Quality Control
Our commitment to develop discerning coffee blends and flavour complexity requires specific and high standards. For this reason, Kaloka Coffee select only the premium grades of coffee from the best red cherries.
“Quality Control” is not just about selecting only the best beans but it is also about selecting a quality consistent based on the contract within the same standards and expectations. Yet coffee is an agricultural product which is handled by humans who, by nature, cannot be 100% effective 100% of the time !
Contractually, prior to every shipment taking place, we send a 300 gram sample taken from the actual lot intend to supply. What are Kaloka Coffee Quality Controls?
Moisture level
All our coffee meet the level of acceptable moisture in the bean prior to export. Too much moisture causes the coffee to become musty. In addition, if there is too much moisture coffee can sweat in a shipping container causing mould on the beans.
Size screening
The beans sifted to ensure that the correct percentage of size is present. The naked eye cannot detect 15% screen 17 in a screen 18 sample, but the screens can. Screen 17 is cheaper than screen 18 and whilst there will always be an agreed tolerance, too much is not only expensive for the buyer but not contractually correct. At the other end of the scale, too many extra big beans can also be an issue.
Defect & Appearance
A weighed coffee is tipped onto the table and each bean is manually hand sorted and checked for defects : colour, insect holes, maturity, damage plus any extraneous matter. The defects are tallied and checked against the contracted allowance. The overall colour and texture of the sample is noted.
Sample Roasting
Beans are not over roasted which helps imperfections show themselves when cupping. The roasting is timed which helps to note variances in the beans, if they are lighter, denser, drier etc. and the consistency of the roast is reported.
Cupping
Dependent upon quality, beans are weighed into a minimum of 3 bowls to a maximum of 10 bowls. This ensures 1 bad bean will remain in 1 bowl, rather than being dispersed over all bowls. The groups are numbered and paired with a previous delivery as a “control sample”. The temperature of the coffee is noted prior to and after cupping. Once evaluated by the panel of cuppers, comments are discussed openly and the results noted.
Only if the sample passes all of the above stages of “Quality Control” do we ship it to customers. It is tough but correct and fair to make sure we deliver the high standard of quality coffee.