This month’s NerdRoast: Colombia Excelso
Hi Coffee Nerds, I was talking with someone in our community last month about coffee (one of my favorite topics). He said that he enjoyed the Rwanda beans, but he really missed the chocolate from South and Central American roasts. Fortunately, I had the PERFECT bean teed up for this month’s roast. Colombian coffee is classic, of course, and North Americans tend to love the sweet-chocolatey balance we find in many Colombian beans. As with most of the coffee producing countries, Colombia has several microclimates, which is why fresh harvests roll in across the calendar. This month we’ve roasted Colombia Excelso from Antioquia & Quindío. Classic Colombian terroir with clean sweetness and easy drinkability. “Excelso” refers to bean size grading (slightly smaller than Supremo), a sort that’s done after processing. The size doesn’t affect the flavor (within a range, of course).
Processing
Process: Fully washed, then patio sun-dried. This combination is a recipe for clarity in the cup: crisp acids, tidy structure, and room for sweetness to shine. This is an excellent bean and I love drinking it every morning.
Tasting Notes
We’re tasting a medium body with a nutty sweetness up front (almond) folding into milk-to-dark chocolate and a black-cherry finish. As the cup cools, a gentle citrus lift peeks through. It’s just a wonderful cup.
Roast Level Medium
We set a moderate development to round the acidity while preserving origin clarity, right around 405F. What to expect:
Fragrance: cocoa powder, toasted almond
Peak sweetness: 2–3 minutes post-brew
Best clarity: 10–20 minutes off the boil (pour-over)
I sincerely hope you enjoy this month’s roast as much as I do.
Tony