Sorting, Grading and Shipping of Coffee Beans

Sorting, Grading and Shipping of Coffee Beans

It is at the sorting stage that bags of "peaberry" beans are collected. They are also know as "pearl" or "caracol" beans, and they come from cherries that by chance contain only one bean instead of the normal pair. Thus the peaberry's shape is much rounder than an ordinary flat-sided bean, and for some reason, although it was alone in the cherry, it is much smaller than the average bean of its variety. Peaberries are thought by some connoisseurs to have a better flavor, and they command a slightly higher price. If they produce a better cup of coffee it could be attributed to the fact that they undergo more scrutiny at the sorting stage, where a defective bean is more likely to be noticed and removed from the batch, rather than that they individually produce a superior taste.

Before they are sold and shipped, the bags of beans are both sampled by sight and taste and assessed by government officials, who ensure that the quality matches the grading specification on the label, and the certificate of origin. Coffee bags are made of jute, with an average capacity of 60 kilos, although Colombia traditionally employs 70 kilo bags. Most coffee intended for international sale will be shipped before further processing, mostly because roasted beans are extremely vulnerable to spoilage and must be packaged immediately to retain their freshness, and because the soluble process require expensive technology often not available in the producing country. So the bags embark on their journey around the world, destined for such coffee ports as Trieste, Hamburg, Le Havre, London, New York, New Orleans and San Francisco

After being unloaded, the sacks of beans either will be stored in warehouses, or they will go directly for processing. The blending, roasting, grinding and packaging can all be done within a few hours. Once the beans arrive at the factory, a sample will be tasted, since coffee can be adversely affected during shipping. Green bean, although extremely hard, would be ruined, for example, by contact with condensation. The beans go into great silos while the blending formulae are determined. A relatively small number of bags will go to small roasters, who have purchased them from a trader in the country of origin, or to coffee importers/wholesalers who buy in bulk for smaller firms.

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