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Quality Testing & Feedback |
 Taking samples for quality approval Our producer partners take representative samples from
each lot of coffee in their warehouse set for export. The samples
are milled to remove the parchment, then sent to Equal Exchange for
approval.
Each green coffee sample sent to Equal Exchange is put
through a strict physical quality examination of the size, the color,
the smell, the density, the number of imperfections and the amount of
moisture in the green coffee beans. If the sample does not fall within
our adopted quality standards - those set by the Specialty Coffee
Association of America (SCAA) - the lot of coffee will be rejected.
Each sample is then
roasted to a cinnamon color in our double barrel Probat sample
roaster. This style of roasting is required for tasting the
sample through “cupping”. We use the internationally recognized
cupping form of the SCAA which is based upon a 100 point system with 10
categories.
This is similiar to the system used for scoring wine, and highlights the outstanding
characteristics that make coffee so special.
The
objective of cupping is to pull out the fine characteristics of a
particular coffee through this lighter roast and to test the power and
consistency of the sample. All coffee samples are cupped
blindly to avoid bias.
Quality Feedback for our Producer Partners
 Beth Ann Caspersen cupping samples at 2004 Cup of Excellence in Nicaragua
For each sample of green beans that we analyze, roast and cup, we send a report back to our producer partners. This is vital information for our producer partners and enables them to make changes, adjustments and improvements over time. The physical record of a particular imperfection, the way a coffee is roasted and the notes about a particularly unique characteristic in the cup are useful, and deepen the bond between buyer and producer. Most coffee companies do not provide specific feedback to producers, instead they get a simple rejection of the coffee.
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