Coffee Glossary · Trade
Micro-lot
A small, separately processed and traded parcel of coffee — a single farm's best day-lots, one variety from one plot, or an experimental process run — kept apart from bulk blending precisely because it cups distinctively. Micro-lots (often 5–30 bags) carry full traceability and premium prices, letting quality-obsessed producers monetize excellence instead of averaging it away. The model transformed origins like Costa Rica and Huila, and drives the top of every Cup of Excellence auction.
Related terms
Cup of Excellence (CoE)
The most prestigious origin-country coffee competition: national juries winnow hundreds of farm entries…
Traceability
The documented chain linking a coffee lot back through export, milling, and processing to the farms —…
SCA Score (Specialty Grade)
The 100-point cupping score under Specialty Coffee Association protocol, summing graded attributes; 80 points…
Bill of Lading (B/L)
The ocean shipment's master document, issued by the carrier: simultaneously a receipt for the cargo, evidence…
Cash Against Documents (CAD)
A documentary collection payment method lighter than a letter of credit: the exporter ships, then routes the…
Crop Year / Fresh Crop / Past Crop
Coffee's vintage system: each origin's harvest defines its crop year (Laos: roughly October–September), and…
Reading up before buying? Volcana Coffee exports SGS-inspected specialty Arabica and Fine Robusta from the Bolaven Plateau, Laos — and we're happy to walk new importers through every term on a real offer sheet.
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