Which Blended Coffee Beans Work for Espresso?

Blended coffee beans are two or more single-origin coffees combined in a set ratio, and they are the usual base for espresso. Most espresso drinks, including lattes and cappuccinos, use blends because combining origins balances sweetness, body, and acidity. Single-origin espresso, or SOE, uses one origin instead.

Roasting can happen before or after blending. Pre-blend roasting roasts the mixed beans together; post-blend roasting roasts each origin separately and combines them afterward. Common builds include arabica bean and robusta blends for crema and body, 100% arabica blends for clarity, and single-origin SOE. Blends are typically taken to a medium-dark roast.

Many coffee enthusiasts are unclear about the difference between espresso coffee and single-origin coffee, and do not know which coffee beans are suitable for making espresso. This article, from Front Street's perspective, will systematically explain the definition of espresso beans, the roasting methods for blended beans (pre-blend and post-blend), the design principles of blending ratios, and the characteristics of three types: Arabica and Robusta blends, 100% Arabica blends, and single-origin espresso SOE. At the same time, the article will introduce several popular espresso blend beans from Front Street Coffee to help readers make choices based on their own taste preferences. Whether you are a beginner just getting into espresso or an advanced player hoping to delve deeper into the art of blending, you can gain practical knowledge and reference from it.

There may be quite a few people who already know about coffee beans, yet are unclear that coffee beans are also divided into two major categories: espresso and single-origin. In fact, it is not hard to understand—the coffee we drink daily, such as lattes, all falls under the category of espresso coffee, and the coffee beans used must match it accordingly; not just any coffee bean can handle the making of espresso coffee. People often ask Front Street: exactly what kind of coffee beans are suitable for making espresso coffee? And how should single-origin coffee beans be understood?

You might as well listen to Front Street's explanation, and perhaps you will suddenly see the light.

So-called espresso coffee beans refer to coffee beans specifically used to make espresso. Steam pressure extraction equipment was invented by Italians, and the concentrated coffee made with a steam pressure coffee machine is espresso. Drinks such as lattes and cappuccinos are all based on Espresso, then combined with milk, sugar, or other ingredients. Espresso is produced by an espresso machine, so coffee made with Espresso as the base is usually collectively called espresso coffee. The beans used to make Espresso are, in most cases, several coffee beans from different origins mixed in a specific ratio, and this type of coffee bean is also called blended coffee beans. Of course, nowadays there is also Espresso made from single-origin coffee beans, such as Single Original Espresso, or SOE.

Blended beans usually use a medium-dark roast. Blended beans are sometimes first mixed and then roasted, a practice called pre-blend; sometimes they are first roasted separately and then mixed after completion, which is called post-blend. Whether pre-blend or post-blend is used, before blending the beans, it is necessary to first understand what flavors different varieties of coffee each have, and what different characteristics coffee beans from different origins have. Different coffee beans show different personalities due to differences in variety and origin, with subtle differences in flavor aspects such as acidity, bitterness, sweetness, aroma, and body. In order to create a more ideal blend, the roaster must not only thoroughly grasp the characteristics of the coffee beans, but also possess superb roasting skills, so producing an excellent blend is quite difficult.

Coffee beans are an agricultural product, and even coffee beans of the same variety may have flavor changes from year to year. Therefore, Front Street believes that mixing several kinds of coffee beans together can solve this problem well and keep the taste basically stable each year. At the same time, it also requires choosing major coffee-producing countries, so as to ensure the supply of coffee beans.

According to the producing country, region, and type of coffee beans, espresso coffee beans can be divided into three types: Arabica + Robusta blends, 100% Arabica blends, and single-origin espresso SOE.

Arabica + Robusta blend: adding Robusta beans during the blending process can improve body, enrich crema, and reduce cost. Therefore, this blending method is extremely common and is a mainstream practice.

100% Arabica blend: generally speaking, Arabica is a higher-quality variety than Robusta, with a more elegant flavor profile and more complex flavors, so a 100% Arabica blend is theoretically better in flavor and also more expensive. However, we cannot simply judge the quality of beans by species, because there are far too many factors affecting coffee beans (producing country, region, processing method, roasting, etc.), so naturally there are also lower-quality Arabica beans and high-quality Robusta beans.

FrontStreet Coffee has several popular espresso blend beans. If you like a rich and full-bodied taste, Front Street Basic Espresso Blend, Front Street Specialty Espresso Blend, Front Street Commercial Espresso Blend, and Front Street Classic Espresso Blend coffee beans are recommended; if you like coffee with floral and fruity notes, it is suggested to buy Front Street Strawberry Candy espresso coffee beans.

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