Green coffee

Arabica Green Coffee

East Africa produces some of the most distinctive Arabica in the world, and five quite different expressions of it. This page covers what is available by origin, how it is specified, and where to look for the detail.

East African Arabica: 6 origins
Preparations: Washed · Natural
Segments: Specialty + commercial

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Photo: Gerson Cifuentes

Arabica from six East African origins

TanzaniaFully washed · NaturalAA · A · ABJune–October in the south; July–December in the north
UgandaNatural (Robusta) · Washed Arabica (WUGAR)Screen 18 · Screen 17 · Screen 15Robusta main crop November–February with a fly crop April–July; Elgon Arabica October–February
KenyaFully washed with soak · Mbuni (natural)E · AA · ABMain crop October–December; early (fly) crop May–July
EthiopiaFully washed · Natural (sun-dried)Grade 1 · Grade 2 · Grade 3October–January, varying by region and altitude
RwandaFully washed · Natural (growing)Grade 1 (fully washed) · Grade 2 · Screen 15+March–July, with the peak in April and May
BurundiFully washed with soak · Natural (limited)Grade A · Grade B · Screen 15+March–July

Quick answer

We supply Arabica green coffee from all six East African origins, in washed, natural and limited honey preparations, across specialty and commercial segments. Lots are specified by origin and region, grade, screen, defect tolerance, moisture, crop year and cup, and are contracted against an approved sample.

What is available, by origin

East African Arabica at a glance
Origin	Typical preparation	Common grades	Harvest
Kenya	Fully washed with soak	AA, AB, PB, C	Oct–Dec, fly crop May–Jul
Ethiopia	Washed and natural	Grade 1–5	Oct–Jan
Tanzania	Fully washed; naturals growing in the south	AA, AB, PB, C	Jun–Oct (south), Jul–Dec (north)
Rwanda	Fully washed	Grade 1, Grade 2, screen 15+/16+	Mar–Jul
Burundi	Fully washed with soak	Grade A, Grade B	Mar–Jul
Uganda	Washed (WUGAR/Bugisu) and natural (DRUGAR)	Bugisu AA/A/B/PB, screen-specified	Oct–Feb; West Nile Aug–Nov

Harvest windows are typical and shift with rainfall and region. See the crop calendar for the regional breakdown.

Choosing between them

The six origins are not interchangeable, and the differences are large enough to drive the decision before price does.

Structured, high-acidity single origin → Kenya first, then high-altitude Rwandan and Burundian washed lots.
Floral and aromatic → Ethiopian washed, particularly Yirgacheffe.
Fruit-forward and intense → Ethiopian naturals, particularly Guji.
Sweet, rounded, blend-friendly → southern Tanzania around Mbeya and Mbinga.
Full-bodied and winey → Bugisu from Mount Elgon.
Delicate and tea-like → Burundi washed from Kayanza and Ngozi.

A coffee picker working through a row of trees, selecting cherries by hand into a basket that shows fruit at several stages of ripeness. — Selective picking sets the ceiling on everything downstream — no process recovers what an under-ripe cherry never had.Photo: Delightin Dee

How Arabica lots are specified

Every origin uses its own grade vocabulary, so the specification has to be written against the origin’s own system. The common fields are the same everywhere.

Specification fields

Origin and region: Country plus growing area; station or factory where traceability is required
Process: Fully washed, washed with soak, natural, or honey
Grade: The origin’s designation — see the grades guide
Screen: Retention screen plus permitted percentage passing
Defects: Maximum full defects per 300 g and the counting basis
Moisture: Range plus measurement method
Crop year: Explicit, with the harvest period
Cup: Approved sample, or a described profile with a fault-tolerance clause
Packaging: 60 kg jute, with or without hermetic liner; 30 kg for small lots

A dense layer of unroasted green coffee beans, each showing the centre cut, with visible variation in size and colour. — Screen, colour and defect count are all read off the green before a sample is ever roasted.Photo: wisnu dwi wibowo

Varieties

Variety information is available to different depths at different origins, and it is worth knowing which is which before asking for it.

Variety identification by origin
Origin	Named material in commercial use	How well identified
Kenya	SL28 and SL34 (Scott Laboratories selections, 1930s); K7; the disease-resistant Kenyan breeding line Ruiru 11 (released 1985) and Batian	Well documented, but frequently mixed within a single factory catchment
Rwanda / Burundi	Red Bourbon; Jackson (the Rwanda Agricultural Board holds the Jackson 2/1257 selection); Mibirizi; the Bourbon Mayaguez selections BM139 and BM71	Well documented at station level. Note that Mibirizi is Typica-related despite the region’s Bourbon reputation
Tanzania	N39 and KP423, both selected from Bourbon and Kent material in the 1930s; the TaCRI compact hybrids (TaCRI 1F, 3F, 4F and 6F)	Variable by region and farm; the TaCRI releases are increasingly planted
Uganda	SL14, SL28, KP423 and Nyasaland on Mount Elgon, alongside older Typica and Kent material	Variable. SL28 and KP162 are known to be vulnerable to leaf rust and coffee berry disease
Ethiopia	Regional landraces, plus JARC selections — 74110 and 74112 were both selected from the Metu–Bishari forest for coffee berry disease resistance and released in 1979	Often unidentified; "heirloom" is a placeholder, not a variety

Compiled from the World Coffee Research variety catalogue and national research institute sources. Variety information is only as good as the record kept at the station or mill — ask what is actually documented rather than assuming.

A note on "Bourbon" in Rwanda and Burundi

The region is widely described as Bourbon country, and Red Bourbon and Jackson are indeed Bourbon-related. Mibirizi, however — an important variety for smallholders in both countries — sits in the Bourbon–Typica group but is Typica-related, and is thought to descend from Guatemalan stock introduced in the 1910s. If a variety claim matters to your programme, ask which selection specifically rather than accepting "Bourbon".

Arabica enquiries

Tell us the profile, grade, volume and shipment window. We will confirm what each origin supports for the current crop.

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Last reviewed August 20263 min read

Availability

The largest lever available at origin, and the one a buyer can specify most directly.

Processing methods

Pale parchment coffee laid out in long windrows on a drying patio, with fragments of dried cherry skin mixed through it.

Washed

Cleaner separation; the default across most of East Africa.

Natural

Whole-cherry drying; heavier body and fruit sweetness.

A worker turning coffee with a wooden rake across a drying yard, moving the layer so it dries evenly.

Honey

Mucilage retained on the parchment. Limited East African availability.

Quality

How we evaluate Arabica

Every parcel is assessed on the same sequence before it is offered, and again before it is loaded. What is reported for a given lot depends on what the buyer specifies.

A cupping table in use: two hands breaking the crust with cupping spoons across coded sample bowls. — Photo: René Porter

Green Coffee Quality Control

Export

Packaging and export

Packaging is specified at contract stage rather than requested afterwards, because it changes both the price and the container arithmetic. Four of our six origins are landlocked, which makes the inland leg the largest single source of schedule variance — shipment windows are built around port arrival, not mill readiness.

Jute coffee sacks stacked on wooden pallets in racking inside a warehouse, tied at the neck with twine. — Photo: Caelen Cockrum

Questions

Frequently asked questions

Which East African Arabica origin should I start with?

It depends on the role the coffee plays. For a structured, high-acidity single origin, Kenya. For floral and aromatic, Ethiopian washed. For sweet and blend-friendly at a more accessible price, southern Tanzania. Tell us the role and we will shortlist.

Can I get the same Arabica lot again next year?

You can usually get the same station or factory again, and often the same grade and separation. You cannot get the same coffee — each crop differs. Repeat programmes work best when specified by station and profile rather than by an exact previous lot.

What is the smallest Arabica lot you can supply?

It depends on the origin and the separation. Station-level lots are commonly tens of bags; day-lots and micro-lots can be much smaller. Smaller parcels carry higher per-kilo handling cost, and consolidation options depend on the routing.

Do you supply washed and natural from the same origin?

Where the origin produces both. Ethiopia, Tanzania and Uganda all offer both preparations; Kenya, Rwanda and Burundi are predominantly washed with naturals in limited volumes.

Can Arabica be supplied by screen size?

Yes, and for most East African Arabica the screen is already implicit in the grade — Kenyan AA is a screen 17/18 separation, Tanzanian AA is screen 18 and above. Where you need a tighter band than the grade guarantees, specify it explicitly with a permitted percentage passing. Tightening a screen reduces outturn and changes the price basis, so it is a commercial decision as well as a technical one.

Can a buyer specify defect and moisture limits?

Yes, and you should. State the maximum full defects per 300 g and the weighting table being counted against, and a moisture range with the measurement method — two meters on the same parcel routinely disagree, so naming the method matters more than the number does.

Can you supply current-crop Arabica?

Current crop is the normal basis, and it is the reason harvest timing matters: East African harvest windows barely overlap, so what counts as current crop depends on the origin and the month. Past-crop parcels are sometimes offered where the storage history is known, and they are described as past crop rather than left ambiguous.

Can samples be sent before contracting?

Sample approval before contract is the normal way specialty and most commercial Arabica is bought, and we would rather you cupped a coffee than took a description on trust. Sample availability depends on origin, crop stage and what is physically in store, so it is confirmed on enquiry rather than promised automatically.

What packaging is available for Arabica?

60 kg jute is the East African standard for most origins. Hermetic liners are used on specialty separations and anything going into long storage; 30 kg presentations exist for small lots; bulk container liners are possible where the destination can discharge them. Bag weight conventions differ by origin, so confirm the format at contract stage rather than assuming 60 kg everywhere.

Can Arabica be shipped FOB, CFR or CIF?

All three are commonly used in green coffee, and the choice determines who arranges and pays for carriage and insurance and where risk transfers. Four of our six origins are landlocked, which makes the inland leg the largest source of schedule variance — worth reflecting in the term you choose. See our Incoterms guide.

What documentation is normally supplied?

A green coffee shipment typically travels with a commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading and certificate of origin, with a phytosanitary certificate, weight and quality certificates, fumigation certificate and certification-scheme documents added where the origin, destination or contract requires them. The exact set depends on origin, destination, product and applicable regulation — see shipping documents.

Are certified Arabica lots available?

Certified lots may be available subject to origin, crop, certification status and current inventory. We do not display certification marks, because using a scheme’s mark requires a licence from that scheme, and we do not describe a lot as certified without the certificate covering it. See certifications.

How does Arabica availability change through the crop year?

Sharply, and differently at each origin. Early in a harvest the offer list is short and quality is still being established; mid-season is when separations are widest; late in the cycle the best separations are contracted and what remains is increasingly past crop. Because the six origins harvest at different times, a programme spread across them can hold reasonably fresh coffee year-round. See the crop calendar.

Keep reading

Related technical guides

The reference material behind the specification fields on this page.

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Tell us the Arabica you need

Origin, region, process, grade, screen, moisture, defect tolerance, crop year and packaging. Send what you know and we will confirm what each origin realistically supports for the current crop.

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