Colombian Supremo is Colombia's grade for its largest coffee beans, the ones big enough to stay on a screen with holes 17/64 of an inch wide. It describes size, not variety, flavor or roast. Supremo is arabica, and how it tastes depends on who roasts it and how dark. We buy only Supremo and roast it medium-dark in cast iron.

We are a family roaster in a barn in Cedarburg, Wisconsin, in our family since 1944. We buy 100% Colombian Supremo Arabica green coffee through a licensed importer, and it is the only bean we roast, so we know it from the sack up.

What Supremo means

Colombian coffee is graded by bean size before it is exported. The green beans are shaken over screens with round holes, and the screen numbers are 64ths of an inch: a screen 17 has holes 17/64 of an inch across, about 6.7 millimeters. Beans that stay on top of screen 17 are Supremo. Beans a little smaller, about screen 15 to 16, are Excelso.

Supremo and Excelso are not different plants. Importers note that both grades can be picked from the same tree and are then sorted apart by size. Think of eggs sorted into large and extra large. Sources give slightly different cutoffs, some putting Supremo at screen 17 to 18. Coffee grading has no universal standard, and each origin sets its own system.

Supremo vs Excelso: does size change the cup?

Size alone does not make a coffee better. Two beans from the same tree can land in different grades. Where size does matter is in the roaster. Our FAQ puts it plainly: "Larger beans roast evenly, which matters in a cast iron roaster." That is the practical reason we buy Supremo.

Defects are a separate matter, handled under preparation standards such as EP (European Preparation), which calls for hand sorting out defective beans and foreign material. So "Supremo" on a bag tells you the beans were large, not that every bean was perfect, and a carefully grown and sorted Excelso can make a better cup than a careless Supremo.

What Colombian Supremo tastes like

The grade says nothing about flavor, so Colombian Supremo tastes like its roast. Many specialty roasters roast light to bring out the acidity and fruit of a particular lot. Take the same kind of bean to medium-dark and the fruit steps back while the body and the roasted, nutty side come forward. Our guide to what Colombian coffee tastes like goes further.

Ours is medium-dark. Customers describe it as smooth, bold and low in acid, and good black. Three of them, in their own words:

“It is a really smooth coffee to give us some variety. Where our usual has more fruity notes, this has more of a nutty base.”
TexasLolli64, X, September 2026

“I’ve been a Medium Roast Kona Peaberry drinker for years, but find this coffee very tasty.”
Niki G, Facebook, July 2026

“My wife and I love the coffee. Will be purchasing again. It's the smoothest coffee I've ever had.”
Atlas, X, September 2026

How we roast it

We started out roasting in a cast iron pan, then built custom cast iron stovetop roasters, and now use a cast iron drum roaster on our family farm. The style is German Norwegian. Germans tend to like a darker roast and Norwegians a lighter one, so we roast in a way that releases beans at different points, and each batch holds a spread of roast levels. By the time the first beans reach the second crack, others are still a few shades lighter. The result is a balanced medium-dark cup from a single origin. Read more about our German Norwegian blend and what cast iron roasted coffee is.

We also keep more of the papery silverskin, called chaff, with the beans. It is part of the coffee, and a few flakes at the bottom of the jar are normal.

Warehouse Supremo and a farm-roasted bag

Many people first meet the word on a warehouse club bag. Costco lists Kirkland Signature Colombian Supremo as a 3 lb bag of whole bean coffee, medium roast. It is the same size grade we buy. What differs between any two Supremos is everything that happens after the sort:

• Roast. That bag is labeled medium. Ours is medium-dark, roasted slowly in small batches in cast iron, with a spread of roast levels in each batch.
• Freshness. Whatever you buy, ask how recently it was roasted. We roast in small batches on a regular schedule, and our coffee ships within days of roasting in nearly all cases.
• Price. The average price of 100% ground roast coffee in U.S. cities was $9.33 a pound in September 2026, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Ours runs $11.50 to $30 a pound, depending on the size and whether you subscribe.

Per cup, at about 35 eight-ounce cups per pound (our estimate, at the standard strength of the SCA golden cup), $9.33 a pound comes to about $0.27 a cup, and ours comes to about $0.33 to $0.86 a cup. If a warehouse Supremo tastes good to you and fits the budget, that is a fine way to drink it. If you want a darker, rounder Supremo roasted in cast iron on a farm and shipped straight from the roaster, that is the one we make. What makes our coffee different tells the longer story.

Buying Colombian Supremo whole bean or ground

Every size is the same coffee, whole bean or ground. Choose whole bean if you grind at home. Ground is one medium-fine grind that works for every brew method, espresso included. If you are unsure, see whole bean vs. ground coffee.

Two notes on price. The 20 lb bag is the lowest per pound, but bigger is not cheaper at every step: one-time, the Queen Hoff costs slightly more per pound than the 2 lb bag ($17.14 against $17.00). Every size except the Big Hoff jars also comes as a weekly, every 2 weeks or monthly subscription at a lower price, such as $30 for the 2 lb bag. Subscriptions have a two-delivery minimum, and you manage deliveries online through a secure emailed link.

We ship by USPS to US addresses only. Shipping is free on orders of $50 or more, so the Queen, King and Bulk sizes always ship free. Orders typically go out within a few business days, and delivery times are estimates.

When another coffee suits you better

If you want a light, fruit-forward Colombian from a single farm, with tasting notes on the label, a specialty roaster who roasts light will serve you well. As our FAQ says, "If you want single lot micro roasts with tasting notes, we are not that." We also make no decaf, no flavored coffee, no pods and no light roast. If you want a well made, consistent, traditional cup of Supremo, that is the cup we make.

Questions about Colombian Supremo

Is Colombian Supremo arabica?

Yes. Supremo is a size grade for Colombian coffee, and Colombian coffee is sold as arabica. Ours is 100% Colombian Supremo Arabica, with no robusta and no filler. If it matters to you, check that the bag says 100% arabica.

Is Supremo better than Excelso?

Not by itself. The two grades describe bean size, and both can come from the same trees. Larger beans roast evenly, which is why we buy Supremo for cast iron, but how the coffee was grown, sorted and roasted matters more to your cup than the size grade.

Is Colombian Supremo a dark roast?

The grade says nothing about roast. Supremo is sold at every roast level, from light to dark, and the warehouse bag mentioned above is labeled medium. Ours is medium-dark, German Norwegian style, with a spread of roast levels in each batch.

Is your Colombian Supremo single origin?

Yes, in the sense that every bean comes from Colombia. It is not a blend of origins. The "blend" in our German Norwegian blend means the spread of roast levels inside one roast. Our guide to single origin vs. blend explains the difference.

Do you sell Colombian Supremo decaf?

No. We make one caffeinated roast and no decaf. If you need decaf, a roaster who offers a Colombian decaf will serve you better.

Try a bag of cast iron roasted Supremo

If you would like to taste a medium-dark Supremo, The Hoff (1 lb, $25) is a fair first bag, and the Big Hoff Bag (2 lb, $34) suits a pot every morning. If you are near Cedarburg, the barn at 1040 Sherman Road is open every day from 9 to 5, and a cup of coffee is on us. For more, browse our coffee guides.