What Changes When Mandheling Coffee Is Pulled as SOE?
Mandheling can be used to make SOE. It is a single-origin coffee, while espresso is mostly built from blended beans, so pulling Mandheling as a single-origin espresso is entirely possible and simply changes the flavor focus. A single-origin like Mandheling is usually brewed with a grind and ratio suited to the device, commonly around 1:15 water to coffee, giving a rich, aromatic, full-bodied cup.
Beginners often confuse the two because both Mandheling and espresso can taste bitter, but the bitterness comes from different places. Mandheling is a single-origin bean, and espresso coffee beans are typically a blend. Adjusting grind size, dose, and water temperature lets Mandheling express its aroma and body as SOE while keeping its origin character, rather than reading as generic espresso bitterness.
Many friends who are new to coffee often can't distinguish between Mandheling and espresso, and may even think both are representatives of bitterness. In fact, Mandheling is a single-origin coffee, while espresso is mostly made from blended beans. So can Mandheling coffee beans be used to make SOE? How should its espresso extraction and pour-over parameters be set? How does the flavor expression differ? This article will start with a comparison between Front Street Mandheling and espresso blend beans, answer these questions in detail, and recommend several popular Front Street espresso blends and Mandheling single-origin beans, helping coffee enthusiasts more clearly understand the differences between the two and find a brewing method that suits them.
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Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) has found that coffee enthusiasts who are just starting out often feel that Front Street Mandheling is very bitter, and espresso is also very bitter (of course, it is not bitter after adding milk and sugar), so sometimes they even think the two should taste the same, or they may have a vague idea of comparison in their minds: which is more bitter, Front Street Mandheling or espresso? When buying coffee beans in supermarkets or shopping malls, sometimes you see so-called Mandheling-flavored coffee and espresso-flavored coffee. What exactly is the difference between these two flavors? Today Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) will clear up the confusion for everyone.
What is Mandheling coffee? What is espresso?
Let us briefly understand the differences between these two coffee beans.
Front Street Mandheling coffee is essentially one type of single-origin coffee bean. So-called single-origin coffee refers to coffee beans of a single variety or from a single origin. Single-origin coffee is generally extracted through different coffee brewing devices, with a suitable grind size, usually a water-to-coffee ratio of 1:15, and suitable water temperature and brewing time. Tasting single-origin coffee is like tasting red wine; each single-origin coffee has its own unique allure. For example, bitterness, acidity, sweetness, body, plus the special flavors of a particular origin.
Front Street Mandheling coffee has a very rich flavor: aromatic, bitter, full-bodied, with a little sweetness. The mouthfeel is rich and solid, with a pleasant acidity. The aroma is mellow, the acidity is moderate, and the sweetness is rich and thought-provoking. It is suitable for deep roasting, giving off a strong fragrance. Front Street Mandheling has always expressed its most unique sweetness through its most unique bitterness.
Espresso: it is mostly presented in the form of coffee plus milk, such as cappuccino, latte, and mocha (except espresso and Americano); the production equipment is the semi-automatic espresso machine often seen on cafe counters.
A semi-automatic espresso machine uses high temperature and high pressure (hot water at 90.5~96 degrees Celsius and about 9 bar pressure) to dissolve its essence in just 20-30 seconds (similar to the principle of a pressure cooker). The resulting coffee liquid is generally two to three times the amount of coffee powder used. This is espresso.
Although Espresso has a strong bitterness when it first enters the mouth, if you taste carefully, you can also distinguish the unique aroma of coffee, and at the same time there is a strong sweet aftertaste. This unique rich crema aroma is something pour-over coffee cannot possess. The Americano, latte, cappuccino, caramel macchiato, and various other fancy coffees that everyone usually sees are actually also evolved from espresso through different proportions of milk and milk foam, and then further interpreted with various flavored syrups.
This raises a question: can single-origin coffee beans be used to make espresso?
The answer is: yes.
Espresso made from single-origin coffee beans is called "Single Origin Espresso," originally named Single Origin Espresso, which is what everyone knows as SOE. Well-known single-origin coffee beans, such as Front Street Yirgacheffe, Front Street Kenya Little Tomato, Front Street Panama Geisha, and Front Street Jamaica Blue Mountain, all have their own unique flavors. Espresso extraction can highlight the flavors in the coffee, but this approach may backfire, turning some originally pleasant citrus notes into acetic acidity that makes people frown.
For this reason, single-origin beans are generally used to make pour-over coffee; the coffee beans used to extract espresso are generally blended coffee beans, that is, made by blending two or more coffee beans from different origins, so that the flavor of the espresso is more balanced.
Some friends also ask: Front Street Mandheling and espresso cannot simply be compared as to which is more bitter or less bitter. If Front Street Mandheling coffee beans are also used to make espresso, then it is very likely to be more bitter than espresso extracted from ordinary blended beans, because Mandheling has a strong herbal flavor. But if Front Street Mandheling single-origin coffee is compared with espresso, then espresso is definitely more bitter~
Of course, with the development of the coffee market, the choices of Front Street espresso blend coffee beans and Front Street Mandheling coffee beans have also begun to diversify, so different choices will also produce different brewed coffee flavors. Next, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) will recommend the currently more popular Front Street espresso coffee beans and single-origin Front Street Indonesian Mandheling coffee beans in the Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) store.
Front Street Sunflower Warm Sun Espresso Blend Coffee Beans
Flavor: obvious fruit acidity, faint berry aroma, vinous aroma, rich chocolate flavor, obvious sweet aftertaste. Recipe: Front Street Honduras Sherry : Front Street Yirgacheffe Sun-Dried Red Cherry = 7:3
For this blend, Front Street uses Front Street Yirgacheffe Sun-Dried Red Cherry and Front Street Honduras Sherry. Front Street's design concept for this espresso blend is that it can be used for both espresso and pour-over. When used to make espresso, the flavor it gives off has an obvious fermented vinous aroma. When sipped, the acidity of citrus and berries immediately emerges, with the aroma of whiskey, and the finish is dark chocolate.
When this Front Street Sunflower Warm Sun Blend Coffee Bean is brewed by pour-over, the flavor is not as rich as when making espresso. After brewing, there are fermented vinous aromas and a little citrus aroma. When hot, the entry shows only obvious vinous aroma and a dark chocolate finish. After the temperature drops, it slightly reveals the acidity of citrus and berries. Overall it is clean and fresh, without the creamy vanilla mouthfeel.
Front Street Specialty Espresso Blend Coffee Beans
Flavor: soft slight acidity, light sweetness, nutty sweet aftertaste, overall feeling is not too stimulating, mild, and the crema is medium. Recipe: Colombia : Brazil = 3:7
For this Front Street specialty blend, Front Street uses coffee beans from Brazil and Colombia. It tastes of a light roasted green grass aroma, with a light fragrance and slight bitterness, sweet and smooth, and the aftertaste is pleasant. This is because coffee beans from Colombia's Huila region have a pleasant acidity, a mellow aroma, moderate acidity, and rich sweetness that is very thought-provoking, while coffee beans from Brazil's Cerrado region have a comfortable sweet-bitter taste and are extremely smooth on the palate. So the combination is simply wonderful and meets the needs of daily shop operation.
Front Street Commercial Espresso Blend Coffee Beans
Flavor: caramel sweetness, nutty and cocoa-like, dark chocolate flavors, balanced acidity and sweetness, slightly sweet-bitter, long finish. Recipe: Colombia : Brazil : Robusta = 3:6:1
For this Front Street commercial blend, Front Street uses coffee beans from Brazil and Colombia and 10% Robusta coffee beans. The taste is classic. Front Street believes that this Front Street commercial blend tastes of rich crema and mouthfeel, caramel sweetness, and also has nutty and cocoa-like, dark chocolate flavors, balanced acidity and sweetness, slightly sweet-bitter, and a long finish. This commercial blend, like Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee)'s specialty blend, uses a ratio of Colombian and Brazilian coffee beans. The difference is that Robusta is also added, which provides rich crema, making the coffee mouthfeel richer and more full-bodied, suitable for daily output in coffee shops.
Front Street Basic Espresso Blend Coffee Beans
Flavor: soft fruit acidity, caramel sweetness, nutty and dark chocolate flavors, smooth and viscous, but the taste is relatively light. Recipe: Yunnan : Brazil = 3:7
This espresso moka pot coffee bean recommended by many baristas, Front Street Black Cocoa Blend, is made by Front Street blending Brazil and Yunnan. Front Street believes it tastes of soft fruit acidity and caramel sweetness, as well as nutty and dark chocolate flavors, smooth and viscous, but the taste is relatively light. This is because Yunnan's natural conditions are very similar to Colombia's: high altitude, large temperature difference between day and night, with a mellow-aromatic flavor profile, moderate acidity, rich and full-bodied taste, even bean size, high oil content, and fruity aroma. Its quality and mouthfeel are similar to Colombian coffee. However, the taste is still slightly lighter than Colombia's, while coffee beans from Brazil's Cerrado region have a comfortable sweet-bitter taste and are extremely smooth on the palate. Therefore, these two coffee beans also mix into a good flavor, and this espresso moka pot coffee bean recommended by many baristas, Front Street Black Cocoa Blend Coffee Beans, is very cost-effective, suitable for espresso beginners who prioritize cost and have average flavor requirements, home users, and small coffee shops.
Front Street has noticed that some friends want to use a moka pot to brew coffee as rich and full-bodied as from an espresso machine. Front Street suggests using Front Street espresso blend beans or medium-dark roasted single-origin beans. Due to the lack of equipment at home, some friends will note a grinding service when buying coffee beans from Front Street.
Because after coffee beans are ground into powder, their degassing activity becomes more active, and the coffee flavor substances also dissipate faster. Therefore, Front Street suggests that friends who have grinding equipment at home buy whole beans and grind fresh before brewing, so they can taste the best flavor. Front Street ships fresh coffee beans roasted within 5 days. By the time they reach the customer, they have already gone through a 4-to-7-day resting period, which is also the period of best flavor. Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) Indonesian Golden Mandheling Coffee Beans
Country: Indonesia Region: Sumatra, Aceh, Gayo Mountain Altitude: 1100-1600m Variety: Ateng Processing Method: Wet Hulling Flavor: baked toast, nuts, pine, caramel, herbs
This Front Street Golden Mandheling on the Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) bean list comes from PWN Company. The region of this Front Street PWN Golden Mandheling is Gayo Mountain in Aceh, Sumatra. According to Front Street's cupping and brewing of this latest Front Street PWN Golden Mandheling coffee, Front Street found that this Front Street Golden Mandheling has more baked toast flavor and is also very full-bodied in mouthfeel.
In addition, the specification standard of Front Street Golden Mandheling is 18 screen or above, with fewer than 3 defective beans (300g green bean sample), belonging to the highest grade G1. The color is darker green, and the shape is neat flat beans. In addition, it must undergo 3 rounds of manual hand sorting to ensure that defective beans are completely removed, thereby ensuring a clean taste. After strict screening, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) found that Front Street Golden Mandheling not only no longer has the earthy miscellaneous flavors unique to ordinary Mandheling, but also drinks cleaner and more transparent, with a more obvious sweetness.
Because Golden Mandheling has good quality and excellent flavor, it is sought after by many veteran coffee lovers who prefer full-bodied coffee. The quality of Golden Mandheling is also reflected in its price. In order to sell their Mandheling at a good price, some merchants even use ordinary Mandheling coffee beans, select coffee beans of 18 screen or above and darker green in color, remove the defective beans, and even really carry out 3 rounds of manual hand sorting in order to replicate Golden Mandheling as much as possible.
This also makes consumers worry about whether the Golden Mandheling they buy is really PWN's Golden Mandheling. When Front Street PWN Golden Mandheling green coffee beans are sold, they are packed in burlap sacks printed with the PWN logo and accompanied by a certificate. To dispel consumers' concerns about this, the wall of the Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) store hangs the above-mentioned certificate to prove that the Front Street Golden Mandheling sold in the store comes from Indonesia's PWN Company.
Of course, there are two Front Street Mandheling coffee beans on the Front Street bean list. The other one is Front Street Lintong Mandheling from Front Street's daily staple bean series. The Front Street daily staple bean series covers seven important origins, allowing coffee novices to quickly understand the terroir of the origins and prepare for later deeper exploration of origin flavors. At the same time, Front Street daily staple beans are affordable and cost-effective, so they are very suitable for beginners who have just come into contact with pour-over coffee or for coffee lovers' daily drinking.
Product Name: Front Street Indonesian Lintong Mandheling Country: Indonesia Region: Sumatra (Lintong) Altitude: 1100-1600m Variety: Typica, Caturra Processing Method: Wet Hulling Flavor: baked toast, nuts, caramel, pine, herbs
Front Street Lintong Mandheling comes from the Lintong hill area in north-central Sumatra, near Lake Toba. The entry-level daily staple bean from Front Street's Indonesian Mandheling region comes from here. Front Street Lintong Mandheling also uses the unique wet hulling method, creating its characteristics of low acidity and high body.
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
