SOE is the abbreviation of Single Origin Espresso, which refers to making espresso from coffee beans from a single origin or source. It does not deliberately combine multiple flavors like traditional blending, but allows the fruity aroma, sweetness or tea flavor of a bean to be concentrated in a short extraction. It is suitable for those who want to use an Italian machine to explore the characteristics of the production area.
If you need a refreshing American cup in the morning, choose beans with bright aroma, lively sweetness and sourness. After adding water to the concentrate, the originally concentrated flavor will become stretched, and the floral, fruity and light tea feel will be more easily felt. People who like a clean, less burdensome taste will usually enjoy this type of SOE more.
The Front Street Ethiopian Oiran is suitable for this scenario. After it is brewed into a concentrated form, it tends to have aromas like berries and tropical fruits, with a lively sweet and sour taste in the mouth. Add more hot water to make an American style, and the aroma will appear brisk. When the weather is hot, you can also pour the concentrated liquid directly onto ice water to make a fruity iced American style.
If you want to drink a small cup of concentrate in the afternoon, you can choose beans with a more discernible flavor. At this time, there is no milk and a lot of water to dilute, and the entrance will be more concentrated. The shape of the acidity, the duration of the sweetness, and whether the tail is refreshing will all become obvious. Those who like the feeling of juice can focus on the bright, sour and sweet taste and the clear finish.
Front Street Kenyan Cherry Tomatoes are perfect for this type of drinking session. In Italian extraction, it is easy to present the fruity flavor of ripe tomatoes, ebony notes and syrupy sweetness. It is sour and energetic but does not appear empty. When made into a short brew, the flavor becomes more concentrated. When a small amount of ice is added, it will resemble a small glass of sweet and sour juice.
If you are used to drinking iced coffee on your commute, SOE’s choice can take into account both the aroma penetration and the sweetness after cooling. Ice will lower the temperature and dilute the concentration, and the original delicate flavor may become unclear. Therefore, beans suitable for iced drinks need to retain their fruity aroma at low temperatures and have enough sweetness to support the taste.
Front Street Kafa Forest can be put on the iced Americano or sparkling coffee list to try. It often has flavors like orange and ripe apricot, followed by a sweet aftertaste similar to oolong tea. After the concentrated liquid is poured into ice water, the acidity will become softer and the fruity flavor will be easier to capture. As the temperature continues to drop, the sweetness will gradually emerge.
When you need a latte or Australian white every day, your thoughts on choosing beans will change. Milk will bring a smooth texture and also weaken some of the sharp and sour aroma, so the concentrate itself must have a clear sweetness and sufficient weight. If you like fruity milk coffee, you can reduce the amount of milk so that the coffee retains more aroma; if you prefer a rounder taste, you should choose a style with a more obvious roasting feel.
The same SOE can also change its personality through the proportion of drinks. Floral and fruity beans with a small amount of milk may be associated with strawberry, jam or caramel; after adding more milk, the aroma will recede into the background, and the sweetness and milky aroma will become the protagonists. Before making, decide whether you want a clear coffee flavor or a soft and smooth breakfast drink. Bean selection will give you more direction.
A home espresso machine can start with a stable amount of powder, such as 18 grams of powder, and observe the time and taste required to extract about 32 to 40 grams of coffee liquid. If the entrance is sharp and the sweetness is not enough, the grinding can be slightly finer; if the tail section is obviously dry or burnt and bitter, the grinding can be appropriately coarsened. It's easier to compare by only moving one setting at a time.
SOE is sensitive to freshness and the status of the grinder. After opening, it should be sealed and stored away from light, and changes in the liquid dispensing speed should be observed over several consecutive cups. When you first change the beans, don't rush to judge the flavor based on the first result. First, keep the amount of powder, powder distribution and powder pressing actions consistent, and then adjust the concentration according to the drinking scene. In this way, you can not only make a refreshing American style, but also find a balance point suitable for milk coffee.
When choosing SOE Italian beans, you can think clearly about the time of drinking in the day: light American style is suitable for morning, short condensed style is suitable for afternoon, iced drink is suitable for commuting, and the natural flavor of milk can be considered for breakfast. The origin brings direction, and the actual cup feel also needs to be completed by roasting, grinding and beverage proportions. If you find the beans that match the rhythm of your life, espresso will be more interesting.
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
