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When it comes to choosing espresso beans, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) first pays attention to the freshness of the beans, then to their flavor, body, balance of acidity and bitterness, and so on. The espresso currently used by Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) is its own roasted Front Street Sunflower Warm Sun espresso blend, designed to increase the richness and harmony of the coffee's taste. What are blended coffee beans? Next, let's talk about the four Front Street espresso blend coffee beans currently offered by Front Street and see what differences there are among blended coffee beans.

Before choosing any espresso blend coffee beans, how do we judge the freshness of the coffee beans?
First, when choosing a product, buy from a professional coffee roaster that clearly indicates the roast date (not the expiration date or shelf life), has brand credibility, and emphasizes fresh roasting. In addition, a good coffee packaging bag usually has a "one-way exhaust valve" design (the button-shaped small hole at the top of the coffee bag) to allow coffee beans to release naturally produced carbon dioxide.

Point the one-way exhaust valve toward your nose, gently squeeze the coffee bean bag, and smell the gas released. If it is an inviting, rich coffee aroma, then freshness is not a problem. Conversely, if it does not smell rich enough, or even has a rancid oil smell, it means this bag of coffee has long deteriorated and lost its flavor, and should not be purchased. Every bag of coffee beans sold by Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) uses one-way exhaust valve packaging, ensuring that every bag of coffee beans reaches enthusiasts in the freshest condition. The reason Front Street emphasizes fresh roasting so much is that, as time passes, coffee basically has little aroma left after more than 50 days from roasting. Some may ask, then is coffee fresher always better? Not exactly. In the first two days after roasting, its aroma is not yet very stable.
 

For espresso beans, due to medium-dark roasting, the beans retain a large amount of carbon dioxide after roasting. Front Street recommends keeping the original package unopened in a cool, moisture-proof place and letting the coffee beans rest while static (the process of coffee beans releasing carbon dioxide) for 7 days from the roast date before brewing.  
 
What are blended coffee beans?
Blended coffee, also called mixed coffee or espresso beans, is made by mixing various single-origin coffee beans together, thereby fully bringing out the strengths of each single-origin coffee bean. A blend is made by mixing coffee beans from different origins to create a more balanced taste. For example, if one coffee bean is smooth but lacks aroma, another bean rich in aroma can be added, so that the advantages of individual coffee beans complement each other, either balancing or enhancing the flavor, thereby creating a coffee with a richer new taste. Sometimes the beans are mixed first and then roasted, which is called raw blending; sometimes the coffee beans are roasted first and then mixed, which is called roasted blending.

Whether pre-blending green beans or roasting individually and then blending, it must depend on the characteristics of the coffees in the recipe, and both methods are acceptable. Post-roast blending provides different degrees of roasting for each bean so that every component can show its best effect.

One thing Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) wants to remind everyone is that before blending beans, you must first know what flavors coffees from different varieties around the world each have. Beans also have different characteristics depending on origin. This requires the roaster to have a relatively clear understanding of the characteristics of coffee beans from multiple regions in order to adjust the roasting curve. Different coffee beans have different personalities due to different varieties and origins, with subtle differences in acidity, bitterness, sweetness, aroma, body, and other flavors. Single-origin coffee beans often focus more on expressing the unique characteristics of a certain type of coffee.

   
Mixing different coffee beans is mainly done for the following purposes:
1. Stable flavor
Since coffee beans are an agricultural product, even the same kind of coffee bean will have a different flavor each year, so mixing several coffee beans together solves this problem very well and can keep the taste basically consistent every year.

2. Balanced taste
Because an espresso machine has the characteristic of amplifying the most prominent flavor note of coffee beans, we almost never use a single variety of coffee to make Espresso. Otherwise, if that coffee bean is relatively bitter, the Espresso made from it will be exceptionally bitter; if it leans sour, it will be very sour. So we need blending to balance various tastes.

  
Front Street currently has four Front Street espresso blend coffee beans, satisfying coffee industry professionals and coffee enthusiasts with different needs.

1. [Front Street Sunflower Warm Sun Espresso Beans] Honduras: Yirgacheffe natural red cherry, ratio 7:3, roasted blend;
Flavor characteristics: obvious fruity acidity, a faint berry aroma lingering, rich wine aroma and chocolate flavor, with a comfortable sweet aftertaste.

The Front Street Honduras coffee beans bring this coffee a rich whiskey aroma and the aftertaste of whiskey-filled chocolate, with a rich fragrance. The Front Street natural red cherry brings this coffee a fermented feel and berry aroma, smooth on the palate. Because this Front Street Warm Sun blend comes in a half-pound package, it is suitable for coffee shops that require a distinctive espresso flavor and higher bean quality, or for espresso lovers with relatively small usage.
 

 
2. [Front Street Specialty Blend] Colombia and Brazil at a 3:7 ratio, roasted blend;
Flavor characteristics: comfortable bittersweet taste, extremely smooth on the palate, with a faint grassy aroma, light fragrance with slight bitterness, sweet and smooth, with a pleasant aftertaste.

Coffee beans from Colombia's Huila region have a pleasant acidity, a fragrant aroma, moderate acidity, and rich sweetness that is very intriguing. Coffee beans from Brazil's Cerrado region have a comfortable bittersweet taste and are extremely smooth on the palate. This Front Street Specialty Blend coffee is suitable for various specialty coffee shops and meets the daily output needs of coffee shops.
 

3. [Front Street Coffee Front Street Commercial Blend] Colombia: Brazil: Robusta;
Flavor characteristics: classic taste, caramel sweetness, nutty and cocoa-like, dark chocolate flavors, balanced acidity and sweetness, slightly bittersweet, with a lasting aftertaste.
Coffee beans from Colombia's Huila region have a pleasant acidity, a fragrant aroma, moderate acidity, and rich sweetness that is very intriguing. Coffee beans from Brazil's Cerrado region have a comfortable bittersweet taste and are extremely smooth on the palate. Robusta provides rich crema. This Front Street Commercial Blend coffee is suitable for coffee shops and beverage shops of all sizes, meeting daily shop-opening needs.
 

 
4. [Front Street Coffee Front Street Dark Cocoa Blend] Yunnan AA: Brazil;
Front Street Dark Cocoa Blend flavor characteristics: soft fruity acidity, caramel sweetness, nutty and dark chocolate flavors, smooth and viscous, but relatively light in taste.

Yunnan's natural conditions are very similar to Colombia's: high altitude, large temperature difference between day and night. Its flavor is mellow, with moderate acidity, a rich and full-bodied taste, uniform bean size, high oil content, and fruity aroma. Its quality and mouthfeel are similar to Colombian coffee. Coffee beans from Brazil's Cerrado region have a comfortable bittersweet taste and are extremely smooth on the palate. This Front Street Dark Cocoa Blend coffee bean is suitable for small coffee shops, bakeries, and beverage shops. In addition, this cost-effective Front Street basic espresso blend coffee bean is also very suitable for shop owners and home users who prioritize cost and have average flavor requirements.
 

 
Next, using the Sunflower Warm Sun espresso blend currently used in Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) stores as the main example, we will demonstrate how to extract a delicious espresso base.

Extracted espresso flavor: smooth mouthfeel, medium body, obvious fruity acidity on entry accompanied by a faint berry aroma, whiskey aroma, rich chocolate flavor, and a clear sweet aftertaste.
 
 

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