The Power of Automated Green Coffee Grading
by Francesco Dell’Endice, PhD - CEO and Founder of QualySense
The grading process starts on the coffee farm. Farmers carefully select and harvest only the ripest coffee cherries, which are then processed to remove the outer layers and reveal the green coffee beans inside. Green coffee beans are then graded based on several factors, including size, shape, and colour. These factors help to determine the overall quality of the beans and their potential flavour profile. The first step in grading green coffee beans is sorting them by size. Beans of a similar size are more likely to roast evenly, which can help to produce a more consistent and balanced flavour. Next, a trained coffee grader inspects the beans for defects such as chips, cracks, and insect damage. Defective beans can cause off-flavours and should be removed from the batch.
Beans are also sorted by colour, with higher-quality beans typically having a more uniform, deep green colour. This step is critical because beans with inconsistent colouring can indicate uneven ripening or improper processing. Finally, the beans are bagged and marked with their grade. The highest quality beans, typically graded as "speciality" or "premium," fetch the highest prices on the market. And that's how green coffee beans are graded! By carefully selecting and sorting beans based on size, shape, colour, and defect level, coffee growers and roasters can produce high-quality coffee with a consistent flavour profile.
QSorter® images of several green coffee beans
Manual grading of green coffee beans can have several downsides. Firstly, it is a labor-intensive process that can be time-consuming and expensive, resulting in higher production costs for coffee producers. Secondly, manual grading can be subjective, leading to inconsistencies in the quality of the graded beans. The results can vary depending on the grader's experience and skill level. Thirdly, manual grading can be physically demanding, and the repetitive nature of the work can lead to musculoskeletal disorders such as carpal tunnel syndrome. Fourthly, environmental factors such as lighting and humidity can affect the accuracy of the grading process. Fifthly, the grader's emotional and physical state, such as fatigue or stress, can affect their ability to accurately grade the coffee beans. Additionally, manual grading is not as efficient as automated grading, which can limit the amount of coffee beans that can be graded in a given period. Lastly, human errors such as misjudging the size or shape of the beans can occur, leading to inaccurate grading.
Using automated systems to assess the quality of coffee beans has several advantages over manual grading. These systems ensure that the grading process is consistent and objective, reducing the subjectivity of manual grading. They are also faster and able to detect subtle defects in coffee beans that may be missed during manual grading, which can result in higher quality control standards. In addition, automated grading systems can help coffee producers save money on labor costs by reducing the need for manual labor. They also reduce the risk of human error and provide real-time data on the quality of coffee beans, making them more efficient and reliable than manual grading processes. Lastly, the flexibility of automated systems means that coffee beans can be assessed at any time, providing coffee producers with greater production flexibility.
Overall, the advantages of grading coffee automatically include consistency, speed, improved accuracy, cost savings, quality control, real-time data, improved productivity and profitability, and increased flexibility.
For more info contact Francesco Dell’Endice at qualysense@ferrum.net.
Learn more about the QSorter Coffee Solutions here
