How Does Single-Origin Coffee Differ From Espresso?

The coffee world splits into two camps: single-origin coffee named after its region, such as Blue Mountain, Mandheling, Brazil, and Mamba, and Italian coffee built on espresso. Single-origin beans are brewed by methods like siphon and pour-over, while Italian styles such as cappuccino and latte start from a concentrated espresso base.

Blue Mountain comes from Jamaica's Blue Mountains, where new volcanic soil, year-round rain, wide day-night temperature swings, and afternoon cloud cover shape its aroma. The article also details espresso concentration standards and milk foam ratios, plus brewing points for siphon and pour-over, so the differences are clear whether the drink is made by hand or with an american coffee machine.

Faced with the dazzling array of coffee names on the menu, have you ever felt confused? Blue Mountain, Mandheling, Cappuccino, Latte—what exactly is the difference between these coffees? In fact, the coffee world is mainly divided into two major camps: single-origin coffee classified by region, and Italian coffee based on Espresso. This article will systematically sort out the origin stories and flavor characteristics of classic single-origin categories such as Blue Mountain, Mandheling, Brazil, and Mamba, explain in detail the key points of brewing methods such as siphon and pour-over, and deeply analyze the concentration standards, milk foam ratios, and production techniques of Italian coffee. Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned enthusiast, you can gain practical coffee knowledge from it.

When it comes to coffee, the wide variety of names on the market always makes people dizzy. For example, Mr. Brown Coffee first launched Blue Mountain and Mandheling, and later Cappuccino and Latte. What exactly is the difference between these coffees?

In fact, coffee can mainly be classified into two major categories: one is single-origin coffee named after its place of origin, such as Blue Mountain and Mandheling; the other is Italian coffee developed on the foundation of espresso.

I. Single-Origin Coffee

This type of coffee is usually named after coffee beans produced in a single region. Below is an introduction one by one:

1. Blue Mountain Coffee

Produced in the Blue Mountains of Jamaica. Its caffeine content is very low, even less than half that of coffee from other regions. The reason Blue Mountain coffee has a unique flavor is inseparable from the irreproducible geographical location and climatic conditions of Jamaica's Blue Mountain region.

Jamaica's Blue Mountain region has fertile new volcanic soil, and the air is clear and almost pollution-free. The area has abundant rainfall throughout the year and a significant temperature difference between day and night. In addition, every afternoon clouds and mist cover the entire peak of the Blue Mountains, blocking direct sunlight for the coffee trees while also bringing sufficient moisture. It is precisely these geographical conditions that create the globally unique taste and aroma of Blue Mountain coffee. It should be noted that not all coffee produced in the Blue Mountain region can be called "Blue Mountain Coffee." Only coffee grown in the Blue Mountain area at an altitude of 1,800 meters or above is qualified to be called "Blue Mountain Coffee."

Coffee beans produced in the lower-altitude Blue Mountain area can only be called "Jamaica High Mountain Coffee" due to differences in quality, and cannot use the name "Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee."

Even if the same Blue Mountain variety seedlings are transplanted to Hawaii, Kenya, Papua New Guinea, and other places with similar climates, the quality produced cannot be compared with true Blue Mountain coffee.

2. Mandheling Coffee

In addition to Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee, Mandheling coffee produced on the Indonesian island of Sumatra is also highly favored by Taiwanese consumers. According to research, "Mandheling" is actually the name of an ethnic group in Sumatra. The Sumatra region of Indonesia began growing coffee in the eighteenth century, but for a long time it did not attract outside attention. It was not until the 1950s that Japanese soldiers stationed there accidentally drank coffee produced in Sumatra and asked a coffee vendor for the name of the coffee. The vendor mistakenly thought the Japanese soldier was asking "what ethnic group are you," so he answered "Mandheling."

This anecdote gave Sumatra coffee a more widely known name—Mandheling. Japanese trading companies were the earliest major customers dealing in Mandheling coffee. Japanese merchants not only purchased Mandheling coffee produced on the island of Sumatra, but also carried out fine processing of Sumatra coffee. Sumatra Mandheling cultivated through Japan's meticulous production management process gained a new name—"Golden Mandheling."

The Golden Mandheling contracted by Japanese in the Lake Toba area uses purely manual harvesting to ensure quality, and then undergoes refined Japanese-style processing procedures, improving the quality of Sumatra Mandheling. In addition to the rich, rugged wild aroma that general Mandheling coffee should have, it also adds a touch of Japanese elegance. After repeated adjustments and efforts by a team of experts, top-grade Golden Mandheling coffee ultimately presents a more rounded, more fragrant, and fuller supreme taste. Mandheling belongs to dark-roasted coffee beans, with a rich, full-bodied, fragrant taste, and a moderate bittersweet flavor, with almost no acidity, making it an excellent choice for those who prefer strong-tasting coffee.

3. Brazil Coffee

The finest coffee selected from the coffee beans produced by Brazil, a major coffee bean exporter, is called Brazil coffee. Brazil coffee has a relatively noticeable acidity in its taste. Combined with the coffee's own bittersweet flavor, it is extremely smooth on the palate, with a faint grassy aroma. It is slightly bitter within its fresh aroma, sweet and smooth, and is a coffee most people can accept.

4. Mamba Coffee

Mamba coffee is made by blending Mandheling coffee and Brazil coffee in a ratio (Mandheling 2 to Brazil 1 or Mandheling 3 to Brazil 1). Mandheling is a dark-roasted coffee bean with a strong taste; Brazil coffee is light-roasted, with a neutral taste and slight acidity. Therefore, blending Mandheling and Brazil coffee beans can play a complementary role, having both the strong taste of Mandheling and the sweet, pure flavor of Brazil coffee.

These coffees mainly pursue the flavor of the single coffee bean itself. Different regions, different climates, different soils, different coffee tree varieties, and different green bean processing methods all affect the taste of coffee beans. Drinking single-origin coffee is precisely to taste the unique flavors of different producing regions. The brewing methods for this type of coffee usually include siphon, pour-over, American coffee machine, or French press, etc. A cup is about 120cc of coffee brewed with about ten grams of coffee grounds.

In early coffee shops in Taiwan, siphon coffee brewing was more common. During brewing, you can see the originally clean plain water in the lower pot being drawn up to the upper pot, and after a while you can see coffee turned brown flowing back into the lower pot, with a very dramatic visual effect. Control of the heat and the timing and technique of stirring are the keys to brewing good coffee.

Another commonly used brewing method is pour-over, which means first lining a filter cup with a layer of filter paper, then adding coffee grounds, and then pouring hot water over the coffee grounds using a gooseneck kettle. At this time, control of the water flow thickness directly affects whether the coffee tastes good. The action seems simple, but whether it is controlled well or poorly, the taste of the brewed coffee is worlds apart. Personally, I think pour-over tests brewing skills more than siphon.

II. Italian Coffee

The reason Italian coffee is called Italian is that espresso, this rapid coffee brewing method, was invented by Italians. In Italy, espresso is like our bubble tea, or even more like a daily necessity, because they may drink several cups a day to improve work efficiency—of course, if we drank a cup of bubble tea every day, we would definitely become terribly fat. The coffee beans used in Italian coffee are usually a blend of two or more types, mainly because Italians believe that a single coffee bean cannot have a balanced taste (on the other hand, it is also due to the brewing method), so they usually use a formula of three or more coffee beans to create a balanced-tasting Italian coffee bean blend. At present, the vast majority of Italian coffee on the market uses blended beans.

Italian coffee uses espresso as its base, and espresso is made with an espresso machine under 8–9 atmospheres of pressure, using water at about 85–95°C and 7 grams of coffee grounds to brew about 25–30cc of coffee in about 30 seconds.

There is considerable controversy regarding the amount of grounds; some believe 7 grams will over-extract and suggest using 14 grams. In any case, espresso is coffee of only about 30cc, with an extremely strong and powerful taste. Good espresso's flavor can last for tens of minutes without dissipating (of course, coffee brewed with a moka pot can also be called espresso; it is not limited to use with an espresso machine).

After adding more than 100cc of milk foam to the brewed espresso, it becomes about 150cc of coffee plus milk, which is the famous cappuccino.

When Italian coffee was introduced to the United States, in order to satisfy Americans' psychology of drinking large cups, the drink also had to be a big cup, so more milk was added, becoming today's latte seen everywhere—the word latte in Italian means milk. If espresso is added to hot water, it becomes what everyone calls Americano.

However, except for coffee enthusiasts, letting Americans drink only that tiny 30cc cup of coffee would probably not be satisfying enough, so their lattes are all very large, and even cappuccinos have become large. This has caused Italians recently to loudly call for cappuccino to be properly defined. The cappuccino specifications released by the Italian National Espresso Institute are: a cup of cappuccino should be only 150 milliliters, of which 120 milliliters of steam-heated milk is blended with 25 milliliters of espresso; the milk component must contain at least 3.2% protein and 3.5% fat, and the milk must be steam-heated to 55°C.

In addition, the knowledge of Italian coffee is profound. Just the coarseness of the coffee grounds alone can make you waste tens to hundreds of grams of coffee beans and valuable business hours. Whether the coarseness of the coffee grounds is handled well or not can make the taste of the brewed espresso take you between heaven and hell. Not to mention there are also the amount of grounds, brewing temperature, brewing pressure, tamping force, and tamping technique, and so on. There is a great deal to study. Perhaps this is where the fun of coffee lies.

Front Street Coffee recommendation: If you are a single-origin coffee lover, you might start with Blue Mountain or Golden Mandheling to experience the unique charm of different producing regions; if you prefer Italian flavor, Front Street's Italian blend formula has excellent balance and is suitable for making cappuccino and latte.

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