Glossary

Certifications and grading

AA  - A grade indication used in a number of countries. It usually denotes the largest and most expensive screen size.

AB - Next screen size down from AA grade. 15-16 size.

A / X - A coffee grade for New Guinea coffees. Typically a mixed screen size and defect specification of up to 10 full defects per 350 grams of coffee.

Dry Mill - Facility for removing the husks, sorting, grading and bagging coffee in preparation for export.

Dry Process - A natural process where coffee was dried with the cherry left on the seed.

EP - An acronym for "European Prep," which indicates the coffee has gone through a rigorous sorting process, usually by hand.

FT - Acronym for Fair Trade meaning that this particular coffee has been audited throughout the supply chain to meet certain sustainability and labor standards.

Organic - Coffee that is certified to have grown on soil that had no prohibited substances applied for three years prior to harvest. Prohibited substances include most synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.

Natural - A processing method that involves letting the coffee seed ferment inside the cherry before dry milling. Also called "dry" or "unwashed" process.

Screen size -  The size of coffee beans. Typically measured in 64th of an inch. Screen sizes usually range from 14-18 in most exported coffee. The larger the screen size number, the large the coffee bean is.

SHB - Strictly Hard Bean. A classification from Costa Rica and Guatemala that usually means these coffee plants are grown and harvested 1,200 meters above sea level. Plants grown at this level usually produce a denser and higher-quality bean.

SHG - Strictly High Grown. A classification from El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama. Similar to SHB, the coffee is grown 1,200 meter above sea level. This produces a denser and higher-quality bean.

Swiss Water Process - A non-toxic and non-chemical decaffeination process that uses carbon filter and water to remove 99% of caffeine from unroasted coffee.

Wet Mill - Facility where coffee is processed and dried prior to being sent to a dry mill.

Wet-Processed - A coffee processing method by which the pit (bean) of the cherry is extracting from the pulp using a de-pulper, then washed in vats of water, and sorted and dried.