Coffee Bean Size and Taste
When you buy coffee beans, how many of you have noticed the difference in the size of coffee beans? In fact, coffee beans are classified according to their size. It is a little difficult to tell the difference in the size of coffee beans after roasting, but it is clear in the case of green coffee beans before roasting. What is the difference between small beans and large beans? How does this affect the flavor?
Screen size
One of the terms used to describe the size of coffee beans is screen size. Screen" means "sieve," and coffee beans are sieved to a uniform size. The screen size is a very important factor in determining the grade of coffee. And the size standard differs from country to country.
Brazil
| Screen 20 | 8mm |
| 19 | 7.5mm |
| 18 | 7mm |
| 17 | 6.75mm |
| 16 | 6.5mm |
| 15 | 6mm |
| 14 6.5mm | 5.5mm |
| 13 | 5mm |
Colombia
| Supremo | Screen 17 and up |
| Excelso | Screen 14-16 |
| Not for export | Screen 13 and below |
Kenya
| AA | Screen 17-18 and above (from 7.2 mm) |
| AB | Screen 15-16 (6.8 mm and up) |
| C | Screen 15 or less (less than 6.8 mm) |
| E | Very Large Beans |
Papua New Guinea
| AA | 6.95mm and up |
| A | 6.75mm～6.94mm |
| B | 6.55mm～6.74mm |
| AB | Mixture of A and B (A is more than majority) |
| C | 5.95mm～ 5.95mm |
Colombia
| Supremo | Screen 17 or higher |
| Excelso | Screen 14-16 |
| Not for export | Screen 13 or less |
Vietnam
| G1 | Screen size 14 (less than 5.6 mm) to 16 (6.95 mm or larger) |
| G2 | Screen size 12 (less than 4.8mm) - 14 (5.6mm) |
| G3 | Screen size 10 (less than 4.0mm) - 12 (4.8mm) |
Tanzania
| AA | 6.75mm or larger |
| A | 6.25 mm to 6.74 mm |
| B | 6.15mm to 6.24mm |
| C | 5.9mm to 6.14mm |
As you can see, standards and descriptions differ by country. The grade of the coffee bean is determined by the screen size, elevation, number of defects, and other factors.
Differences in Taste by Size
The actual taste of coffee beans from all major coffee countries by size is almost the same, and the main focus is on appearance. When coffee beans are lined up in a row, the larger and fuller beans are more beautiful and eye-catching than the smaller and smaller beans.
In recent years, however, with the rise of specialty coffees, more and more people are focusing on taste and flavor rather than size, so size is not so important to them.
After all, coffee is something to be enjoyed by drinking, not by decoration, so "taste" has a high priority.
BONGENCOFFEE
shirafushicoffeeroasters
2-16-3 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo
03-6264-3988
support@ginza-bongen.jp
https://bongen-shirafushi-coffee.com
Weekdays, weekends and holidays
10:00-19:00
Ginza station 8 min.
Higashi-ginza station 4 min.
Tsukiji station 6 min.