In Colombia, 'Excelso' coffee is referred to as a Hulled bean resulting from a very meticulous selection based mainly on its physical and sensory characteristics but primarily on its size.
Within this category, various preparations stand out, characterized by their percentage composition of beans that share size homogeneity, which is measured by the mesh opening, with the unit of measurement being 64th of an inch, and the beans are retained as follows:
14% retained on a No. 14/64 mesh with a tolerance of up to 5% on a No. 12/64 mesh; among these, the remaining 50% is retained up to a No. 15/64-inch mesh with a tolerance of 1.50% on a No. 12/64-inch mesh. Up to 24 defects are allowed in 500g samples.
Excelso Premium Mesh 18:
Large, mainly flat, even beans, retained above the No. 18 mesh, with a tolerance of 5% below that mesh but retained by the No. 14 mesh, carefully processed and properly selected. Max. 3 quakers. 0-8 complete defects.
Excelso EP 10%:
97.5% of beans are flat, ranging from large to medium, which are retained on the No. 15/64-inch mesh, with a flexibility of 10% of beans collected on No. 12 and 14 meshes, very carefully selected.
UGQ (Usually Good Quality):
Mesh 14: Comprised of flat and curved beans, large, medium, and small in size, retained above the No. 15 mesh (for the Europe type) and the No. 14 mesh (for the UGQ type), with tolerances of 2.5% and 1.5% respectively for coffee smaller in size than these meshes but retained by the No. 12 mesh, properly selected.
Yndira Buonaffina.
Buonatazza Coffee DMCC.
+971 58 570 7744
Photo credits: National Coffe Association USA
