Why does coffee blending change the cup so much?

Coffee blending mixes beans from different origins and varieties to build one balanced flavor profile, usually with two or three components. The idea is direct: a bean with good body but weak aroma can be paired with an aromatic one, and each compensates for the other. Italian-style blends often include Robusta for thicker, longer-lasting crema in milk drinks.

The practice dates to the 17th century, when Java coffee was combined with Yemeni Mocha, later known as Mocha-Java. Four blending principles guide recipe design, covering how each raw bean should carry its own character and how ratios are set before roasting. Yunnan small-bean coffee offers a useful example for building an espresso recipe from scratch.

Which is better tasting: single-origin coffee beans or blend beans (coffee blends)? This is a common question for many coffee lovers when they are just starting out. This article begins with the history of coffee blending, sorts out the definition of Italian-style coffee blends, the four major blending principles, and the preparation steps before blending, and uses Yunnan small-bean coffee as an example to explain how to design an espresso recipe. It then combines Front Street Coffee’s four Italian-style blends—Black Cocoa Blend, Commercial Blend, Specialty Blend, and Sunflower Warm Sun Blend—giving flavor descriptions and recipe ratios one by one, and finally attaches Front Street’s espresso extraction parameters for coffee lovers to refer to and compare.

The practice of blending coffee has a long history. As early as the 17th century, some people combined Indonesian Java coffee with Yemeni Mocha coffee, and this later became the well-known Mocha-Java. After that, blending was widely used in espresso, among which the Mamba blend is quite famous, made by mixing Mandheling and Brazilian coffee in proportion. So what advantages do coffee blends actually have? And how should a blending plan be designed? Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) shares its own blending approach here.

What Are Italian-Style Coffee Beans?

Italian-style coffee beans are also called Italian-style coffee blends. So-called blending is mixing coffee beans from different origins and different varieties together, usually with combinations of two or three being the most common. The intention of blending is very direct: to bring together the flavors of different coffee beans and form a new flavor expression, thereby achieving a more balanced effect, while also serving as a shop’s signature. For example, if one bean has a smooth mouthfeel but insufficient aroma, another bean with abundant aroma can be added to make up for the shortcomings and complement each other. Italian-style blend beans have another consideration as well: cost control. Traditional Italian-style blends include Robusta beans, which can both give flavored coffee a richer and longer-lasting crema and provide a viscous, smooth mouthfeel when used as a milk-coffee base.

Four Major Principles of Italian-Style Coffee Blends:

1. The raw beans used for blending should each have their own characteristics; avoid choosing beans with similar flavors, such as the same processing method, the same green bean origin, or the same coffee flavor.

2. Regarding blending ratios, every coffee shop will create different ratios based on its own characteristics, and usually a 1:1 ratio is not used, because equal proportions will suppress each other’s unique flavors. When blending, there must be a distinction between primary and secondary notes in order to create a taste more outstanding than single-origin coffee.

3. The roasting method for blending is divided into pre-blend roasting and post-blend roasting: pre-blend roasting means mixing green beans in proportion, while post-blend roasting means mixing after roasting is completed, depending on the desired flavor requirements.

4. In principle, blended flavors emphasize a balance of acidity and sweetness, and generally 2 to 6 kinds of coffee beans are used. No matter what beans or roast level are chosen, too many types will make the coffee’s unique flavor difficult to express.

5. Blending requires constant experimentation. The purpose of blending is generally to stabilize flavor. Before blending, a blending plan table should be drawn up in the form of mathematical combinations, and then the best plan should be determined through the cupping process.

Before Blending:

1. Clarify the blending goal, such as the general tone of the coffee flavor.

2. Understand the characteristics of each coffee bean, become familiar with the features of each single-origin coffee, and understand the subtle relationship between roast level and coffee flavor.

3. Determine the most prominent flavor among the coffee beans participating in the blend. Because multiple beans are used together, it is necessary to clearly understand each bean’s most distinctive characteristic, whether it is to highlight a soft bitterness, a bright acidity, or a heavy body, etc.

Take Yunnan small-bean coffee blended into espresso as an example. An ideal Espresso should be low in acidity, high in body, and have a rich, velvety, thick reddish-brown Crema that contains the coffee’s aroma and flavor. Crema is an important indicator of Espresso, and it basically carries the coffee’s intense flavor. The steam produced during Espresso extraction is wrapped in fine oil foam, and when drinking, these bubbles explosively release volatile aromatic molecules, rushing from the mouth to the olfactory receptors in the nasal cavity. These bubbles also attach to the taste buds, bringing a long finish that can last up to an hour. The advantage of using Yunnan beans in a blend is that the Catimor variety carries Robusta genes, which inherently provides the key factors required by traditional Italian-style coffee.

If flavor components are to be added to the recipe, one or two coffees whose aroma and taste you truly like can be selected. Brazilian coffee is characterized by moderate body and low acidity. Next, the entire recipe must be balanced, with all characteristics integrated together, and no single item allowed to overpower the others. It must be smooth, mild, and thick, without unpleasant bitterness, and what is felt is low acidity. The Crema should be rich, smooth, velvety, and not easily dissipating, and special attention must also be paid to the finish; the aroma must be pleasant. Both Brazil and Yunnan small-bean are medium-dark roasted, with sufficient body, and Catimor’s Robusta genes provide the needed oil factor. Combined, the two make a blended coffee with a balanced mouthfeel, low acidity, moderate body, and stable crema.

Take Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee)’s four Italian-style coffee beans as examples, including the Italian-style moka pot coffee beans recommended by many baristas—Front Street Black Cocoa Blend Coffee, Commercial Blend Coffee, Specialty Blend Coffee, and Sunflower Warm Sun Blend.

1. Among the many barista-recommended Italian-style moka pot coffee beans from Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee)—Front Street Black Cocoa Blend Coffee Beans:

Flavor: soft fruit acidity, caramel sweetness, nut and dark chocolate flavors, smooth and viscous, but the taste is somewhat light.

Recipe: Yunnan : Brazil = 3:7

2. Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) Commercial Coffee Blend:

Robusta beans have strong resistance to pests and diseases and high yield. They usually do not have the acidity of Arabica beans and often carry a hint of woody aroma. Their caffeine content is 2.2%, higher than Arabica beans’ 1.2%, and their chlorogenic acid content is also higher, making them quite bitter. They are usually used for commercial beans and cost less than Arabica beans.

Judging only from bean flavor, coffee made from commercial beans is much inferior to that made from specialty coffee beans, and commercial beans are generally chosen for blending. Through blending, coffee with quite a good flavor can also be made, suitable for making lattes, cappuccinos, and other Italian-style coffees. When Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee)’s Commercial Blend is used to make Espresso, because it contains Robusta beans, the crema is richer, the taste is classic, with caramel sweetness, nutty, cocoa-like, and dark chocolate flavors, balanced acidity and sweetness, a slight hint of bittersweetness, and a lasting finish.

Flavor: caramel sweetness, nutty and cocoa-like, dark chocolate flavors, balanced acidity and sweetness, slightly bittersweet, with a lasting finish.

Recipe: Colombia : Brazil : Robusta = 3:6:1

3. Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) Specialty Coffee Blend:

The Colombian beans selected by Front Street come from Huila, located in southwestern Colombia and one of the main coffee-growing regions. Colombia’s altitude is generally 1,500 to 1,800 meters, and most beans are Bourbon and Caturra varieties, using the washed processing method, with relatively high density, uniform screen size, and plump bean shape (thicker from the core to the surface). Because many well-known coffee-growing areas are distributed within the Huila region, the names of various smaller areas have become brand names and circulated widely. Although the cultivation conditions in this region are also ideal, the cultivation infrastructure of coffee farms and surrounding conditions is still not very developed, and the green bean drying equipment and washed processing facilities are still imperfect, which is quite regrettable. Coffee from the Huila region has a strong taste and a heavier texture, especially the nutty, chocolate, and caramel aromas and suitable acidity found in local coffee, making it a high-grade specialty coffee. Brazilian coffee generally grows at altitudes of 1,000 to 1,300 meters, so its density is relatively low. Most are Bourbon varieties, using the semi-washed process, with moderate moisture content, relatively soft bean texture, and a thinner thickness from the bean surface to the core, so it is not suitable for roasting at too high a temperature; otherwise, the temperature of the roaster’s inner wall will scorch the bean surface and produce a burnt bitter taste. We hope to express nutty, milk chocolate, and good body characteristics and use it as the blending base, so Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) chooses to drop the beans at medium heat, maintains the heat until the dehydration stage, and makes fine adjustments as the temperature rises after first crack begins, promoting a more complete caramelization reaction, and discharging the beans when the temperature approaches second crack.

Flavor: soft slight acidity, light sweetness, nutty sweet aftertaste, the overall impression is not too stimulating, mild, and the crema is medium.

Recipe: Colombia : Brazil = 3:7

4. Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) Sunflower Warm Sun Coffee Blend:

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee)’s Sunflower Warm Sun Blend uses Sherry barrel-treated coffee beans blended with sun-dried Yirgacheffe Red Cherry Project in a 6:4 ratio. Sixty percent Honduras Sherry barrel coffee beans provide flavor and body for this blend, while forty percent sun-dried Yirgacheffe provides more aroma and acidity.

Flavor: obvious fruit acidity, faint berry aroma, vinous aroma, rich chocolate flavor, and a noticeable sweet aftertaste.

Recipe: Honduras Sherry : Yirga Red Cherry = 6:4

Front Street Espresso Extraction Parameters

Grinder: Galileo Q18

Grind setting: 1.6

Pressure: 9 bar

Temperature: 94°C

Time: 20–30 seconds

Dose: 20g (double espresso)

Yield: 40ml

Extracted espresso flavor: Smooth mouthfeel, medium body, obvious fruit acidity on entry accompanied by a faint berry aroma, whisky vinous aroma, rich chocolate flavor, and a noticeable sweet aftertaste.

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.