Reference
Coffee Glossary
The working vocabulary of green coffee, defined as it is used in a contract or on a spec sheet. Where a term means different things at different origins, the entry says so rather than picking one.
A
- AAGrading
- A size grade for flat beans retained on approximately screen 17/18. Used in Kenya, Tanzania and for Ugandan Bugisu Arabica. It describes bean size and preparation, not cup quality. Read more.
- ABGrading
- The combined A and B size separations, roughly screen 15/16. Usually the largest single block in a Kenyan or Tanzanian outturn and often the best value on a cup-per-dollar basis. Read more.
- AMCOSalso: Agricultural Marketing Co-operative SocietyOrigin
- A Tanzanian primary cooperative society. AMCOS aggregate smallholder cherry or parchment and are the practical unit of traceability for much Tanzanian coffee. Read more.
B
- Bill of Ladingalso: B/LExport
- The carrier’s document evidencing receipt of the cargo and the contract of carriage. Also functions as a document of title for an original negotiable set. Read more.
- BourbonOrigin
- An Arabica variety group that dominates Rwandan and Burundian production and is widely present in Tanzania. Red Bourbon is the most common East African selection.
C
- C pricealso: ICE Arabica, the CTrade
- The Arabica futures contract traded on ICE, used as the reference for most Arabica physical contracts. Robusta references the London Robusta contract instead. Read more.
- CatadorProcessing
- A pneumatic separator that lifts light beans out of a parcel by air. Used at dry mills to create density separations such as the Tanzanian TT grade.
- CFRalso: Cost and Freight, C&FTrade
- An Incoterm where the seller pays carriage to the named destination port but risk passes to the buyer when the goods are on board at origin. Insurance is the buyer’s responsibility. Read more.
- CIFalso: Cost, Insurance and FreightTrade
- As CFR, but the seller also contracts minimum cargo insurance. Risk still passes at origin on loading, which is the point most often misunderstood. Read more.
- CollineOrigin
- The Burundian administrative "hill". Washing stations report cherry deliveries by colline, which is what makes Burundian lots traceable at a very fine geographic level. Read more.
- Cup scoreQuality
- A numerical sensory evaluation produced under a defined cupping protocol. Only comparable between cuppers using the same protocol, the same roast standard and the same water. Read more.
- CuppingQuality
- Standardised sensory evaluation of coffee: ground at a set particle size, infused with hot water at a set ratio, crust broken and evaluated to a protocol. Read more.
- Current cropTrade
- Coffee from the most recently completed harvest at that origin. What counts as current depends on the origin’s calendar, so the crop year should always be stated explicitly in the contract. Read more.
D
- Defect (full defect)Quality
- A unit of raw-defect counting. Different physical defects carry different weights — for example one full black bean is one full defect, whereas several partial blacks are needed to make one. Read more.
- DensityQuality
- Mass per unit volume of green coffee, usually reported in g/L. A rough proxy for how the coffee will absorb heat in the roaster; correlated with, but not determined by, altitude. Read more.
- DifferentialTrade
- The premium or discount to the futures reference at which a physical lot trades, quoted as e.g. "+45 c/lb over the C". Reflects origin, grade, preparation and availability. Read more.
- DRUGARalso: Dried Ugandan ArabicaGrading
- Trade designation for naturally dried Ugandan Arabica, principally from Rwenzori, West Nile and Kigezi. Read more.
E
- Elephant beanalso: E gradeGrading
- Oversized and frequently conjoined beans separated above the AA screen. Distinctive in appearance, small in volume and irregular in roast behaviour.
- EUDRalso: EU Deforestation RegulationTrade
- EU legislation requiring operators placing certain commodities, including coffee, on the EU market to exercise due diligence covering deforestation-free sourcing, legality and traceability including geolocation. Read more.
F
- FAQalso: Fair Average QualityGrading
- An unsized parcel sold against defect and moisture terms rather than a screen. Composition varies by crop, mill and cleaning line, so the specification must be written explicitly. Read more.
- FermentationProcessing
- Controlled microbial breakdown of the mucilage after pulping. Duration is set by ambient temperature and altitude, and the endpoint is judged by feel and by the wash water rather than by clock alone. Read more.
- FOBalso: Free On BoardTrade
- An Incoterm where the seller delivers the goods on board the vessel at the named port of shipment. Cost and risk pass to the buyer at that point. Read more.
- FumigationExport
- Treatment of cargo or packaging against pests, sometimes required by the destination country or for the wood packaging rather than for the coffee itself. Read more.
G
- GrainProalso: hermetic liner, barrier bagExport
- A multi-layer hermetic liner placed inside a jute bag to slow moisture and oxygen exchange. A brand name that has become the generic term for barrier liners. Read more.
- Green coffeeTrade
- Unroasted coffee seed, hulled and cleaned, ready for export and roasting. The traded commodity in every contract on this site. Read more.
H
- HullingProcessing
- Mechanical removal of the parchment layer from dried washed coffee, or of dried skin, pulp and parchment together from naturals. Read more.
I
- ICOalso: International Coffee OrganizationTrade
- The intergovernmental body for coffee. Its crop-year groupings and ICO marks appear on export documentation and in trade statistics. Read more.
- IncotermsTrade
- ICC-published trade terms defining the delivery point, cost allocation and risk transfer between seller and buyer. Always cite the version in the contract. Read more.
J
- Jute bagExport
- The traditional woven export sack. Standard fill weight is 60 kg across East Africa; 69 kg is a Central American convention and 30 kg is used for small specialty lots. Read more.
K
- KebeleOrigin
- The smallest Ethiopian administrative unit. Washing stations draw cherry from surrounding kebeles, which sets the practical granularity of Ethiopian traceability. Read more.
L
- LotTrade
- A parcel of coffee kept separate and identifiable through processing, milling and shipment. The unit that is sampled, approved, contracted and shipped.
M
- MbuniGrading
- Kenyan naturally dried whole cherry, typically including over-ripes, unders and ground-collected fruit. Graded MH (heavy) and ML (light), and distinct from a deliberately produced natural. Read more.
- Moisture contentQuality
- Water in the green bean as a percentage of mass. Most East African export contracts sit around 10–12%; the measurement basis and instrument must be agreed, because methods disagree. Read more.
- MucilageProcessing
- The sticky pectin layer between the cherry pulp and the parchment. Removing it — by fermentation, by machine, or leaving part of it on — is what distinguishes washed from honey processing. Read more.
N
- Naturalalso: dry processed, sun-driedProcessing
- Processing in which whole cherry is dried intact before hulling. Produces heavier body and pronounced fruit sweetness, and carries the highest drying-management risk. Read more.
O
- OutturnTrade
- Two meanings. At a Kenyan dry mill, the identified milling batch from a single delivery — the reference used to trace a lot. More generally, the yield of green coffee obtained from parchment or cherry. Read more.
P
- Parchmentalso: pergaminoProcessing
- The papery endocarp surrounding the green bean. Washed coffee is dried and rested in parchment, which protects the seed until hulling shortly before shipment.
- Past cropTrade
- Coffee from a harvest earlier than the current one. Not automatically a defect — a well-stored past crop can outperform a badly stored current crop — but it must be declared. Read more.
- PBalso: PeaberryGrading
- A single rounded seed formed when only one of the two ovules in the cherry develops. Separated by shape on slotted screens and roasted separately because of its different geometry. Read more.
- Phytosanitary certificateExport
- A certificate issued by the origin plant-protection authority attesting to the consignment’s plant-health status. Required by some destinations and not by others. Read more.
- Potato taste defectalso: PTDQuality
- A raw-potato aroma defect associated with bacterial infection following antestia bug damage. Occurs at bean level in the Great Lakes region, so it can appear in an otherwise excellent lot and is managed by sorting and cup screening, not eliminated by grade. Read more.
- PulpingProcessing
- Mechanical removal of skin and most pulp from the cherry, leaving the mucilage-coated parchment. The first irreversible step in washed and honey processing. Read more.
Q
- QuakerQuality
- An under-developed bean that fails to brown in the roast. Invisible in the green, visible after roasting, and usually traceable to under-ripe cherry. Read more.
R
- Raised bedalso: African bedProcessing
- A mesh drying table raised off the ground, allowing airflow beneath the coffee. Standard across East Africa for both parchment and cherry drying.
S
- Screen sizeGrading
- The diameter of the sizing screen perforation in 64ths of an inch. Screen 18 is an 18/64 inch hole, approximately 7.14 mm. Read more.
- SL28 / SL34Origin
- Arabica selections released by Scott Laboratories in Kenya and central to the classic Kenyan cup. Both are susceptible to leaf rust and coffee berry disease, which is why Ruiru 11 and Batian were later developed. Read more.
- SoakProcessing
- A post-fermentation immersion in clean water, standard in Kenya and common in Burundi. Extends contact time and is associated with the clarity and structure of the resulting cup. Read more.
T
- TaCRIalso: Tanzania Coffee Research InstituteOrigin
- The Tanzanian research body responsible for released Arabica selections now planted alongside older Bourbon and Kent material. Read more.
- TriageProcessing
- The by-product stream removed during final cleaning — broken pieces, shells, fines and rejected beans. Sold separately at commercial value.
- TTGrading
- A density separation in Kenya and Tanzania: beans of AA/AB size lifted off by gravity table because they are lighter than the main run. Read more.
W
- Washedalso: fully washed, wet processedProcessing
- Processing in which the cherry is pulped and the mucilage removed by fermentation and washing before drying in parchment. Read more.
- Washing stationalso: CWS, wet mill, factoryProcessing
- The facility where cherry is received, pulped, fermented, washed and dried. Called a "factory" in Kenya and a "coffee washing station" in Rwanda and Burundi.
- Water activityalso: awQuality
- The availability of water in the bean for microbial and chemical activity, on a 0–1 scale. A better predictor of storage stability than moisture content alone. Read more.
- WoredaOrigin
- An Ethiopian district. Sits between the zone and the kebele, and is the level at which many Ethiopian lot names are defined. Read more.
- WUGARalso: Washed Ugandan ArabicaGrading
- Trade designation for fully washed Ugandan Arabica, further specified by screen and defect count. Read more.
A term we have missed?
The glossary grows from the questions we are actually asked. If something on an offer sheet or a contract is unclear, ask — and it will probably end up here.
Ask us about a term