For coffee professionals, importers, and roasters who seek consistent quality, understanding the official standards for Fine Robusta is essential. At Hello 5 Coffee Global, we apply the internationally recognized CQI/UCDA Fine Robusta Standards and Protocols to classify and evaluate our Robusta products.
Coffee Sample
Sample weight
- Each green coffee sample: 350 grams ± 0.2 grams.
- Each roasted coffee sample for counting quaker beans (immature/light-colored beans): 100 grams ± 0.2 grams.
Moisture content
- Must be within 10 – 12% (for wet-processed beans).
Green bean size
- Determined by the contractual terms agreed upon but not considered a quality specification.
- Green bean size must not deviate more than 5% from the contractual specification, calculated by the retention on traditional round-holed screens.
Classification of Green and Roasted Coffee
- Fine Robusta: Green coffee must have zero primary defects and no more than 5 secondary defects in a 350-gram sample. Roasted coffee allows a maximum of 3 quaker beans in a 100-gram sample. The final cupping score must be 80 or above.
- Premium Robusta: Green coffee may have up to 12 primary and secondary defects combined in a 350-gram sample. Roasted coffee allows a maximum of 5 quaker beans in a 100-gram sample. The final cupping score must be 80 or above.
- Commercial Robusta: Any green coffee not meeting the criteria for Fine Robusta or Premium Robusta is considered commodity or commercial coffee.
- Odor: Green coffee samples classified as Fine or Premium Robusta must have no foreign or non-coffee odors.
This classification process is based on the CQI/UCDA Fine Robusta Classification System and the corresponding handbook. Any defect in green coffee that is not listed in the handbook shall not be considered a defect for evaluation purposes.
| DEFECT COUNT TABLE | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Completely wrong | Completely wrong | ||
| Primary Defects | Corresponding | Secondary Defects | Corresponding |
| Full black bean | 1 | Partial black bean | 3 |
| Full sour bean | 1 | Partial sour bean | 3 |
| Dried cherry | 1 | Immature/Underripe/Green bean | 5 |
| Fungus-damaged bean | 1 | Withered bean | 5 |
| Foreign matter | 1 | Floater bean | 5 |
| Severe insect-damaged bean | 3 | White bean | 5 |
| Broken/Split/Cut bean | 5 | ||
| Parchment | 5 | ||
| Shell bean | 5 | ||
| Dried cherry husk | 5 | ||
| Slight insect-damaged bean | 10 | ||
If a single bean exhibits two or more defects, only the most severe defect (according to the defect equivalency table) is counted.
The number of defects must be recorded as whole integers; fractional or decimal numbers are not accepted. In other words, defects must be “rounded down” and never “rounded up.”
Quality Scoring Scale
Specific flavor attributes are positive quality points reflecting the cupper’s assessment. Defects are negative points indicating unpleasant sensory perceptions. The overall score is based on the cupper’s individual flavor experience as a personal evaluation. They are scored on a 16-point scale, representing levels of quality at quarter-point increments between numerical values of 6 and 10.
Tasting quality levels:
The theoretical range of the above scale is from a minimum of 0 to a maximum of 10 points. The lower end of the scale (up to 5.75) may be applied to commercial coffees, which are tested primarily to assess defect types and intensity, without requiring in-depth analysis or descriptive attributes.
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Reference: Coffee Quality Institute (CQI). Q Robusta – Fine Robusta Standards and Protocols © 2019
At Hello 5 Coffee Global, every step in our production and trading process strictly follows the internationally recognized CQI/UCDA Fine Robusta Classification Standards. From sourcing and processing to grading and final evaluation, we apply these rigorous defect-counting and quality control protocols to ensure absolute transparency and consistency.
This means that when you choose Hello 5 Coffee, you are not only receiving coffee that meets global Fine Robusta benchmarks, but you also gain a reliable partner whose products can be measured, compared, and trusted against objective international standards. Our customers can confidently use this system as a reference point when working with us, knowing that quality is not just a promise—it is a proven, certified process embedded into every bean we deliver.
With Hello 5 Coffee, you don’t just buy coffee—you secure peace of mind, consistency, and excellence backed by the world’s most trusted coffee quality framework.
