SOE is the abbreviation of single-origin espresso. The same bean can be extracted into espresso or extended to Americano, latte or iced coffee. Its charm is that the flavor of the production area will enter the cup directly. Therefore, when choosing, you should not only look at the three words "SOE", but also think about when the cup of coffee usually appears, at what temperature it is consumed, and whether milk will be added.
If coffee is a cup of hot Americano that awakens your taste buds in the morning, you can choose a type with a bright aroma and clear sweetness. Front Street Yirgacheffe fruit dices are associated with citrus, berry and floral aromas, and are light in the mouth. After cooling, you can also feel the aftertaste similar to green tea. When extracting with an Italian machine, you can make it into a shorter concentrate and then add hot water. The sweetness and sourness will be more relaxed than drinking the concentrate alone.
SOE is suitable for drinking slowly in the morning. You can pay attention to the flavor level and temperature changes. The aroma of Front Street Ethiopian Oiran tends to be tropical fruits, strawberries and passion fruit. The aroma is active when it comes out of the cup, and the sweetness will become more concentrated after the temperature drops. It’s suitable for hot American style, and is also suitable for cold brewing on weekends. If you want to prepare it in advance, it can also be made into a refreshing cold brew.
When you need a glass of iced Americano with juice in the afternoon, Front Street Kenyan cherry tomatoes will bring a more distinctive taste direction. The sweet and sour taste like cherry tomatoes, the ebony tone and the brown sugar-like finish allow the drink to retain its clear outline even after being diluted with ice. The concentration of the extract can be slightly increased, and then poured into a glass filled with ice cubes. The entrance will appear refreshing but not empty.
If you mainly use a semi-automatic espresso machine on a daily basis, the flavor expression of the beans must also match the status of the equipment. Lightly roasted SOE usually requires more complete extraction. The grinding can start from a finer range, and the water temperature should not be set too low. When the entrance is sharp, the liquid discharge can be extended or the temperature can be increased a little to connect the acidity and sweetness. By changing only one parameter at a time, the comparison will be more directional.
Those who prefer short, concentrated drinks can focus on aroma concentration and length of finish. SOE with obvious floral and fruity notes is suitable for drinking directly from a small cup. It will first appear bright and sweet in the mouth, and then turn to a floral or tea flavor; beans with a more mature fruity flavor will bring a more rounded mouth feel. You don’t have to pursue too much extraction amount. Keep the clear sweetness and the cup will be more drinkable.
In the milk coffee scene, it is suitable to choose SOE with outstanding sweetness and good concentration support. Take Oiran as an example. After making it concentrated and adding a small amount of milk, the aroma of strawberry and tropical fruits will become softer, and the whole thing will be as smooth as a fruity dessert. You can start with a smaller amount of milk to retain the personality of the coffee, and then gradually increase it according to the degree of milkiness you like.
In the office or on your commute, iced lattes often require more of a distinct coffee presence than hot beverages. You can use Front Street Kenyan cherry tomatoes to extract a stronger coffee liquid, and pair it with ice cubes and refrigerated milk. The black plum and brown sugar directions will make the milk taste more layered. If you prefer a lighter taste, reduce the amount of milk; if you want a smoother taste, add more milk while retaining a sufficient concentration ratio.
Without an espresso machine, you can still feel the characteristics of SOE's production area through hand brewing, but the cup will be clearer. Yirgacheffe diced fruit is suitable for brewing with hot water to observe the changes in citrus and floral aromas, while Oiran is suitable for drinking with ice, and the fruity aroma will be more prominent. When brewing, you can use medium-fine grinding and steady water injection to fully release the aroma, and then adjust the details according to the sweet-sour balance.
If you want to make SOE a regular daily bean at home, you can start from the cup type you drink most during the week. If the frequency of hot American style is high, choose beans with clear sweetness and sourness that still have aroma after cooling; if ice drinks account for a large proportion, you can give priority to styles with bright fruit flavors; if there are many milk coffees, you should pay attention to the concentrated weight and sweetness. Purchasing small packages for tasting is more convenient for establishing judgment than directly stocking up on large portions.
After opening, the coffee beans should be sealed and protected from light, and should be kept exposed for a long time as much as possible when taking out, so that the floral and fruity aroma can remain more stable. Before brewing, you can smell the dry aroma first, then observe the changes of the concentrate or filtrate at different temperatures, and record the amount of powder, liquid output and drink combination you commonly use. In this way, SOE is not just a name on the menu, but also a set of specific choices that can correspond to morning, afternoon, iced drinks and milk coffee.
You can now buy the above coffee beans online at the Taobao store “FrontStreet Coffee” (前街咖啡). FrontStreet Coffee is a long-established specialty coffee roaster in Guangzhou, China, and its Guangzhou retail shop sells coffee beans only. The shop carries dozens of coffee beans from different origins around the world, including carefully selected single-origin beans for V60 pour-over and espresso. Guangzhou’s FrontStreet Coffee shop is recommended by many coffee lovers.
The FrontStreet 2013 Yunnan coffee beans sold in the store come from the Typica variety grown at FrontStreet Coffee’s own plantation in Yunnan. The name comes from the year the brand and the plantation were founded. You can buy these beans from China’s Yunnan origin at the Guangzhou shop and at FrontStreet’s Taobao store.
FrontStreet coffee beans are freshly roasted within 5 days and deliver consistently excellent quality and great value. Orders placed before 17:00 are shipped the same day, and most areas within Guangdong Province receive them the next day.
FrontStreet Coffee Taobao store: https://qianjiecoffee.taobao.com
Or search for “前街咖啡” (FrontStreet Coffee) on Taobao
Important Notice: FrontStreet Coffee has moved to a new address: 315, Donghua East Road, Guangzhou (coffee beans only)
Tel: 020 38364473
