based, and for the betterment /proper functioning
of the long coffee supply chain of Ethiopia (Endale, 2008).
 Coffee quality…
Coffee Quality is the combination of:
o Botanical variety
o Topographical condition
o Climatic conditions can not be influenced in short period of time

o Care taken during

 growing

 harvesting

 processing

 storage

 export preparation
Coffee quality…
2.1. Botanical variety
 Coffee quality depends on genetic make-up and genes

control the production of chemical compounds that

behave as aroma agents either directly or as aroma

precursors expressed during roasting process (Yigzaw,

2005).

 The genotype is a key factor – determines to a great

extent important characteristics, Size and shape of the

beans, color, chemical composition and flavor

Coffee quality…

 The shape and structure of beans (elephant, pea berry &

empty beans) are the result of both genotype and
environmental factors.
 While selecting new cultivars, cup quality must be the
first priority to be considered.
Coffee quality…
2.2. Topographical conditions
• Altitude – the slow-down ripening process of coffee berries at
higher elevations (lower air temperatures)- allows more time
for complete bean filling (Vaast et al., 2006).
• Guaranteeing full manifestation of all biochemical steps
required for the development of the beverage quality.
• Eg. Chlorogenic acid and fat content as elevation

(Bertrand et al., 2006)

• Coffee from high altitude areas was more acidic, with
better aroma and flavor.
• Affects the time for underwater fermentation
Coffee quality…
• Physical and chemical properties of soil
• Acidity has been correlated with coffees grown at
very high altitudes and in mineral rich volcanic soils.
• Acidity is typically a highly valued quality
especially in C. American and E. African coffees
 The presence and absence of some nutrients in the
soil affect the quality of the coffee.
 Excess N increases the caffeine content, resulting
in a more bitter taste of the brew.
Coffee quality…

 Lack of Zn leads to the production of small light grey-

colored beans which will produce poor liquor
(Wintgens, 2004).
 Mg deficiency had an adverse effect on cup quality
(Mitchell, 1988)
 High conc. of Ca (>0.11%) & K (>1.75%) in the beans
–produce bitter and “hard’’ taste (harsh).
 Generally, coffees with better cup quality were those
collected from plots with higher levels of available P,
K, clay and silt, but inversely correlated with sand
Coffee quality…
 Higher levels of soil pH, Mg, Mn and Zn were also
associated with improved coffee aroma. (Abebe, 2010)

2.3. Climatic condition

Max. and min T0

 Amount and distribution of rainfall

 Availability of light

 Relative humidity

 Periods of prolonged drought also result in lower

quality beans
Coffee quality…

2.4.Care taken during growing

 Good growth conditions (weed control, appropriate

planting density and pruning) – effect on bean size,

appearance and flavor

 Composting – a significant improvement in growth and

yield in response to coffee pulp & husk compost

application(Chane, 1999).

 Shade – improves the appearance of green and roasted

coffee beans as well as the acidity and body of the brew

Coffee quality…

by promoting slower and balanced filling and

uniform ripening of berries (Muschler, 2001)
Pest control –
coffee berry borer feeds and reproduce inside
the coffee beans
Antestia sting bug - a vector of
microorganisms damages the bean and causes
a bitter flavor
Coffee quality…

Age of the tree

Young trees – mild and thin but fine in flavor

Old trees - produce strong taste and harsh xics brew

Medium aged trees (15-20yrs) –good flavor, acidity

and body (Yigzaw, 2005)
Tree physiology, plant age, and period of picking all
interact to produce the final xics of the product
Location of the fruits within the tree and fruits-to-leaves
ratio have a strong influence on the chemical content of
green beans.
Coffee quality…

2.5. Harvesting
The main factor affecting natural coffee quality
Hand-picking Vs Mechanical harvest

produce the best quality green coffee by

decreasing the percentage of defects in coffee
batches.
Unripe and overripe beans
Coffee quality…

2.6. Processing
 Processing is a very important activity in coffee
production and plays a crucial role in quality
determination.
 Of two types: wet (30%) and dry processing (70%)
 Coffee quality…

Wet processed Dry processed

Attributes
Acidity Fine acidity, brighter Less acidic

Body thick body

Aroma Aromatic Less aromatic

Flavor Sweet, Fruitier

Some have complex
flavor
Coffee quality…
2.7. Storage
 Length and condition of bean storage
 Long time storage under high relative humidity and
warm conditions increase bean moisture content –
affects raw and liquor quality
 If the beans are too wet (>12.5%) – mould
development - OTA contamination
 If the beans are too dry (<8%) – loss of flavor
3. Green coffee defects & their causes

1. Black beans
 Black, or very dark, un-roasted beans
Cause
Typically result from harvesting immature cherries
or by harvesting dead cherries that fall naturally
from the tree.
can also result from exposure to water and heat and
insect-damage.
Effect
Raw- even one is not allowed in specialty coffee
Cup- very bitter, dirty, moldy, sour taste
Green coffee defects & their causes…
Remedy
• Picking only ripe cherries from the tree and avoiding
over-fermentation conditions during farm processing
• Hand sorting or using color sorting machine
Green coffee defects & their causes…

2. Fungus damage
Causes
•Caused by fungi from Aspergillus, Penicillium and
Fusarium genus which can infect beans at any point
from harvesting to storage where temp. and
humidity are at levels that will induce fungus
growth
Effect
Raw- 1 fungus damaged bean =1 full defect
Cup- produce fermented, moldy, earthy, dirty and
Green coffee defects & their causes…
Other issue: Ochratoxin risk
Remedies
• Avoid picking cherries from the ground, left over beans
in harvesting sacks and drying materials
• Avoid nipped or cut beans during the pulping process,
uncontrolled fermentation, left over beans in
fermentation tanks, delayed drying, storing the beans
under high humidity & temp.
• Hand sorting
Green coffee defects & their causes…
3. Sour bean
Cause
•Caused by fermentation that is the result of microbial
contamination at multiple points during harvesting and
processing
•Specific causes include: picking of over ripe cherries,
picking of fallen cherries, over fermentation in the fruit still
attached to trees under humid conditions
Effect –Raw- affects the appearance of the green, 1sb=1fd
-Cup- produce sour, fermented or even stinker taste
Green coffee defects & their causes…

Remedies
 Harvesting ripe cherries only (avoiding overripe cherries)
 Not picking up fallen cherries
 Pulping cherries immediately after harvesting , avoiding
storage of the cherries for extended periods
 Controlling time of fermentation in the fermentation tank
 Avoidance of contaminated or recycled waters during
washing
 Ensuring timeliness of the drying process and avoiding
interruptions
Green coffee defects & their causes…
4. Foreign matter
Cause: Various: foreign matter can be accumulated at any step in the
process
Effect:
Affects appearance of the green coffee, can cause damage to roasting
& grinding equipment, health issues
Causes various off-flavors
Remedies
Careful attention to avoid sticks and leaves during harvesting
Careful attention to avoid foreign material, such as stones, wood chips,
nails, etc on the drying patios
At the dry mill, use proper equipment such as destoners, magnets, that
effectively remove foreign matter
Green coffee defects & their causes…
5. Severe insect damage
Cause
Berry borer beetle is one of the most serious pests in coffee
agriculture
Effect
Raw: Affects the appearance of the green and roast, 5 sid=1 fd
Cup: dirty, moldy flavors, chemical
Remedy
Eradicate conditions that favor borer propagation
Biological – using African wasps
Agronomic- managing shade, pruning the coffee trees
Green coffee defects & their causes…
6. Immature bean
Cause
Improper picking of unripe cherries and uneven ripening on late
ripening varieties growing at high altitude
Effect
oRaw – 5 immature bean=1full defect
oCup- Imparts grassy, straw-like or greenish and is the main
source of astringent flavors in coffee
oImpacts the appearance of roasted beans
Remedies –harvesting only ripe cherries
- sorting out before pulping
-Using density sorters at the dry mill
Quakers in roasted coffee
4.Procedure followed in coffee quality
inspection
4.Procedure followed in coffee
quality inspection

Samplin Sample Raw

preparation evaluation
g

Cupping Roasting

Grading
1. Sampling
 is the process of selecting a sample to provide an adequate description
and inferences of the population

 is the act, process, or technique of selecting a suitable sample, or a

representative part of a population for the purpose of determining
parameters or characteristics of the whole population.

Main reasons for sampling

Economy

Timeliness

The large size of many populations(commodity)

Inaccessibility of some of the population

Accuracy
Contd.
Sample
 is a unit that is selected from population and epresents the whole
population
Advantage of the sample
1. Much cheaper.
2. Saves time.
3. Much consistent.
4. Very suitable for carrying out different assessments.
5. Scientific in nature.
6. More accurate.
7. Economical in nature.
8. Use for multi purpose
Challenges of sampling
 Inadequacy of the samples.

 Chances for bias.

 Problems of accuracy.

 Difficulty of getting the representative sample.

 Untrained manpower.

 Absence of the informants.

 Chances of committing the errors in sampling

What are sampling Methods(Types
 Whole sampling

 Simple Random Sampling

 Stratified Random Sampling

 Cluster Sampling

 Systematic Sampling

 Convenience or Haphazard Sampling

 Sampling with Replacement vs. Sampling without

Replacement
ECX Sampling techniques.
o General Requirement
o Sampling instruments shall be clean, dry and free from foreign odors.
 Sampling probe

 Sample Pan

 Sample collection bag

 Bag Patch

 Sample Tray

 Plastic Pan
o The commodity before sampling shall be homogeneous, free from mixed
product, free from chemical, oils, gas and any other contaminants affecting the
commodity
o Rain affected commodities are allowed to dry
Sampling…
Sampling procedure
The sampling Inspector distributes the sample tickets to
the samplers at the place where the vehicles are to be
sampled
A Sampler checks plate no., no. of plomps, bags & type
and sanitation level of the truck.
The Sampling Inspector will direct the Mezo Awuchi’s to
prepare the vehicle for drawing of a representative sample
Sampling…
The sampler will draw an average of 3kg for about
10,000kg of commodity and proportionally increase the
sample size based on the number of bags
When samples are intentionally adulterated with more
than normal foreign matter, dirt, stones or other
commodities, such violation should be immediately
reported to the Compliance Department
Sampling…
Arrivals Requiring Segregation
 Segregation takes place if the commodity under
observation by the sampler is heterogeneous in quality,
processing and product type.
 The segregation process should be undertaken after
confirmation by the laboratory
 Segregation should be made by offloading the bags from
the truck
 Documents relating to all arrivals recommended for
segregation results should be sent to Compliance
4.2. Sample preparation…
 All coffee samples that arrived at the laboratory are
registered in the log book prior to starting inspection.
 Parchment of washed coffee samples is removed before
sample preparation
 Homogenize the bulk sample using Boerner divider to
attain a uniform sample for use throughout the grading
process.
 Divide the bulk sample into three equivalent parts,
Working, File / Reference and Client samples.
Sample preparation…

The working sample is divided into two sub-

samples using the Boerner divider, for cup and raw /
green analysis.
The amount of sub-sample for physical defect
determination / raw analysis is 350 grams.

BOERNER GRAVITY TYPE DIVIDER

 Sample preparation…

Determination of Moisture Content

Importance – to avoid mould growth & OTA production
- to avoid weight loss
- to reduce re-drying cost
-to ensure better roast
The maximum acceptable moisture content for deposit is 
11.5% by weight, if the moisture content above the
acceptable point, re-drying is recommended according to no.
of days set on the table.
No. of days required for re-drying

Moisture Content Drying period

11.6- 12 % 3 days

12.1- 12.5% 5 days

12.6-13% 7 days

13.1 – 13.5% 10 days

≥13.6% 15 days
 Sample preparation…

Determination of Screen size

350gm from the sub-sample is placed on screen #14 for
screen size determination
The sieves are placed on the table and moved back and
forth by both hands
Beans that retained on screen #14 are collected and
weighed then their percentage is calculated
Those coffees with screen size below 85% are sold as
‘under screen’
Sample preparation…

Green Bean Defect Identification / Sorting

Sorters/hand pickers spread the sub-sample on the
working table to pick defective beans and foreign
materials.
Pick primary & secondary defects separately and pack in
pocket paper
Submit the sample tray having the sound bean and defect
paper pocket to cuppers for green/raw inspection.
Sample preparation…

Primary defects Secondary defects

Full Black Partial Black
Full Sour Partial Sour
Fungus Attacked Floater
Foreign Matter Immature
Sever Insect Damaged Withered
Dried Cherry / Pod Shell
Slightly Insect Damaged
Broken
Foxy
White
Soiled
Parchment
Hull/Husk
Stinker
Faded
Coated
4.3. Raw evaluation

Coffee cuppers record carefully each information on

the worksheet from the ticket
The cuppers count primary defects and give the
corresponding value and weigh secondary defects and
calculate the percentage
Evaluate other raw value attributes, shape & make,
color (for washed) and odor of the sample and record
the value
 4.4. Roasting & Grinding
Why roasting?
Coffee roasting is a chemical process by which aromatics, acids
, and other flavor components are either created, balanced, or
altered in a way that should augment the flavor, acidity, aftertaste
and body of the coffee as desired by the roaster.
100gm green bean per drum roaster is used for roasting
The roast should be completed in no less than 8 minute and no
more than 12 minutes
13.75gm of roasted whole beans per 250ml size cup is ground
separately to the medium ground size
Roasting & Grinding
Roasting & Grinding
Cup Preparation
Cup Preparation
Cup Preparation
Cup Preparation
4.5. Cupping
Specialty coffee cupping
 Coffees with grade 1- 3 during the preliminary
assessment(PA), should proceed for specialty
assessment.
 Green coffee from PA is roasted to the acceptable
roast
 This roasted sample should be kept in air tight
condition for 8 hours.
 The roasted bean should be weighed for each cup
separately and each cup contains 13.7gr.
Specialty coffee cupping…

 The roasted bean is grounded separately and its

fragrance is evaluated using SCAA cupping form
 The coffee is brewed keeping SCAA protocol.
 The crust/foam is broken after 4 minutes and the aroma
of the coffee is evaluated
 Then cupping is done evaluating acidity, body, flavor,
after taste, balance, sweetness, cleanness, uniformity.
 If the coffee scores > 80 it fits specialty coffee
requirement
Reference samples
Unloading
Deposit in the ECX warehouses
6. Problems faced in coffee quality
inspection (Hawassa lab)
Common defects
 Mixing unripe and over ripe coffee beans
 Insect damaged beans
 Over fermented coffee (before pulping or in fermentation
tank)
 Nipped beans
 Sour and foxy beans
 Under screen coffees
 Moldy coffee (drying problem)
Problems faced in coffee quality inspection
(Hawassa lab)…

• Faded beans due to rewetting

Problems
o Coffees with high moisture content (903 trucks)
o High no. of segregation cases (203 trucks)
o Over dried coffees (7%)
o Over load
Problems faced in coffee quality inspection
(Dilla lab)

Common defects
Immature beans
Insect damaged beans
Over fermented coffee (before pulping or
in fermentation tank)
Nipped beans
Problems faced at Dilla…
Sour and foxy beans
Soiled beans
Cup-Foul, Musty, Grassy, Earthy,
Hardish ( Chemical)
Faded beans due to rewetting
Problems faced in coffee quality inspection
(Dilla lab)

Problems
o Loading Coffees with different moisture content
above the acceptable limit
o Loading different grade coffees in the same truck
o Mixing foreign matter like wanza seed, stones, soil
and husk
o Using bags contaminated by chemical resdues
o Mixing sundried coffee with washed floaters and
hand picked
Table 8. Problems faced in coffee quality inspection (Sodo lab)

Classifn.

• Immature bean
• Slight insect damage
WSDC • Nipped beans
• Stinkers
• Dull parchment

• Slight insect damage

• Partial sour
• Immature beans
USDC
UFRB • Sour
• Black
Problems faced (Sodo)…

Classfin.
UFRB • Sour
• Black
• Fungus attacked
• Broken
• Severe insect damage
• Soiled beans
• Immature
Table 9. Moisture, segregation and Sort out cases (W/sodo
lab)

Wereda Miosture Seg. Sorted out foreign matter

rejected # of # of Wt. Foreign matter
# of trucks Trucks in
trucks/bag /bags /bags Kg

Kacha
bira(ille.) 5/417 1/38-1
Mello koza 6/313 1/30-2 1/30 65 Stone, soil
South Ari 12/1005 1/91-2 1/82 231Stone ,wanza
1/90-
Sodo zuria 4/262 10 1/82 Un 337Husk and stone
Arba minch 1/120
Basketo 17/990
Boloso sore 5/425
Damot gale 2/61
Dawuro 1/52
Moisture segregation…
Denba gofa 1/15 2/100 434 Stone
&soil
Derashe 1/86
Doyo gena 1/25
Gaze gofa 7/300
Kedida 5/909
Gamela
North Ari 5/370
South bad 2/360
Danboya 1/60-8
Kindo 1/8 5.5 stone
didaye
(Un)
 Table 9. Moisture, segregation and Sort out cases (Dilla)…
Wereda Miosture Seg. Sorted out foreign
rejected # of matter
# of trucks # of # of Wt.
trucks Truc bag in
ks Kg

Yirgacheffe 101 31 7 221 927 Husk, pod ,soil,stone

Kochore 93 12 1 60 97 Wanza, soil, stone
Gedeb 19 7 1 58 314 Husk
Pod & dominated black
Wenago 23 15 1 32 bean
Sundried coffee mixed
Dilla Zuria 32 11 1 60 with washed floaters
Pod, washed coffee
Abaya 23 6 3 600 mixed with sundried
Gelana 37 8 - - -
Total 328 90
7. Conclusion & Recommendation

 Good agronomic practice during growing

 Harvesting red cherries only from the tree
 Avoiding coffee drying on bare ground
 Ensuring proper pulping, fermentation, soaking, drying and
storage time
 Regular machine adjustment
 Ensuring the sanitation of truck & canvas during delivery
 Ensuring the moisture content, whether the preparation is
homogenous & cleanness of the coffee from any foreign
matter
 ! T
Yo u ha n
h a n k k Y
T o u!