Cashew W240

Details

W240 is a specification, not a flourish. W stands for white wholes and 240 is a count: between 240 and 260 whole kernels to the pound, which works out to roughly 530 to 575 to the kilogram. A bigger number means a smaller nut. That one figure is the entire premium in cashew, and it is exactly the figure that gets fudged. Breakage is the first move. Splits and butts are worth about half what wholes are, so they get counted into a whole-grade pack, and a pack that is a fifth splits is a pack you have overpaid for by a fifth without ever knowing it. Bleaching is the second. Kernels that scorched or darkened in processing get lightened with sulphur so the pack looks evenly ivory, which is a cosmetic fix applied to a defect, and it leaves an SO2 residue a laboratory can measure. Water is the third, and it is the simplest of all. Cashew takes up moisture readily and moisture weighs, so a damp pack is a cheap way to sell air at kernel prices.

• Counted to grade: 240 to 260 whole kernels per pound, verified per lot
• No splits, butts or broken pieces counted as whole
• No sulphur bleaching, SO2 residue tested per lot
• No added moisture for weight, moisture measured per lot
• Raw kernels, no salt, no oil and no roasting
• Aflatoxin tested per lot
• The colour is a natural ivory and shifts a little between lots, because nothing has been used to even it out
• Raw cashew softens in humidity. Keep the pack closed, and crisp them in a dry pan if the monsoon gets to them