Explainer
Indian coffee grades, explained
What AA, PB, Mysore Nuggets Extra Bold, Monsooned Malabar and Kaapi Royale mean, according to the Coffee Board's own rules, and what they don't tell you.
India grades green coffee by the size of the beans and the share of defects, not by taste. The Coffee Board sorts it into four groups: commercial, premium, specialty and miscellaneous. The letters on a bag (AA, A, PB) mostly describe how big the beans are. Only three names are official specialty coffees: Mysore Nuggets Extra Bold, Monsooned Malabar and Robusta Kaapi Royale.
| Grade | What it is | Official size rule | On our site |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plantation AA | A premium grade of washed Arabica | At least 90% of beans stay on a 7.10 mm sieve | Sold by Devan's |
| Peaberry (PB) | A single rounded bean where a cherry usually holds two | PB Bold: every bean stays on a 4.75 mm oblong sieve | 17 coffees, 14 roasters, median ₹525 |
| Mysore Nuggets Extra Bold | Specialty grade of washed Arabica | At least 90% stay on a 7.50 mm sieve | 22 coffees, 21 roasters, median ₹600 |
| Monsooned Malabar | Specialty grade of unwashed coffee exposed to monsoon air | Graded AAA, AA, A and triage by size | 34 coffees, 30 roasters, median ₹649 |
| Robusta Kaapi Royale | Specialty grade of washed Robusta | At least 90% stay on a 6.70 mm sieve | 9 coffees, 9 roasters, median ₹475 |
Prices are per 250g. The counts are coffees sold under that name; roasters say which grade they sell, and we don't test the beans.
How are Indian coffee grades decided?
By sieve and by defects. Beans are shaken through sieves with round holes, and each grade sets how many must stay on a given size and how many defective beans are allowed, as a percentage by weight. For AA, at least 90% of the beans must be too big to fall through a 7.10 mm sieve.
The first word of a grade tells you how the coffee was processed. Plantation means washed Arabica, Parchment means washed Robusta, and Cherry means unwashed (natural) coffee, dried in the fruit. Each type then has its own ladder of grades: for Plantation coffee that's PB, A, B, C and lower grades for blacks, bits and bulk, with AA and PB Bold as the premium grades.
What does AA mean on Indian coffee?
Plantation AA is a premium grade of washed Arabica: at least 90% of the beans must stay on a 7.10 mm sieve, and all of them on a 6.65 mm sieve. On our site, Devan's sells Arabica Plantation AA, and says its Arabica French Roast and Organic Arabica are Plantation AA too.
What does Plantation AAA mean?
It isn't a grade in the Coffee Board's specification. The only official AAA is Monsooned Malabar AAA. Two roasters we list tie it to Mysore Nuggets Extra Bold, the largest grade: Devan's sells its Arabica Plantation AAA as Mysore Nuggets Extra Bold and describes the dark-roast version as graded at screen 19, the 7.50 mm sieve, and The Bean Co calls its Mysore Nuggets Extra Bold Plantation AAA as well. Read the label as the roaster's own description, not a standard.
What is peaberry (PB) coffee?
A coffee cherry usually holds two seeds. In a peaberry only one develops, so the bean grows nearly oval, and it's sorted and sold separately. The grade tells you the shape and size of the bean. It doesn't describe the flavour. 14 roasters on our site sell 17 peaberry coffees between them, at ₹320–₹1,430 per 250g. See every peaberry coffee.
What is Mysore Nuggets Extra Bold?
One of the Coffee Board's three specialty grades: washed Arabica made from Plantation A coffee grown in Mysore, Coorg, Bababudan, the Biligiris or the Shevaroys. At least 90% of the beans must stay on a 7.50 mm sieve, the largest size in the grading system, and the lot must be free of peaberries, broken beans and defects. India exported 3,554 tonnes of it in 2023. We list 22 from 21 roasters, priced ₹375–₹1,499 per 250g. Compare all Mysore Nuggets coffees.
What is Monsooned Malabar?
Unwashed coffee that's exposed to humid air at coastal curing works during the peak of the southwest monsoon, so the beans absorb moisture, swell, and turn golden or light brown. That's why its moisture standard is 13 to 14.5%, against 10.5% for washed Arabica. The Coffee Board notes that it's drunk mostly in Scandinavian countries and is used as a base coffee for espresso in the United States. It comes in Arabica grades (AAA, AA, A and triage) and Robusta grades (RR and triage). India exported 4,244 tonnes of Monsooned Malabar AA in 2023. You can compare 34 of them, from 30 roasters, on our site. See every monsooned coffee.
What is Robusta Kaapi Royale?
One of the Coffee Board's three specialty grades: washed Robusta made from Robusta Parchment AB coffee grown in Mysore, Coorg, Travancore, Wayanad, the Shevaroys, the Pulneys or Bababudan, with at least 90% of the beans staying on a 6.70 mm sieve. By weight it's the largest of India's specialty exports: 7,975 tonnes in 2023, worth ₹153 crore. Prices on our site run ₹338–₹750 per 250g across 9 coffees. Compare Kaapi Royale coffees by price.
Does a higher grade mean better coffee?
Not by itself. A grade tells you the beans are large and cleanly sorted. It doesn't include a taste score, and it says nothing about the farm, the roast or how fresh the bag is. The 22 coffees we list as Mysore Nuggets Extra Bold cost ₹375–₹1,499 per 250g, and 10 of them don't say how dark they're roasted. Use the grade as a sign of careful sorting, then choose on roast, tasting notes and freshness.
Where these facts come from
- Grade rules, sieve sizes, moisture standards and definitions: Coffee Board of India, Karma and Quality.
- Export figures (calendar year 2023): Coffee Board of India, Database on Coffee, July 2024, table 4.14 and 4.15.
- Counts and prices: our catalog, taken from the roasters' own shops. A coffee counts under a grade when the roaster sells it under that name.