Knowledge centre
How roasters select green coffee
Several assessments sit between a sample and a contract. Knowing the sequence makes an enquiry sharper and the answer to it faster and firmer.
The use first, the lot second
Espresso, filter, milk drinks or a blend base make different demands on acidity, body and sweetness. That is why the intended use belongs at the start of an enquiry, not at the end.
Assessing the sample
A sample is roasted and tasted to a defined procedure. The SCA sets out sample preparation and tasting mechanics in standard 102, so that two houses assess the same lot comparably.
Physical assessment
Beside the cup come defects, moisture, screen size and uniformity. The SCA’s physical assessment builds on the 2004 green coffee grading system.
Volume, date, contract
Only once the profile and the physical values fit do volume, delivery date and price become concrete. We name those three deliberately late: any earlier and they would be guesses.
Sample roast and production roast
What a roast record holds
Roast date, machine, batch size, time and temperature curve, first crack, end point, colour and weight loss. Comparable sample roasts make coffees comparable with each other.
From sample to your own profile
Each roastery develops its production profile for its machine, its batch size and the intended use. A sample evaluation describes the potential of the green coffee, not the later roast profile.
In the coffee journey: Station 10 · Sample roasting · Station 14 · Roasting and final packaging
In short
- The intended use drives the selection, not the overall score.
- SCA standard 102 governs sample preparation and tasting mechanics.
- The SCA’s physical assessment builds on the 2004 grading system.
Sources
Everything this article states rests on the sources below. Where our own catalogue is the source, it says so, and those figures can be counted on the product pages.
- Specialty Coffee Association: Coffee Standards (2026) sca.coffee
- Specialty Coffee Association: Coffee Value Assessment: standards 102 to 105, SCA 102 · 103 · 104 · 105 (2026) sca.coffee
- World Coffee Research: Sensory Lexicon, version 2.0, Sensory Analysis Center, Kansas State University (2017) worldcoffeeresearch.org
- LOS ANDES EUROPE GmbH: Own product catalogue, as published on this site; every figure can be counted on the product pages (2026)