Colombia Supremo is not a variety, it is a bean size. “Supremo” means the bean passed through screen seventeen and above, which in practice means a larger, more even bean that roasts evenly more easily. Everything else — taste, body and acidity — is decided earlier on the farm and later in the drum.
FROM THE FARM TO THE PORT
Our sack comes from Huila, a region in southern Colombia where coffee grows between 1,500 and 1,900 metres. The harvest is done by hand in several passes, because the cherries do not ripen at the same time. After washing and drying on patios, the bean waits for transport to Cartagena.
It travels to us for about forty days. When it arrives it goes into quarantine and a moisture check first. Only once a sample has passed a test roast and a cupping does the sack enter regular production.
WHAT HAPPENS IN THE DRUM
A roast takes between twelve and fourteen minutes, and the whole time it is a fight against the clock. Four phases follow each other fast:
- Drying. For the first five minutes the bean only loses moisture and still has no aroma.
- Maillard. The colour turns from green to gold and the smell of bread and hazelnut starts.
- First crack. The bean cracks, the sugars caramelise, the coffee becomes drinkable.
- Development. The last ninety seconds decide how much acidity there will be and how much body.
“Once you hear first crack, you have less than two minutes to decide what kind of coffee you are making.”
WHY THE ROAST DATE MATTERS MORE THAN THE BEST-BEFORE DATE
A best-before date tells you until when the coffee will not have gone bad. A roast date tells you when it was at its best. Those are not the same piece of information, and the difference shows after a month.
A bean is at its best between the seventh and the thirtieth day after roasting. The first week goes to degassing: carbon dioxide escapes and the crema is still unstable. After the thirtieth day the aromatics start to retreat and the coffee flattens out. That is why every one of our bags prints a roast date, not only a best-before date.
HOW TO BREW IT AT HOME
Colombia Supremo takes both filter and espresso, but it does not like extremes. Here is where to start:
- Filter: 60 grams of coffee per litre of water, medium-coarse grind, water at 93 degrees.
- Espresso: 18 grams in the basket, 36 grams in the cup, between 26 and 30 seconds.
- Grind right before you brew. Ground coffee loses its aromatics in about fifteen minutes.
