In contrast to traditional espresso blends, SOE (Single Origin Espresso) is espresso made from coffee beans of a single origin. With its novel concept and a flavor profile mainly featuring bright acidity, it has become a signature product in many coffee shops in recent years, and some friends also buy coffee beans to make SOE at home. Next, Front Street Coffee will discuss what coffee beans can be used to make SOE coffee.

The difference between SOE coffee and pour-over coffee

SOE coffee and pour-over coffee use different extraction methods. SOE is espresso extracted by a high-temperature, high-pressure espresso machine, which is pressure extraction. Pour-over coffee, on the other hand, is drip extraction, where hot water passes through the coffee grounds to release their substances.

When we make a cup of espresso, we force hot water under pressure through a compacted puck of coffee grounds. Since espresso is extracted in a very short extraction time, we use a finer grind and high-temperature water to allow the compounds in the coffee to be extracted quickly.

When making pour-over filtered coffee, in a normal-temperature, normal-pressure environment, we need to use more water so that the coffee grounds absorb enough water and, over a certain period of time, release the soluble aromatic substances in the coffee.

The extraction characteristics of SOE

 When we use blended coffee beans to make espresso, we mix coffee beans from different origins. As the roast level deepens, the flavor and mouthfeel tend to become balanced and rounded, and it is also more conducive to stable extraction. Returning to SOE, which presents origin flavors, the roast level is usually not too dark, so when extracting SOE with coffee beans roasted at a lighter level, the flavors are harder to extract. Therefore, extraction parameters need to be adjusted to increase the extraction yield, such as extending the extraction time, raising the water temperature, making the grind finer, and increasing the dose.

The roasting of all single-origin coffees must take into account presenting the unique regional flavor of the origin and the aroma of the coffee beans themselves, just as Yirgacheffe should have fresh and bright citrus and lemon acidity, and Blue Mountain coffee should have sweet dark chocolate and caramel aromas. Similarly, SOE must also express the flavor characteristics that the origin should have; otherwise, using single-origin coffee to make espresso becomes meaningless. If the roast is too dark, the flavors and aromas are easily masked by the heavy substances produced after roasting; if the roast is too light, it easily leads to under-extraction, resulting in sharp acidity and a thin taste.

Because espresso amplifies the flavors of coffee, for example, the bright, moderate acidity in pour-over coffee easily becomes sharp acidity in espresso, and the mellow mouthfeel of pour-over coffee becomes very bitter in espresso. Therefore, due to the different extraction methods, the roast level of the coffee beans will be adjusted. In other words, we can choose single-origin coffee beans with a moderate roast level, which not only show a rich layering in pour-over coffee but can also be made into SOE, amplifying the aroma of the beans.

What coffee beans are recommended for SOE?

The first prerequisite for a delicious cup of coffee is high-quality coffee beans, and the coffee beans selected for SOE should also be relatively high-quality single-origin coffee beans. Front Street Coffee's roasting philosophy is "freshly roasted good coffee," and we hope every customer can drink freshly roasted coffee beans full of aroma. All shipped coffee beans are freshly roasted within 5 days. Below, taking the coffees on Front Street Coffee's bean list as examples, we will introduce which coffee beans are suitable for making SOE.

1. Sun-dried Yirgacheffe Red Cherry coffee beans

This coffee bean originally shows very high sweetness and a strong fruity aroma when brewed as pour-over drip coffee. When used to extract espresso (the grind size needs to be adjusted), the crema on the surface is fine, the color tends toward pale yellow, and it smells of sweet berries. The sweet-and-sour berries and caramel give a clean mouthfeel. After adding steamed hot milk, it presents the sweetness of honey.

2. Honduras Whiskey Barrel Aged Sherry coffee beans

The medium roast level gives the coffee a roasted aroma while retaining the acidity of berries. The SOE made from it highlights vanilla cookies and whiskey aroma. When milk is added, it presents the smoothness of chocolate cream, with an aroma that hits the nose, and the overall mouthfeel is very soft. The Sunflower Warm Sun blend at Front Street Coffee's store is made from Sherry and Red Cherry coffee in a 7:3 ratio, perfectly blending whiskey aroma, fruity sweet-and-sour notes, and the smoothness of chocolate milk into one cup of coffee.

3. Costa Rica Musician Series Mozart coffee beans

The anaerobic honey process allows the coffee beans to retain the mucilage layer for sealed fermentation before drying, maximizing the sweetness of the coffee beans. This coffee shows rich rose aromas and the high sweetness of raisins when pour-over brewed. Extracted as SOE, it presents intense tropical fruit and fermented flavor notes.

4. Brazil Queen's Farm Yellow Bourbon coffee beans

If none of the above are the flavor types you like, you might as well take a look at this Queen's Farm coffee bean from Brazil, a major coffee country. The medium-dark roast level gives the coffee a rich aroma of nuts, cream, and peanuts, with a finish of sweet chocolate. The extracted SOE has a beautiful, rich crema, and it is also full of aroma when made into milk coffee.

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