Cup quality attributes of Catimors as affected by size and shape of coffee bean (Coffea arabica L.)

Abstract

During the dry processing of coffee, beans are classified by size, shape, weight, and color, resulting in the commercial preparation requested by the client, who can be of American, European, or other descent. The preparations consist of a combination of bean sizes and shapes, with a specified maximum number of defects. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of the shape and size of the bean of the three main Catimors grown in Mexico, i.e., Colombia, Costa Rica, and Oro Azteca, on the cupping quality attributes of the beverage. The results showed that there was no significant difference between the cupping quality parameters of the Colombia and Costa Rica varieties, whereas Oro Azteca exhibited a final score significantly lower compared to those varieties. For beans of size 13/64 (Z13), significant differences were found between bean forms (flat, peaberry, and mixed) of the Colombia variety. Flat (FL) beans scored almost seven points higher in the final score compared to peaberries (PE). In coffee beans of size Z14 or Z15, mixed (MI) samples scored equal or significantly higher than FL samples in the three varieties. Small beans (Z13 and Z14) of samples not separated by shape (PE and FL together) obtained equal or significantly higher scores in the cup quality attributes of the beverage compared to bigger beans. It was demonstrated that the shape and size of the coffee bean significantly affect the cup quality parameters depending upon the variety.