First of all, we need to know that SHG ( Strictly High Grown ) coffee is a term for coffee trees grown at an altitude of over 1,200 meters (4,000 feet) above sea level.
At an altitude of over 1200m, coffee trees have a long growth cycle, the process of accumulating nutrients in coffee beans takes longer, so the beans have a firm structure with a richer and more balanced flavor. The beans from these beans are called Strictly Hard Bean.
Strictly Hard Beans & Soft beans
“ Hard Bean ” (HB) and “Soft beans” (SB) are roughly translated as “Hard beans” and “soft beans” and are two concepts that classify the “firmness” of coffee beans when grown at different heights.
Coffee trees grow at an altitude of more than 1200 meters. At this height, the coffee plant has a longer growth cycle, the process of accumulating nutrients in the beans takes longer, so the beans have a firm structure with a richer and more balanced flavor ( Strictly Hard Bean.)
In contrast, Soft Bean refers to coffee beans grown at an altitude lower than 900 meters above sea level. Common altitude beans tend to be spongier and lighter than Hard Beans.
In addition to Hard Bean and Solf bean, we can also come across “Good Hard Beans” or “Medium Hard Beans,” respectively, to indicate higher and lower levels of Hard Bean. These concepts are commonly used in Central America as a basis for the coffee quality classification system.
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