| Sumario: | The central coffee marketing organization in Kenya requires that each shipment be studied and described with respect to size, color, raw bean quality, blessing type and roasted bean quality, acidity, body, and liquor flavor. This, with the addition of any comments, leads to a final grade, the basis for payment to the producer. Since October 1, 1965, the grade has been replaced by a "standard." For the period under review, July 1, 1953, to June 30, 1963, a complete description of Grade A coffee has been given, the grading of the other grades being based solely on a visual inspection of the raw coffee Grade A coffee separates you by bean size For the purpose of the present study, quality was identified by grading and the relationships between the nine quality factors mentioned above and grading, and between each pair of quality factors, were investigated on the basis of two-way tables and charts. The group of years from July 1, 1960 to June 30, 1962, the earliest for which most out-turn reports were ready, was selected as the reference group of years and forms the subject of the present article. The effect of year, season and area of production will be discussed in a second article.
During the reference period, grading was positively related to raw quality, roast quality, and liquor flavor, but more closely to raw bean quality. However, since combinations of the 25 categories within these three factors did not invariably define the final grading, it was concluded that the three major quality components do not completely describe the overall quality of a shipment. Positive correlations were also found between raw quality, roast quality, and liquor flavor, with that between raw bean quality and roast quality being significantly closer than that between any of these factors and liquor flavor. Large size was a condition, but not a guarantee, of good raw quality
Regarding condo quality, the bluish and blue-grayish condo grain colors were far superior to greenish-gray and greenish, and these in turn to brownish-gray-green, pale brownish, and brown. In the relationship between raw grain size and condo color, the greatest deterioration in color accompanies the change from medium to mixed size.
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