Tanzania · Grade
Tanzania AB Green Coffee
- Species
- Arabica · Robusta
- Preparation
- Fully washed · Natural
- Harvest
- June–October in the south; July–December in the north
Quick answer
Tanzania AB is the A (screen 17) and B (screen 16) separations combined, and it is normally the largest single block in an outturn. Because it comes from the same cherry and processing as the AA alongside it, it is frequently the best value on a cup-per-dollar basis.
Contract on: region · grade · screen · process · crop · moisture · defect tolerance · cup approval.
Request current tanzania ab green coffeeA combination, not a size
AB is assembled, AA is separated
Unlike AA, which names a single screen block, AB is the A and B fractions blended back together. Its screen distribution therefore depends on how the mill ran the separation, which is why an AB specification benefits from a stated screen range and a permitted percentage passing rather than the grade name alone.
- Basis
- Combined size separations A (screen 17) and B (screen 16)
- Screen
- Approximately 16–17
- Position
- The largest single block in a typical outturn
- Species / process
- Arabica, fully washed
- Regions
- Produced across both belts
Why it is usually the better buy
AB and AA come from the same cherry, picked on the same day, fermented in the same tank and dried on the same beds. Everything that determines cup quality is identical. The only difference is bean width — which matters to roast uniformity and to nothing else.
Because AA attracts a differential based on scarcity of the size class, and AB does not, the price gap between them is usually larger than the cup gap. For a blend component or a volume single origin, AB is frequently the more sensible purchase. Cup them side by side from the same pulpery before deciding.
Where AB fits
- Volume single origin — enough available to support a continuous offering.
- Blend base — southern AB in particular contributes sweetness and body without imposing acidity.
- Programme supply — the block is large enough to contract across a season.
- Value specialty — a well-separated AB from a good pulpery cups well above its price.
Specifying Tanzania AB
- Region
- North or south, and the specific area
- Screen
- Stated range with a permitted percentage passing — do not rely on the grade name
- Defects
- Maximum full defects per 300 g
- Moisture
- Range plus method
- Crop year
- Explicit
- Cup
- Approved sample, and a governing sample if buying a programme
- Packaging
- 60 kg jute
Tanzania AB enquiries
Tell us the region, volume and shipment pattern. AB supports programme contracts across a season.
Request Current Crop OfferThe distinction that matters
What this grade does not tell you
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
Tanzania AB Green Coffee encodes
- Bean size, as the screen the parcel is retained on
- Bean shape, where peaberry is separated from the flat-bean run
- Density, for the TT separation lifted off the AA/A/B run
- That the parcel met the preparation standard of a named grade
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
- Cup qualityTwo lots at the same grade from the same mill can cup several points apart. Only cupping tells you.
- 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.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
What is Tanzania AB coffee?
Is AB lower quality than AA?
Why should I state a screen range for AB?
Keep reading
Related to Tanzania AB Green Coffee
- Tanzania Coffee GradesThe Tanzanian grade ladder for washed Arabica — AA, A, AB, B, C, PB, E, TT and UG — how each separation is produced, and how Kagera Robusta differs.
- Screen 16 — size, grades and contract termsCoffee screen size chart with mm conversion, how sizing tolerances work, what screens 15–18 mean in East African grades, and how bean size affects roasting.
- Tanzania AA Green CoffeeTanzania AA green coffee: what the grade is, which regions produce it, what it costs in outturn, and how to write a Tanzania AA specification.
- Mbeya CoffeeCoffee from Mbeya and Songwe: Tanzania’s largest Arabica area, central pulperies, day-lot separations, harvest timing and the southern cup profile.
- Commercial Green CoffeeCommercial green coffee from six East African origins: the volume grades by origin, how programme contracts are written, and how consistency is held across a season.
Request an offer
Tell us the Tanzania coffee you need
Region, process, grade, screen, moisture, defect tolerance, crop year, packaging and destination. Send what you know and we will confirm what Tanzania realistically supports for the current crop.