Coffee Glossary · Quality
SHG / SHB (Strictly High Grown / Strictly Hard Bean)
Altitude-based grade designations used by Central American origins: SHG (Mexico, Honduras, Nicaragua) and SHB (Guatemala, Costa Rica) mark coffee from roughly 1,200–1,350 m upward, where slow ripening produces the dense, 'hard' beans that roast and cup best. Below sit HG/HB and lower grades. The labels certify growing elevation, not cup score — but because altitude drives density and complexity, they remain meaningful commercial quality tiers.
Related terms
MASL (Meters Above Sea Level)
The standard measure of coffee-growing altitude, and one of quality's strongest predictors. Higher farms are…
Bean Density
How much mass a coffee bean packs per volume — measured in g/L or judged by feel and appearance (tight,…
Grading (Green Coffee)
The classification of green coffee into commercial tiers by measurable criteria — screen size, defect count,…
Cupping
Coffee's standardized tasting protocol: coarse-ground samples steeped in bowls under strict ratios and…
Defects (Green Coffee)
Physical faults in green coffee counted under grading systems like the SCA's: category 1 (primary) defects —…
Moisture Content
The percentage of water in green coffee — the most fundamental export specification. The safe band is 10–12%:…
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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