Wondering what the 5-bean rating scale is? We're breaking it down for coffee lovers.

What Do The Beans Mean?

One of the most common questions we encounter from someone shopping our coffees is, "What do the 5 beans mean on the front of your retail coffee bags?" 

The short answer is that it's a visual scale that summarizes two coffee components, colloquially referred to as "boldness." Five dark beans would indicate "very bold" as opposed to one bean. Let's dig into these two boldness components a bit more.

Body

The more body a coffee has, the more your palate perceives flavor. More perceived flavor adds to the first facet of "boldness."

Coffees with a lot of body tend to coat your tongue so that the flavors stay with you longer. Alternatively, coffees with little body are "clean," as they don't linger. Each green coffee has its own inherent potential for imparting body. The roasting process then directs or "shapes" this.

Roast Level

The higher (darker) a coffee's roast level the more the flavor tones become smoky, burnt and pungent. These dominating flavors and intense aromas are the second facet of the coffee's "boldness" quality.

Roast level is a product of the final temperature a green coffee reaches during roasting. Higher finish temperatures translate to darker beans. Take a look at our Visual Guide to Roasting Levels to see the relationship between roasting temperatures, flavor and bean color.

Boldness

Our 5-bean boldness scale is therefore a visual summation of a coffee's body and roast level. It's possible to enjoy a bold coffee that's not dark-roasted. These coffees are often city to full city-roasted and appear with 3.5 to 4-bean ratings. Coffees labeled at the full 5-bean rating are Vienna or darker roasted. If you enjoy mild coffees and more bean character look for those labeled with 2 to 3-bean ratings.

Find Your Bean

Shop our specialty grade coffees and look for the beans to signify body and roast level.