When we often order coffee at cafés, many baristas will recommend, “Would you like to try our SOE?” Some customers who come to Front Street Coffee for coffee also take the initiative to ask whether SOE coffee is available. The so-called “SOE” is Single Origin Espresso, referring to espresso made from single-origin coffee beans.
The origin of SOE?
Literally understood, SOE is meant to be distinguished from House Blend Espresso. Roasters select coffee beans from different origins and with different flavors, blend them for roasting (or roast them separately and then blend them in proportion), and use them to make espresso with a rich, balanced flavor and mouthfeel. Back to our SOE: using coffee beans from a single origin is intended to highlight the unique taste of that region, such as the floral and fruity aroma of Front Street Yirgacheffe SOE, the nutty and chocolatey sweetness of Front Street Colombia Huila Coffee SOE...
What are the characteristics of SOE?
Since we know that SOE is coffee from a single origin, if high-grade beans from that region are used, along with suitable roasting and extraction parameters, the brewed coffee can fully present the flavor characteristics of that origin. For example, the full, juicy acidity of Kenyan coffee, the rich, creamy, chocolatey smoothness of Brazilian coffee, and the floral and citrus notes of Ethiopian coffee.
Whether it is espresso blend coffee beans or single-origin espresso coffee beans, they must go through the high temperature and high pressure of an espresso machine, and the flavor of the extracted espresso will be greatly amplified—that is, acidity will become more acidic, and bitterness will become more bitter.
To showcase the “individuality” of SOE, the quality of the coffee beans must be guaranteed to a certain extent, and the defect rate cannot be too high. The roast level and extraction must take into account the unique flavor characteristics of the origin, which places technical demands on both roasters and baristas. If the roast is too dark, espresso can easily end up with only bitter and astringent notes, and aromatic substances cannot be expressed; if the roast is too light, the requirements for coffee extraction increase, and once the grind size and extraction parameters are not properly controlled, the flavor of SOE espresso can easily be thin, and when made into milk coffee it will be even more “coffee-less.”
Therefore, Front Street recommends not choosing extremely darkroastedor extremely lightroastedsingle-origin coffee beans to make SOE, to avoid producing a harsh mouthfeel and thereby bringing an unpleasant flavor experience. If you don’t know how to choose, you might find the answer from the following three types:
When we encounter pour-over single-origin coffee, we can find that the flavor profile of coffee beans can mainly be divided into three types: acidic, bitter, and fermented flavors. SOE coffee beans are also based on the above flavor profiles, and we can choose according to our own preferences and needs.
1. Fresh fruity acidity: Front Street Colombia Sidra SOE
This Front Street Sidra SOE comes from the famous Huila region of Colombia, produced by Finca La Divisa. This place is close to a volcanic zone, which gives the coffee a rich aroma. The ripe coffee cherries undergo double anaerobic natural processing and are medium roasted, allowing the floral and fruity notes to unfold to the greatest extent. When made into espresso, it will have obvious flavors of blueberry juice, passion fruit, and ripe grapes, with the sweet-tart sensation of apricot;
Front Street Colombia Sidra SOE Coffee Beans
Region: Colombia, Huila
Farm: Finca La Divisa
Altitude: 1700m
Processing method: Double anaerobic natural
Variety: Sidra
Flavor: Passion fruit, grapes, berries, apricot, dried fruit
2. Fermented fruity wine flavor
To make the flavor extracted from SOE coffee more vivid, it is recommended to choose coffee beans with ripe fruit flavors, which can make it easier for us to taste a sweet fermented sensation like fruit wine.
Front Street Costa Rica Blackberry Coffee Beans
Region: Costa Rica, Tarrazú
Farm: Palon Processing Plant
Altitude: 1700m
Variety: Caturra
Processing method: Black honey processing
Flavor: Grape juice, blueberry, floral, fermented notes
During the depulping stage of honey processing, coffee farmers can freely adjust the amount of mucilage retained according to the desired degree of fermentation. Because mucilage is rich in sugar, the more mucilage is retained, the darker the coffee beans will be after drying. Black honey has the highest mucilage retention among the four, with almost no mucilage removed, and it takes the longest to dry, generally requiring more than 14 days of sun drying. Therefore, coffee processed with black honey has a very rich flavor and an especially abundant sweetness.
3. Rich, full-bodied bitterness
Perhaps some friends feel that SOE coffee made from the above two types at Front Street is not “coffee-flavored” enough, so rich, full-bodied coffee beans should suit you. For example, Front Street Brazil Queen Farm Coffee Beans are very representative.
Front Street Brazil Queen Farm Coffee Beans
Region: Mogiana
Farm: Fazenda Rainha
Altitude: 1400—1950m
Variety: Yellow Bourbon
Processing method: Natural processing
Flavor: Cream, peanut, cane sugar, nuts, chocolate
Unlike many commercial beans produced on a large scale locally in Brazil, Fazenda Rainha mainly produces specialty-grade coffee beans and uses the excellent Yellow Bourbon variety. Through natural processing, Front Street Brazil Queen Farm Coffee not only has rich creamy, peanut, and nutty flavors, but also has an extremely high sweet cane-sugar aftertaste. Made into SOE, it has a rich and mellow coffee aroma and a flavor profile with a pronounced finish.
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The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
