What are Supremo and Excelso in Colombian Coffee Grading?

Colombia is one of the world's top three coffee bean producing countries, primarily exporting the Arabica variety. Colombian coffee is known for its chocolate flavor notes, overall balance, and large production volume, making it commonly used in coffee blends. The country's exported green coffee beans have a dedicated grading system, mainly based on defect rate and bean size. In the market, Colombian coffee is often labeled with "Supremo" and "Excelso" - what do these terms mean?

In Colombia, all green coffee beans that meet export standards are labeled "Excelso" on their burlap packaging. Excelso is the export standard grade adopted by the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia (FNC), representing the premium grade for Colombian green coffee beans.

To achieve Excelso grade, coffee must meet specific standards: in a 500-gram sample of green coffee beans, the size must be above screen 14, with at least 50% of the beans larger than screen 15. No more than 5% of the beans can be between screen 12 and 14. Additionally, the coffee must be free from pests, have uniform color, no off-flavors, clean taste, moisture content not exceeding 12.5%, and cumulative defects not exceeding 24 points.

According to FNC regulations, green coffee bean defects are classified as primary and secondary defects, evaluated using a point system. The measurement standard specifies that in a 500-gram sample of green coffee beans, the defect score must not exceed 24 points.

For some coffee-producing countries, the size of green beans is not the primary criterion for determining coffee quality and flavor. However, some producing countries believe that overall full, uniform, and large beans demonstrate that the coffee has reached complete maturity, which is beneficial for even roasting and can create consistent coffee flavors.

In Colombia's green coffee bean screen size classification, fixed-size screens are used, with different specifications corresponding to different hole sizes. For example, if a screen mesh has 17 screen holes, coffee beans larger than 17 screen cannot pass through the screen. Currently, the FNC has subdivided different levels of coffee beans based on screen size, with the three most commonly used grades being: Excelso UGQ12*60 (1.5%), Excelso EP12*60 (10%), and Excelso Supremo12*60 (5%).

Specifically, Excelso UGQ12*60 (1.5%) means the green beans are larger than screen 14, with 1.5% of beans allowed between screen 12-14, but must be above screen 12, and over 50% must be larger than screen 15.

Excelso EP12*60 (10%) means the green beans are larger than screen 15, with 10% of beans allowed to be smaller than screen 15, but must be above screen 12.

Excelso Supremo12*60 (5%) means the green beans are larger than screen 17, with 5% of beans allowed to be smaller than screen 17, but must be above screen 14.

Therefore, "Supremo" is actually a classification level based on screen size, where the percentage in parentheses represents the "tolerance rate." "12*60" means that in a 500-gram sample of these green beans, a maximum of 12 primary defect beans and 60 secondary defect beans are allowed.

Although over 90% of Colombia's green coffee beans are used for export, there are still some beans that do not meet the Excelso grade. These beans are called "Product of Colombia" and can also be exported after meeting phytosanitary requirements, but are typically used for making instant coffee.

Therefore, Colombian coffee farmers record numbers and green bean information to facilitate future traceability. Coffee green beans are typically named by country, region, grade, and screen size. For example, FrontStreet Coffee's Colombian Huila daily blend coffee beans are named "Colombia Huila Supremo SC17/18 FNC."

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