We all love good coffee. But how do you know coffee is of high quality? And what is involved in selecting the best beans? In this blog, we explain how we do it and we will answer this question.
At Bijdendijk we work closely with several coffee farms and exporters. On these farms, the farmers work hard to produce the best coffee beans. Yet we cannot assume that the coffee we are importing is coffee of the very best quality. To guarantee this, the coffee beans are checked and examined at several points.
Testing the beans
When the coffee beans arrive in our warehouse, we immediately start inspecting them. First, we will take a look at the physical condition of the bean. Do we see any irregularities? Does the bean have the right amount of moisture? Are the beans affected by mold, plant disease or do they have any other defects? By taking a good look at the beans, we can prevent the first problems from occurring.
Roasting the bean
Once the coffee beans have passed the initial inspection, we roast a portion of them. By roasting the coffee beans, we can see whether the beans are of good quality from within. After roasting this portion of coffee beans, we set aside a number of them for further investigation of the quality of the bean. For example, we check if the process of roasting coffee is stable, and we don’t come across any irregularities.
Coffee cupping
The final step in the quality reviewal process is cupping the coffee. This is an incredibly important part. The coffee beans, which have just been roasted, are grinded and made into grounded coffee. This coffee is then tested through coffee cupping. You can think of this as a kind of coffee tasting. In this part, a number of variabilities will be looked at. We examine the aroma, taste and body of the coffee.
Each part is scored separately by our professional coffee testers. We work according to a certain international standard to see if the coffee has a certain aroma, taste and aftertaste. By performing in-depth coffee cupping, we know exactly what our coffee tastes like and that we only deliver the best quality coffee to our customers.
The best quality green coffee
At Bijdendijk, we want to be able to guarantee that we deliver the very best and most delicious coffee beans. At Bijdendijk we carefully test and review all of our green coffee to ensure the best quality for our customers. The several tests we apply on the incoming batches are strictly logged and are done in accordance with the strict international guidelines. This way we can guarantee the best coffee at the best price for our customers!
“We are always looking for the best coffee for our customers! “
Marieke van Dalfsen
Quality department.