What Sets an SOE Latte Apart From Blended Espresso?

An SOE latte is pulled from a single-origin espresso, while blended espresso mixes two or more origins. SOE is not automatically better or more expensive than a blend; that idea is a common misunderstanding. What matters is whether the bean itself has a strong enough flavor, since a single variety can perform well on its own without a complicated recipe.

SOE appeared in overseas markets around 2007 and matured after 2010, and most World Barista Championship competitors now choose it. Take bean A as Brazil plus Mandheling and bean B as Mandheling only: A is a blend in the broad sense, B counts as SOE. Mixing coffee into a blend is about balance, not grade.

SOE (Single Origin Espresso) has appeared more and more frequently on domestic café menus in recent years, and many people mistakenly believe that SOE is necessarily more premium and more expensive than espresso blends. In fact, this is a misunderstanding. From the perspective of Front Street Coffee, this article systematically sorts out the definitions of SOE and espresso blends, their respective advantages and disadvantages, and why not all single-origin beans are suitable for espresso. It also introduces the four espresso blend beans currently sold by Front Street and their flavor characteristics, helping coffee lovers make more rational judgments when choosing an SOE latte or an espresso blend.

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Many people have a misunderstanding that espresso made from single-origin coffee beans (that is, SOE/Single Origin Espresso) is necessarily better than espresso made from blend beans (Espresso Blend), and its price must also be higher. In fact, these ideas are inaccurate. In this article, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) will talk about the respective characteristics and shortcomings of single-origin espresso and blended espresso.

What is SOE Single Origin Espresso?

SOE appeared in overseas markets about ten years ago and has developed quite maturely today, while in China it has only gradually gained momentum in the last two years. If you are still unfamiliar with SOE, then it is indeed worth taking some time to learn about it—on future café menus, this term will appear more and more often.

SOE began to become popular around 2007, and has gradually matured since 2010. Friends who follow the WBC (World Barista Championship) will notice that most competitors choose SOE, that is, single-origin coffee.

For example, if coffee bean A consists of Brazil and Mandheling, and coffee bean B uses only Mandheling, then A belongs to blends in a broad sense, while B can be classified as SOE. Equating SOE with expensive is a cognitive bias; it can also take an approachable route and be accepted by mass consumers. As long as the beans themselves have a sufficiently outstanding flavor, the formula for espresso does not necessarily need to be complicated; a single bean type can still deliver a wonderful performance. This is also a major direction in contemporary coffee development.

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) believes that SOE is increasingly favored for two reasons. On the one hand, competitors in major coffee competitions have chosen single-origin beans to make espresso, which has given many industry professionals and enthusiasts the impression that "SOE is stronger than blended espresso," and it has also become a way to demonstrate professionalism.

On the other hand, with the spread of specialty coffee culture, consumers want to experience the taste and flavor layers of coffee itself under conventional extraction and without adding any auxiliary ingredients, and single-origin coffee beans happen to better satisfy this demand. Therefore, no matter which extraction method is used, more and more people will pursue single-origin beans.

Although espresso made from single-origin beans is delicious, not all single-origin beans are suitable. One reason is that coffee is ultimately an agricultural product, and its flavor quality is affected by the climate of the producing area, making it difficult to remain stable over the long term.

Second, espresso is a highly concentrated coffee liquid extracted quickly under extremely fine grinding with machine pressure and high temperature, and the flavor of the coffee beans themselves is concentrated and amplified. Certain acidity or body-related substances can easily present sharp acidity and astringency, resulting in a thin mouthfeel or even a scorched, bitter taste that is hard to swallow.

Therefore, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) does not recommend blindly using single-origin beans to extract espresso. If you really want to drink SOE, you can directly buy coffee beans specifically roasted for SOE, or choose beans with a medium roast level or above.

What is Espresso Blend?

Espresso blend is the most common espresso and also the default practice in most coffee shops. It is usually made by mixing coffee beans from two producing areas, and its characteristics are a rich flavor, a full and solid mouthfeel, low acidity, and a strong sweet aftertaste, though it is not as rich in flavor layers as SOE.

The original purpose of blended beans was precisely to alleviate the problems of single-origin beans overexposing their own defects during high-pressure espresso extraction and being difficult to perform stably over the long term. So industry professionals began to combine coffee beans from different producing areas in different proportions, making up for each other's shortcomings, to blend a comprehensive coffee bean that can maintain a stable and balanced flavor no matter how the year changes.

Therefore, if it is for a coffee shop's output, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) more strongly recommends using blended beans as the default choice for espresso, and adding SOE bean options if needed.

At present, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) sells four espresso blend coffee beans. In order for customers to drink the most complete coffee flavor, all coffee beans sold by Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) are shipped within 5 days after roasting is completed.

"Warm Sun Blend Coffee Beans" is composed of Ethiopian natural Red Cherry (30%) and Honduras Sherry Barrel (70%), presenting flavors of rich wine aroma, vanilla cream, berry sweetness and acidity, and roasted nuts.

"Specialty Blend Coffee Beans" is composed of Colombian washed beans (30%) and Brazilian semi-washed beans (70%), with flavor notes of nuts, dark chocolate, and caramel.

"Commercial Blend Coffee Beans" is composed of Robusta washed beans (10%), Colombian washed beans (30%), and Brazilian semi-washed beans (60%), presenting flavors of nuts, cocoa, and caramel.

"The Espresso Moka Pot Coffee Beans Recommended by Many Baristas - Front Street Black Cocoa Blend Coffee Beans" is composed of Yunnan washed small-bean coffee (30%) and Brazilian semi-washed beans (70%), with flavor notes of soft fruit acidity, caramel, and nuts.

Is SOE tastier than espresso blend?

Whether a cup of coffee tastes good depends on many factors—coffee bean quality, freshness, roasting, the coffee machine, the production process, personal taste preferences, and so on. SOE merely refers to espresso made with single-origin beans; the beans used are not necessarily better than blended beans, and the other factors also have a huge impact on the final quality. So as for which coffee tastes better, it cannot be generalized.

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