Recently, with the rise in popularity of SOE espresso, many coffee shops have also madeSOE coffeea main selling point. Many people also ask Front Street Coffee what the difference is between SOE coffee and blended coffee, and whether SOE coffee is necessarily better tasting than blended espresso. Front Street does not think so. SOE espresso uses single-origin coffee beans extracted under pressure through an espresso machine, magnifying and extracting both the good and bad flavors of a single bean, so unpleasant tastes such as sharp acidity may appear. The purpose of blending coffee is to stabilize the flavor of an espresso, so Front Street is not saying that SOE espresso tastes bad. Compared with espresso made from blended coffee beans, SOE is like gambling on luck, and it cannot have the same taste every time.
What isSOE espresso?
What is SOE? "SOE" is actually the abbreviation of "Single Origin Espresso," which translates to "single-origin espresso." That is, espresso that emphasizes a single origin and is made from it. Compared with blends, the characteristic of single-origin espresso is that it is easier to identify the flavor of that origin, and it is easier to strengthen the connection between the origin and consumers.
In addition, the coffee beans used for SOE single-origin espresso are also more difficult to roast. On the one hand, in order to highlight the flavor of a single origin, the roast level selected for SOE coffee beans should not be too dark, so as to avoid erasing too much of the coffee's own flavor; but on the other hand, in order to provide the body of espresso and better stability, the coffee beans selected should not be roasted too light. So if it cannot be too dark and cannot be too light, how should it be chosen? Front Street recommends choosing some medium-roasted coffee beans when selecting SOE coffee beans. Compared with blends, single-origin espresso can better express the flavor of the origin and can also create espresso with a unique flavor. Therefore, around this characteristic, Front Street suggests that making SOE espresso requires re-evaluating the extraction plan and formulating an extraction plan suitable for those espresso beans. When making coffee with SOE as the base, it is necessary to re-evaluate the ratio of coffee to water/milk in order to highlight the flavor performance of that espresso.
Advantages of SOE coffee
Front Street believes that the greatest advantage of SOE is none other than its "single origin" characteristic. Baristas can connect the taste of coffee with the origin through this single-origin factor, just as with pour-over coffee when brewing single-origin coffee. At the same time, because there is only one coffee bean, the taste is not as complex as a blend. That is, compared with a blend, it has clearer flavor layers (the difference between orange juice and mixed juice: a single orange juice can better describe the taste of orange, but mixed juice makes it harder to describe all the fruit flavors it contains).
Disadvantages of SOE coffee
Although SOE is now very common, and just listening to the production method makes it sound very simple: you only need to switch from blended beans to single-origin coffee beans. But is it really that simple? Front Street Coffee believes that making SOE is simple, but extracting a delicious SOE is not simple; it can even be said to be difficult. Where is the difficulty? Just as with its single-origin characteristic, the purpose is to better present a clearer taste, and this requires the combination of roasting and extraction.
In terms of roasting, because the flavor of the coffee origin needs to be expressed, the roast level cannot be too dark. Once it is too dark, the flavor of the origin itself will be worn away completely. But it also cannot be too light, as this will increase the acidity of the SOE espresso and cause imbalance, which increases the difficulty of extraction. In terms of extraction, constant adjustment is needed to achieve the ideal state. First, coffee is an agricultural product, and every batch of coffee differs each year. Second, roasted coffee beans release gas, and the pressure-based extraction of espresso is also very sensitive to many factors. The freshness of the coffee beans is also a factor affecting SOE extraction.
How does Front Street Coffee extract SOE espresso?
To make it easier for everyone to understand, below Front Street will use Front Street Brazil Queen Estate and Front Street Ethiopia Sidamo Florid as the extraction subjects to demonstrate how to extract a standard cup ofSOE espresso, and separately add water and milk to make Americano and Latte.
Front Street Coffee · Brazil Queen Estate Yellow Bourbon Coffee Beans
Region: Mogiana
Altitude: 1400–1950m
Variety: Yellow Bourbon
Processing Method: Pulped Natural
Flavor: Roasted nuts, creamy peanut, chocolate, caramel, cookies
Brazil has a relatively low altitude, flat and monotonous terrain, lacks microclimates, and is accustomed to using sun-drying methods to grow coffee trees, thus producing Brazil's unique soft-bean flavor. Through cupping Brazilian coffee beans from different regions, Front Street believes that Brazilian coffee beans have low acidity, moderate nuttiness, chocolatey sweetness, and a full body.
How does Front Street Coffee roast Front Street Brazil Queen Estate coffee beans?
Front Street Coffee uses a medium-dark roast for these Front Street Brazil Yellow Bourbon beans. Using a Yangjia 800N, with 550g bean input: preheat the machine to 200°C and add the beans, adjust the heat to 150, open the damper to 3, the turning point is 1'30", maintain the heat, turn yellow at 5'10", the grassy smell disappears, entering the dehydration stage, lower the heat to 125, open the damper to 3.5. At 8'20" dehydration is complete, wrinkles and dark spots appear on the bean surface, the toasted bread smell turns into coffee aroma, which is the prelude to first crack. When the temperature reaches 178°C, lower the heat to 80. At this time, pay attention to listening for the sound of first crack. First crack begins at 9'14", fully open the damper to 5. Post-first-crack development time is 3'00, and the beans are dropped at 201°C.
Front Street Coffee Brazil SOE extraction parameters:
Grinder: Pegasus 900N
Grind setting: 1.6
Pressure: 9 bar
Temperature: 90.5–96°C
Time: 28s
Dose: 20g (double espresso)
Yield: 40ml
Flavor and mouthfeel: Smooth mouthfeel, medium body, obvious creamy peanut aroma on entry, nutty and chocolate flavors, with a clear sweet aftertaste.
The Sidamo region is located in southern Ethiopia, extending east to the Arsi and Bale administrative zones and west to the Gamogofa administrative zone. Sidamo coffee is cultivated between 1400m and 2000m above sea level. The Sidamo region mostly uses the natural processing method for green coffee beans. Front Street believes that the natural processing method gives coffee beans from the Sidamo region a rich fruity aroma and a smooth mouthfeel.
Front Street Coffee · Ethiopia Sidamo Florid 8.0 Coffee Beans
Region: Guji Hambela
Altitude: 2300 meters
Variety: Local heirloom varieties
Processing Method: Natural processing
Flavor: Tropical fruit, strawberry, citrus, floral
How does Front Street Coffee roast Front Street Sidamo Florid coffee beans?
Front Street Coffee uses a medium-light roast for these Front Street Florid beans. Yangjia 800N, with 480g bean input: add the beans when the drum temperature reaches 175°C, open the damper to 3, heat at 120. When it rises to 140°C, open the damper to 4. Roast until 6'00'', at 151.7°C, the bean surface turns yellow, the grassy smell completely disappears, and dehydration is complete. When ugly wrinkles and dark spots appear on the bean surface, and the toasted bread smell clearly turns into coffee aroma, this can be defined as the prelude to first crack. At this time, listen carefully for the sound of first crack. First crack begins at 9'50'', fully open the damper, lower the heat to 80 at 188°C, post-first-crack development time is 1'40'', and the beans are dropped at 196°C.
Front Street Coffee Florid SOE extraction parameters:
Grinder: Pegasus 900N
Grind setting: 1.7
Pressure: 9 bar
Temperature: 90.5–96°C
Time: 30 s
Dose: 20g (double espresso)
Yield: 40ml
Flavor and mouthfeel: Medium acidity, medium-low bitterness, medium sweetness, syrupy mouthfeel, berry-like flavors, slight floral aroma, slight tea-like sensation, long aftertaste.
The above extraction parameters are for reference only. The condition of coffee beans is different every day. Whether using single-origin coffee beans or blended coffee beans to extract espresso, Front Street Coffee recommends dialing in espresso every day to ensure that each day's parameters can extract the best flavor from the coffee beans.
For more specialty coffee knowledge, please add Front Street Coffee's private WeChat ID: kaixinguoguo0925
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
