How a Taiwanese lot gets sorted
Float tanks, screens, and the hand sort that decides the price.
From cherry to green
Cherries are floated first: anything that rises is separated and usually sold as a lower grade rather than mixed back in.
After drying and hulling, beans are screened by size, then sorted by hand for defects under a bright lamp.
The price of a lot is set at the sorting table, not at the cupping table.
Why hand sorting survives
A colour sorter is faster and cheaper per kilo, but it cannot see a hollow bean or a insect bite from the wrong angle.
For lots under a few hundred kilos, two people at a table remain the most reliable machine.
Disclosure: this article contains no affiliate links. Prices and dates checked in October 2026. Our methodology.