How Are Colombian Coffee Grades Classified - Colombian Coffee Bean Quality Characteristics and Flavor Profiles

Each coffee-producing country establishes its own coffee quality grading system based on local conditions such as cultivation history and processing methods. Some systems are based on defect rates, others on green bean size, and some involve cupping... In this article, FrontStreet Coffee will explain the green coffee grading system of Colombia.

What is the Excelso Grade?

If we carefully observe the green coffee bean bags exported from Colombia to domestic markets, we can see they are all printed with "Excelso-Café de Colombia." Regardless of the bean size, all coffee packaging bags that meet Colombia's export standards will be marked with "Excelso," with the most common being UGQ, EP, and Supremo.

In other words, most Colombian green coffee bean bags exported worldwide today must be marked with the Excelso grade designation. UGQ belongs to the Excelso grade, EP belongs to the Excelso grade, and Supremo also belongs to the Excelso grade. Excelso is the most widely used export standard grade adopted by the Colombian Coffee Growers Federation (FNC) and is also the premium grade for Colombian green coffee exports.

Coffee at the Excelso grade must meet the following requirements: For 500 grams of green beans, the size must be above 14 mesh, with no more than 5% of beans allowed between 12 and 14 mesh. Overall, at least 50% of the coffee beans must be larger than 15 mesh. They must be free from pests, uniform in color, without off-flavors, and have a clean flavor profile. Moisture content cannot exceed 12.5%, and cumulative defects must not exceed 24 points.

Defect Classification Standards

The Colombian National Coffee Committee has strict regulations. Green bean defects are divided into two types (as shown in the image below), with defect grades assessed using a scoring system. For example, the most commonly exported Supremo 12*60 (5%) from Colombia means that in a 500-gram green bean sample, a maximum of 12 primary defect beans and 60 secondary defect beans are allowed.

Size Classification Standards

Although green bean size is not the primary determinant of coffee quality and flavor, many producing regions believe that full, uniform, and large beans indicate that the coffee beans have reached full maturity, can develop better aromatic profiles, and are more conducive to even roasting, thereby creating consistent flavors.

Colombian green coffee beans are graded by size using sieves of fixed dimensions, with different specifications corresponding to different hole sizes. For example, if the mesh is 17 holes, beans larger than this size cannot pass through the sieve. Therefore, the larger the sieve number, the larger the bean particles retained on the sieve. Currently, the three most frequently exported grades of coffee beans by FNC are Excelso UGQ 12*60 (1.5%), Excelso EP 12*60 (10%), and Excelso Supremo 12*60 (5%).

Excelso UGQ 12*60 (1.5%): UGQ stands for Usual Good Quality. Green beans are above 14 mesh, with 1.5% allowed between 12-14 mesh, but must be above 12 mesh, and over 50% must be larger than 15 mesh.

Excelso EP 12*60 (10%): EP stands for European Preparation. Green beans are above 15 mesh, with 10% allowed to be smaller than 15 mesh, but must be above 14 mesh.

Excelso Supremo 12*60 (5%): Green beans are above 17 mesh, with 5% allowed to be smaller than 17 mesh, but must be above 14 mesh.

Additionally, Colombia has beans above 16 mesh called Extra, those above 18 mesh (larger than Supremo) called Premium, beans almost all uniform at 15 mesh called Minama, and so on. Colombia also has coffee beans that do not meet the Excelso export grade, which are locally called "Product of Colombia" and generally used for making commercial-grade instant coffee.

In Colombia, each farm reports a number and records green bean information, facilitating future traceability of green beans. Colombian exported green coffee bean names typically follow the format: country + region + grade + other information. For example, the green beans of FrontStreet Coffee's Huila staple bean are "Colombia Huila Supremo SC17/18 FNC."

Flavor Characteristics of Colombian Supremo Grade Huila Coffee Beans

FrontStreet Coffee's daily bean menu includes five different coffee beans from the Colombian producing region, each with its own characteristics. If you are a coffee beginner, FrontStreet Coffee suggests starting with the washed Huila staple bean launched by FrontStreet Coffee. FrontStreet Coffee's staple bean series covers multiple classic coffee producing regions and common varieties, allowing everyone to understand the flavor profiles of major producing regions, thereby determining their preferred type before continuing to explore in depth.

The Colombian producing region has abundant water resources, and most coffee uses washed processing. Family-unit farms are equipped with specialized green bean processors (Ecomill or Eco-Pulper). Harvested coffee cherries are poured into these machines, which not only remove the skin and pulp but also require only very little water to remove most of the mucilage. The parchment beans with residual small amounts of mucilage then enter a small pool or container—possibly a tiled pool—for overnight fermentation to loosen the remaining mucilage. The next day, they are thoroughly rinsed with clean water and finally spread out under the sun to dry to the target moisture content. The washing process greatly reduces the defect rate of coffee beans, preserves the inherent flavors of the beans, and presents higher cleanliness.

To present the classic nutty, chocolatey rich and mellow taste of Colombia, FrontStreet Coffee uses medium-dark roasting. The deeper roasting makes the coffee beans more porous and the coffee powder more absorbent. To avoid over-extraction, FrontStreet Coffee uses medium grind and medium water temperature, paired with a KONO dripper for extraction.

Brewing Parameters: KONO dripper, 90°C water temperature, 20-mesh standard sieve with 75% pass-through rate grind, 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, coffee amount: 15g, three-stage extraction

Pour the coffee powder into the KONO dripper, use twice the weight of the coffee powder in water to wet the coffee bed, forming a dome for 30s of pre-infusion. Then use a small water stream to pour from inside to outside in circles until reaching 125g for the first stage. Wait for the coffee bed to drop to half the height of the dripper, then continue with the same fine water stream to inject the third stage to 225g. Remove the dripper once all the coffee liquid has filtered through, taking approximately 2 minutes.

This Colombian Huila staple bean has distinct roasted aromas of chocolate, nuts, and caramel upon entry. It is smooth and sweet, with moderate body and a clean taste. As the temperature decreases, you can experience a pleasant, gentle acidity.

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