Colombia Supremo

Colombian Supremo is not a marketing label. It is a physical specification, screen size 17/18, meaning larger, denser beans that develop more evenly during roasting. In Huila and Narino, at elevations between 1,500 and 1,800 meters, that Colombian grading standard meets exceptional growing conditions.

OriginColombia RegionHuila/Nariño Elevation1,500-1,800m ProcessWashed VarietyCastillo, Caturra ProducerVarious smallholder farms RoastCity+ The Source

Huila and Nariño: Colombia's southern highland belt

Colombia is the third-largest coffee-producing country on earth, and Huila and Nariño are two of its most respected growing departments. Both sit in the Andean highlands of southern Colombia, where the Andes split into parallel cordilleras and trap moisture from both the Pacific and Amazon basins. The result is a climate that oscillates between warm sunny days and cool, humid nights, ideal conditions for slow cherry development.

These Supremo lots come from networks of smallholder farms, each working plots averaging one to three hectares. Castillo and Caturra are the dominant varieties here. Castillo was developed by Cenicafé specifically for Colombian conditions and offers disease resistance alongside clean cup character. Caturra is a natural Bourbon mutation that produces well at high altitudes, contributing brightness and body. Together they form a reliable, expressive blend.

The Supremo grade designation means every bean passed through a size 17/18 screen. Larger beans develop more surface area contact during roasting and tend toward more even heat penetration. The grade is a quality filter built into the supply chain itself.

The Craft

Washed processing: letting the terroir speak

After harvest, these cherries go through full washed processing. The fruit skin and mucilage are removed mechanically, then the beans ferment briefly in water tanks before being washed clean and moved to raised drying beds. Without the fruit influencing flavor development, the bean's inherent character takes center stage.

Washed coffees from this region tend toward clarity and structure. Every note you taste is coming from the bean itself, the variety, the soil, the elevation. There is nothing to hide behind and nothing to obscure. For Colombia, that means the classic profile that built its reputation: balanced, approachable, consistent.

We roast this to City+, just past first crack, where sugars caramelize without driving into roast-forward territory. The goal is to develop the natural flavors fully while keeping the origin character front and center.

Dark Cherry Brown Sugar Milk Chocolate Walnut Body Medium-Full Acidity Medium The Cup

Clean, structured, and satisfying from first sip to last

The cup opens with dark cherry, not a jammy fruit-forward note but a clean, deep sweetness with a slight tartness underneath. Brown sugar follows quickly, rounding the edges and giving the cup a warm, caramel-adjacent body that feels substantial without being heavy. Milk chocolate threads through the mid-palate, adding a smooth, creamy texture that lingers.

Walnut appears in the finish as a dry, slightly earthy counterweight to all that sweetness. It keeps the cup from being cloying and adds a satisfying, complete sense of resolution. The medium-full body makes this coffee feel rounded and full in the mouth, while the moderate acidity provides just enough structure to keep everything moving.

This is a coffee that works across contexts. It holds up beautifully as espresso, where the body condenses and the chocolate notes deepen. It shines through drip and filter methods, where the clean washed profile can fully open up. Morning coffee, afternoon coffee, a cup for someone who doesn't want to think too hard about what they're drinking, this is the one.

Find Your Fix

This coffee performs across a wide range of brewing methods. For drip, use a 1:16 ratio at 200°F, the clean washed profile shines with straightforward extraction. For V60 or Chemex, a 30-second bloom followed by a steady 3-minute pour brings out the dark cherry and brown sugar in full. Espresso drinkers: pull at 9 bars with a 1:2 ratio around 28 seconds, the milk chocolate and walnut deepen considerably. Aeropress works well with a 1:12 ratio and a 2-minute steep for a concentrated, dessert-adjacent cup. Grind medium for drip, medium-fine for pour-over, fine for espresso.

Roasted in small batches at our Virginia Beach roastery.

Packaged in reusable glass mason jars, returned locally for reuse. Solar-roasted.

Virginia Beach, VA