PURPOSE:To easily and exactly evaluate the quality in a short time by deriving a characteristic evaluation value of sample beans by using a component content of coffee sample beans derived from an absorbance measured value, and a known component conversion coefficient and a characteristic evaluation coefficient. CONSTITUTION:A controller 4 stores 4b a component conversion coefficient F derived from a component measured by a chemical analysis, etc., of many coffee beans and an absorbance measured value of its coffee beams, and also, stores 4b a characteristic evaluation coefficient G derived from a characteristic rate obtained from an organoleptic test, etc. of plural coffee, and its component content. In this state, coffee to be measured of a sample container installing box 5 is irradiated with near infrared rays of plural wavelength bands in a near infrared ray spectral analyzing device 3, its absorbance measured value is inputted to the device 4 and by calculating it with the coefficient F, a component content is derived, and also, by allowing the known coefficient G to work thereon, a characteristic evaluation value is derived. In such a way, protein, lipid, cane sugar, chlorogenic acid, etc., being main elements for making taste and flavor of coffee can be measured, and the quality can be evaluated exactly.
