Colombia Excelso EP

Colombia is the second largest producer of coffee in the world and the largest producer of washed and Arabica coffee. They are well known for their high quality coffee and about half of their exports come to the United States. Colombia exports approximately 12.5 million bags and internal consumption is about 2 million bags annually.

Colombia only produces washed Arabica coffee. There are three primary varieties grown in Colombia and the coffee is referred to by the region in which it is grown. There are many coffee producing regions in the country. Colombia is proficient in producing an abundance of truly delicious and sought after coffee.

This particular type is Excelso; this term is a coffee grading term in Colombia. Excelso coffee beans are large, but slightly smaller than Supremo coffee beans. Excelso coffee beans are a screen size of 15-16. Colombian coffee is graded before shipment according to bean size. It is possible that Supremo and Excelso coffee beans are harvested from the same tree, but they are sorted by it’s size. The greatest volume of exported coffee is Excelso. These beans include good-to-large flat beans and some peaberries.

• EP (European Preparation) specifies that the raw beans are all hand sorted to remove any defective beans and foreign material.

Regions

• Antioquia – Medellin (18% of total production)
• Tolima – Ibague
• Caldas – Manizales (29% of total production)
• Valle del Cauca – Cali (13% of total production)
• Huila – Neiva (5% of total production)
• Cauca – Popayan (4% of total production)
• Santander – Bucaramanga

Cupping Notes: rich acidity, medium-bodied, citrusy flavor, with a clean and sweet aftertaste