Honest Guide to Buying Green Coffee – What I Actually Look For

Buying green coffee is one of the most important parts of running a specialty roastery. In this video, I walk through my real process using four new washed Ethiopian shipment samples—what I look for in “coffees of character,” how I balance taste with business decisions, and why only one stood out. I’ve been in coffee since 1999 and running The Blending Room since 2009. This is an honest look at how I evaluate cleanliness, sweetness, fragrance, roast compatibility, price positioning, importer relationships, and storytelling potential. Not everything is decided on the cupping table. What You’ll Learn: How I define “coffees of character” for different origins and processing methods The non-negotiables: dryness, aroma, defects, and sweetness My decision pyramid: quality first, then price, fit, relationships & story Why relationships with importers (like Falcon Speciality since 2012) matter Practical thoughts on SEA scores, portfolio fit, and buying quantities A real example: why only 25% of these Ethiopia samples made the cut Chapters: 0:00 – Introduction: What am I looking for in green coffee? 0:21 – The four Ethiopian washed samples 1:09 – Defining “coffees of character” 2:21 – My experience & how I form opinions 3:01 – The basics: cleanliness, sweetness, fragrance, defects 3:59 – Business factors: price, quality bands & SEA scores 4:20 – Importer relationships & long-term partnerships 5:27 – Storytelling and new relationships 5:56 – My full decision pyramid recap 7:31 – The standout coffee & next steps 8:44 – Final thoughts on green coffee buying If you roast coffee or run a café, I hope this gives you useful insight into the fundamentals behind the bags you buy. Drop a comment with your biggest green coffee buying question—or what you look for when cupping. Subscribe for more honest roasting and buying content from a small UK coffee roastery. 👉 Visit https://www.theblendingroom.co.uk for our current coffees #SpecialtyCoffee #GreenCoffee #CoffeeRoasting #CoffeeBuying #EthiopianCoffee #CoffeeCupping #IndependentRoaster