Grading reference
Ethiopia Coffee Grades
- Grades
- 6
- Species
- Arabica
- Authority
- Ethiopian Coffee and Tea Authority (ECTA): inspection, grading, export licensing and contract registration; the Ethiopia Commodity Exchange is one sales channel among several
- Bag standard
- 60 kg jute
At a glance
Ethiopia grade classes
This classification runs on defect count and cup evaluation rather than on bean size, so there is no screen ladder to plot. Screen is contracted separately where a buyer needs one.
Classified on defects and cup
None of these designations is a screen separation. The classification runs on defect count and cup evaluation, which is why there is no size ladder to plot — screen is contracted separately where a buyer needs one.
- Grade 1ArabicaThe tightest raw-defect class in the national classification, combined with a cup evaluation. Applied to both washed and natural preparations.
- Grade 2ArabicaA slightly wider defect allowance than Grade 1 while remaining an export specialty class. Very widely traded for washed Yirgacheffe and Sidama.
- Grade 3ArabicaMost often seen on naturals, where the classification tolerates more raw defects than the washed equivalent at the same number.
- Grade 4ArabicaThe boundary between specialty separations and commercial parcels. Common for Djimma and lower-lying naturals.
- Grade 5ArabicaCommercial grade, contracted on defect tolerance and cup cleanliness.
- Q1 / Q2ArabicaCup-score bands used in trade to describe specialty parcels, alongside the numeric export grade.
| Grade | What it encodes | Screen | Species |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 1 | The tightest raw-defect class in the national classification, combined with a cup evaluation. Applied to both washed and natural preparations. Ethiopia is the one origin here where the grade explicitly carries a cup component alongside the defect count. | — | Arabica |
| Grade 2 | A slightly wider defect allowance than Grade 1 while remaining an export specialty class. Very widely traded for washed Yirgacheffe and Sidama. | — | Arabica |
| Grade 3 | Most often seen on naturals, where the classification tolerates more raw defects than the washed equivalent at the same number. | — | Arabica |
| Grade 4 | The boundary between specialty separations and commercial parcels. Common for Djimma and lower-lying naturals. | — | Arabica |
| Grade 5 | Commercial grade, contracted on defect tolerance and cup cleanliness. | — | Arabica |
| Q1 / Q2 | Cup-score bands used in trade to describe specialty parcels, alongside the numeric export grade. Scoring bands and exchange rules have changed over time. Confirm the basis that applies to the crop being contracted. | — | Arabica |
The distinction that matters
What the grade does not tell you
This is where most green coffee is mis-bought. A grade is a preparation class. Everything below is a separate contract field, and every one of them moves independently of the grade name.
What it does fix
Ethiopia grading encodes
- Raw defect count on a defined green sample
- A cup evaluation — cleanliness and the absence of taints
- The preparation, where washed and natural are graded on different allowances
- For Q1 and Q2, the cup-score band applied to a specialty parcel
Use the grade to define the physical deliverable. Use the approved sample to define the cup. Both belong in the contract.
What it does not
Specify these separately
- Defect countA separate count on a defined sample, against a weighting table that differs by origin.
- MoistureA range plus the measurement method. Two meters on one parcel routinely disagree.
- Crop yearNothing in a grade name distinguishes current crop from a parcel that has been in store a year.
- DensityBulk density in g/L, which drives charge temperature and roast planning.
- Water activityStorage stability. Related to moisture but not derivable from it.
- TraceabilityCountry, station or day lot are different claims. A grade fixes none of them.
- Processing methodWashed, natural and honey can all carry the same grade at most origins.
Quick answer
Ethiopia grades coffee on a numbered scale that combines a raw defect count with a cup evaluation — the only East African system where the grade carries a sensory component. Export coffee is graded 1 to 5. Washed and natural preparations are graded on different defect allowances, so a natural Grade 3 and a washed Grade 3 are not equivalent products.
A grade that includes the cup
Ethiopian classification evaluates two things and combines them. The first is a raw defect count on a defined green sample. The second is a cup evaluation, assessing cleanliness and the absence of taints as well as positive attributes. A parcel with a low defect count but a compromised cup does not reach the top grades.
This is genuinely different from Kenya or Tanzania, where the grade is purely mechanical. It means an Ethiopian Grade 2 tells you more about what you are buying than a Kenyan AA does — but it still does not replace cupping the sample.
| Grade | Preparation | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 1 | Washed and natural | Tightest defect class with a supporting cup evaluation. Common on top natural Guji and Sidama. |
| Grade 2 | Mainly washed | The workhorse specialty grade for washed Yirgacheffe and Sidama. Very widely traded. |
| Grade 3 | Mainly natural | Naturals tolerate more raw defects at the same number than washed do; still a specialty separation. |
| Grade 4 | Mainly natural | The boundary into commercial. Common for Djimma and lower-altitude naturals. |
| Grade 5 | Natural and washed | Commercial parcels contracted on defect tolerance and cup cleanliness. |
Washed Grade 3 ≠ natural Grade 3
The defect allowances differ by preparation. Comparing an Ethiopian grade number across washed and natural without accounting for that will mislead you. Always state the preparation and the grade together.
Q1 and Q2
Alongside the numeric grade, specialty parcels are often described in trade with a Q classification based on cup-score bands, Q1 sitting above Q2. These labels are trade usage rather than a substitute for the export grade, and the scoring bands have been revised more than once — confirm which basis applies to the crop being contracted rather than relying on a figure remembered from a previous season.
Where standards move, we say so
Ethiopian market structure has changed several times since the Ethiopia Commodity Exchange was established: the 2017 reforms opened direct trade with traceability to washing station, and in 2025 the Ethiopian Coffee and Tea Authority (ECTA) took over export contract registration and made inspection, grading and certification mandatory for every actor. The exchange is now one sales channel among several. We describe the current shape of the system rather than quoting numeric thresholds that may have moved (checked September 2026).
Traceability: station, woreda, kebele
Ethiopian production is overwhelmingly smallholder and garden-based. Cherry is delivered to a washing station, which aggregates it from the surrounding kebeles. The station is therefore the practical unit of traceability, sitting inside a woreda (district) and a zone.
- Zone
- The regional level — Sidama, Gedeo, Guji, Jimma
- Woreda
- District. Many well-known Ethiopian lot names are woreda names
- Kebele
- The smallest administrative unit; the catchment a station draws from
- Washing station
- Where cherry is received and processed — the level at which lots are separated and named
Regional names such as Yirgacheffe carry real meaning — Yirgacheffe is a district in the Gedeo zone whose washed profile is consistent enough to specify by name — but a station-level lot is always more precisely defined than a regional one.
Varieties: heirloom, and what that word hides
Ethiopian offers frequently say "heirloom", which is a placeholder rather than a description. Ethiopia holds the overwhelming majority of Arabica’s genetic diversity, with thousands of local landrace populations, alongside released selections from the Jimma Agricultural Research Center such as the 74110 and 74112 series, and named regional selections like Kurume, Dega and Wolisho.
Where a station can identify the material, that is worth having in the specification. Where it cannot, "local landraces" is a more honest description than "heirloom".
Ethiopian sourcing
Tell us the region, preparation and grade you need, and whether station-level identity is required. We will confirm what the crop supports.
Request Current Crop OfferContract language
Writing a Ethiopia specification
The grade names the physical deliverable. These are the fields that have to sit beside it for the contract to be enforceable.
| Field | What to state | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Origin and region | Ethiopia, plus the growing area — Yirgacheffe, Sidama, Guji | Region drives altitude, harvest timing and cup character more than the grade does |
| Grade | The Ethiopia designation — Grade 1, Grade 2, Grade 3, Grade 4 | Fixes the preparation class and the size separation |
| Screen | Retention screen plus the permitted percentage passing | A screen without a tolerance is not a specification — no sizing line is perfect |
| Defects | Maximum full defects per 300 g, and the weighting table | Weighting tables differ by origin, so the number alone is not portable |
| Moisture | Range plus the measurement method and instrument | Two meters on the same parcel routinely disagree |
| Crop year | Explicit, with the harvest period | "Current crop" means different things in different months |
| Cup | Approved sample retained by both parties | The only thing that fixes flavour; the grade does not |
| Packaging | 60 kg jute; specialty lots frequently in GrainPro or vacuum packs | Changes the price and the container arithmetic |
| Port and Incoterm | Djibouti (primary transit port) · FOB, CFR or CIF | Determines where cost and risk transfer |
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What does Ethiopian Grade 1 mean?
Why is most washed Yirgacheffe sold as Grade 2?
Is "heirloom" a coffee variety?
Which port does Ethiopian coffee ship from?
Keep reading
Related to Ethiopia Coffee Grades
- Coffee Grades ExplainedWhat a green coffee grade encodes and leaves out, with the grading systems of six East African origins side by side.
- Natural coffee — process, risk and specificationWashed, natural and honey processing explained — what each does to the cup, where the risk sits and how to specify it.
- Cupping ScoreWhat a coffee cupping score represents, why scores are only comparable within one protocol and a calibrated panel, and how to write one into a contract.
- Ethiopia Green CoffeeEthiopian green coffee: regional designations, the Grade 1–5 classification, washed and natural preparations, washing station traceability and export via Djibouti.
- Yirgacheffe CoffeeYirgacheffe coffee: what the designation covers, altitude, washing stations, the characteristic floral washed profile and how to specify a Yirgacheffe lot.
- Guji CoffeeGuji coffee: the zone’s separation from Sidama, the sub-areas of Hambela, Shakiso and Uraga, and the intense natural profiles it is known for.
Request an offer
Tell us the Ethiopia coffee you need
Grade, screen, defect basis, moisture, crop year, volume and destination. Send what you know and we will confirm what the current crop supports.