What does Supremo mean in Colombian coffee grading?

Supremo is Colombia's highest screen size grade, designating green coffee beans that are retained by screen 17 - approximately 6.75mm in diameter - or larger. It sits above Excelso (screen 15-16) in the Colombian grading hierarchy and represents the largest bean size category in Colombian exports.

Like all screen size grades, Supremo is a physical specification rather than a quality or cup assessment. Larger beans tend to roast more evenly than a mixed-size lot, but screen size alone doesn't determine flavour - a Supremo from a poorly managed low-altitude farm can cup worse than an Excelso from a carefully tended highland finca.

In practice, Supremo and Excelso are often discussed together as Colombia's two main commercial grade designations. For specialty buyers, the specific farm, region, altitude, varietal, and processing information on a lot specification matters far more than the Supremo/Excelso distinction. But when comparing commodity-grade Colombian offers where other information is limited, Supremo indicates the larger, more uniform bean size.