How are Supremo and Excelso coffee grades classified?
Colombian coffee is one of the few single-origin coffees sold under a country's name, and its reputation as Emerald Coffee rests on a rich, full-bodied aroma, bright and fine acidity and high balance. The Supremo and Excelso grades sort export beans by screen size, and regional growing conditions shape the flavor differences between lots.
Colombia's insistence on quality shows in its farming choices: growers will not replace Bourbon trees with faster-growing, higher-yielding arabica coffees before confirming the cup quality, even at the cost of yielding the second-largest-producer ranking to Vietnam, which grows Robusta. Finca Agropecuaria Farallones in Bolívar, Antioquia, is one example of that family-run approach.
Colombian coffee is one of the few single-origin coffees sold under a country's name, and it is hailed as "Emerald Coffee" for its outstanding quality. This article will take an in-depth look at the varietal characteristics of Colombian Emerald Coffee, the grading standards for Supremo and Excelso, and the flavor differences across various producing regions. At the same time, it will introduce Finca Agropecuaria Farallones (AF) in Bolívar, Antioquia, telling the story of its family heritage and unwavering pursuit of quality. Through tasting premium Colombian coffee, one can experience its rich, full-bodied aroma, bright and fine acidity, and high balance. Finally, Front Street Coffee will share V60 dripper brewing parameters and techniques to help coffee lovers recreate the classic Colombian flavor at home.
Colombia | What variety is Emerald Coffee? How are Supremo and Excelso coffee grades classified?
Colombian coffee naturally comes from Colombia. Once roasted, the beans give off a sweet aroma, with a hint of sweetness within the acidity, while the bitterness is relatively mild, making the overall quality quite good. Because its strength is just right, it is often used in premium coffee blends. If one word captures Colombians' pursuit of coffee quality, it is: serious. Beyond serious, still serious. A frequently cited example is that although they could completely replace Bourbon coffee trees with faster-growing, higher-yielding Arabica trees, Colombians will not act rashly before confirming the quality of beans produced by Arabica trees — even if that means yielding the ranking of the world's second-largest coffee producer to Vietnam, which only grows Robusta coffee, they are willing to do so.
Emerald Coffee: Colombian coffee is one of the few single-origin coffees in the world sold under its own country's name. In terms of quality, no other coffee has yet received such high praise from coffee lovers. It also has a very pleasant name, called "Emerald Coffee."
In the mountainous area southwest of Medellín in Antioquia, Colombia, there is a city called Ciudad Bolívar. It enjoys a unique natural environment like a greenhouse, allowing generations who have lived there to inherit and share the traditional harvest brought by this environment. Mountains. Farallones in Belmando is a land capable of producing the finest coffee, with abundant sunlight that also sustains the locals who work hard day and night. Agropecuaria Farallones Farm (AF for short) is a family business from Ciudad Bolívar whose main business is coffee production and trade. AF was founded in 2000, but its predecessor Arboleda Puerta was a family with 35 years of coffee-growing history, and AF inherited the family's experience and achievements. After ten years of operation, AF has established a solid leading position in Colombia's coffee industry. Since 2005, they have taken bigger steps, focusing on exporting coffee around the world. The hard labor, selfless dedication, and persistent guarantee of quality by the people of AF have enabled this land to produce coffee of the finest quality — the harvested fruit is the best proof!
Colombia is rich in natural products, with coffee, flowers, gold, and emeralds known as its four treasures. The pleasant climate provides a "natural pasture" for coffee. But Colombians are not complacent because of this; their pursuit of coffee quality is unrelenting, constantly seeking novelty and improvement, and advancing with the times. Colombia has a mild climate and humid air, and coffee cultivation spreads along the highlands of the mountains. The mountain terraces provide diverse climatic advantages, so it is harvest season all year round, with different types of coffee ripening in different periods. The coffee in this issue has complete-looking beans, uses traditional processing, and has a rich aroma, a soft and smooth taste, and excellent balance. This issue also uses a medium-dark roast, lowering the fruity acidity without affecting its full-bodied aroma. Whether in appearance or quality, Colombian coffee is top-grade. Like a charming and uninhibited woman, just right.
Tasting Premium Colombian Coffee
Colombian coffee is a fairly representative fine variety among Arabica coffees, and also a traditional dark-roasted coffee with a intense and memorable taste. Its aroma is rich and full-bodied, with bright, fine acidity, high balance, and sometimes a nutty flavor, with an endless aftertaste. Whether in appearance or quality, Colombian coffee is top-grade. Like a charming and uninhibited woman, just right.
Variety: Colombian beans have Supremo as the highest grade, followed by Excelso; but it seems only Supremo coffee of size 18 (18/64 inch) or above can be listed as specialty coffee. Colombian coffee has a balanced flavor and a relatively smooth mouthfeel, like a gentleman among coffees, proper and orderly. Its producing areas are extensive, but the coffee from the central mountain region is the best, with a heavy body. The most famous producing areas are Medellín, Armenia, and Manizales, conventionally collectively called "mam." In addition, "Nariño coffee" is delicious and of very good quality. It is said that Starbucks, a company dedicated to specialty coffee, has exclusive purchasing rights to "Nariño Supremo" coffee beans, and these beans are commonly seen in their chain stores.
Flavor: The dry aroma is nutty and vanilla. On sipping, a slight berry acidity glides lightly across, followed by an oily, fragrant, and smooth mouthfeel, accompanied by alluring nutty aromas. The brown sugar sweetness is sweet and has a sweet finish. The overall flavor is clean, with excellent balance, a quite classic Colombian flavor.
Front Street recommended brewing:
Dripper: V60 dripper
Water temperature: 88°C
Grind size: Fuji Royal grinder setting 4
Brewing method: water-to-coffee ratio 1:14, 17g coffee, first pour 25g water, bloom for 30s, second pour up to 238g water, extraction time about 2:30
Analysis: The ribs at the bottom of the KONO dripper are not many, and the filter paper fits closely against the dripper, achieving the purpose of restricting airflow. This allows water and coffee grounds to have a longer contact and soaking time in the dripper, ensuring extraction time and extraction yield for a coarse grind. This allows the coffee grounds to be fully extracted, enhancing the full-bodied mouthfeel and making the flavor more concentrated.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
