For more knowledge about specialty coffee, please follow the WeChat public account: FrontStreet Coffee
When you drink fancy coffee, where does the taste of coffee come from? It actually comes from our espresso. The high-pressure and fast coffee extraction method is called Espresso. It refers to a coffee making method. The coffee made by this method is calledEspresso。
Although espresso is not as old as wine, it has also been sought after by fans from all over the world, from Italy, to the entire Europe, and then to the whole world. It can be said that it has ridden the second wave of coffee and has become the most produced coffee drink in the world today. Since then, espresso has become a classic representative of Italy, capturing the hearts of generations.

espressoWhat coffee beans are used for extraction?
espressoIt is usually made with blended coffee beans, but in recent years it has been discovered that the purpose of using single-origin coffee beans isespressoGradually becoming a popular trend, that is, the SOE mentioned in the title.
SOE coffee is Single Origin Espresso, which means single-origin espresso. In the coffee brewing process, only coffee beans from the same production area are used for brewing. The opposite of SOE is Espresso Blend (espresso blend), which refers to the coffee brewing process using coffee beans from multiple production areas.

Whether it is Espreeso or SOE, they all refer toItalian espresso, by grinding coffee into extremely fine powder, then filling it into a tight "cake shape", and then using 9-10bar pressure and high-temperature hot water above 90 degrees Celsius to extract extremely concentrated coffee liquid with a powder-to-liquid ratio of 1:2 in tens of seconds.
The difference is that the Espresso commonly found in coffee shops is extracted from medium-dark roasted blended coffee beans, while SOE specifically refers to the espresso liquid extracted from light-medium coffee beans from a single origin. FrontStreet Coffee believes that the biggest difference between the two is that espresso coffee that uses blended coffee beans and is properly extracted will be mellower and more solid in taste and overall flavor, rich and sweet without being burnt or bitter.

The characteristic of blending coffee beans is that the barista understands the coffee beans from various production areas, and then uses different proportions to blend the flavor of a coffee bean with a balanced flavor, thereby reducing the instability of single-origin coffee beans during the extraction process.
The coffee liquid extracted from coffee beans from a single origin (single origin) will have a more prominent flavor, with obvious sweetness and sourness. However, due to the need to highlight the coffee flavor, most coffee shops use light-medium roasted coffee beans. Due to the short roasting time, the coffee does not form much mellow substance. If it is extracted quickly in a high-pressure environment, the SOE taste will be slightly thin. At the same time, because as a crop, the flavor will be affected by the terroir and climate every year, so it cannot have a long-term stable flavor.

Does SOE necessarily taste better?
Not necessarily! The espresso made from the two types of coffee beans has its own characteristics. If you like to drink espresso that is not sour, FrontStreet Coffee recommends that you choose blended coffee beans. If you want to drink espresso with rich flavor and taste, you can choose espresso made from single-origin coffee beans.
Some baristas will tell you: Our latte is made with coffee beans blended from SOE beans! This statement is not standard. SOE beans are single-origin coffee beans, and blended beans are beans that are blended together with two or more single-origin coffee beans. Since they are blended beans, they cannot be called SOE beans. There is no such conflicting term as SOE blended beans.

If a barista says this, he may be trying to make a splash and use the reputation of SOE to increase the value of his coffee; or he may not understand SOE well enough. Maybe he just wants to tell you that his blended beans are all Arabica beans, without Robusta beans, but can’t Robusta beans be single-origin beans? Can’t the espresso made with Robusta beans be called SOE? Obviously it can!
SOE, which became popular in 2007, has gradually matured in 2010. North American consumers have become accustomed to going to cafes to order a cup of seasonal single-origin espresso (Single Origin Espresso), and the influence of SOE has gradually spread. The popularity of SOE has made people realize that as long as there are good enough beans, the Italian coffee recipe does not need to be complicated. Through simple and clever combinations, complementation and cross-fertilization effects can often be achieved, and the effect of one plus one equals three, or even equals five!

whySOE coffeeSo popular?
The popular Italian bean recipe that consumers love is getting simpler. The popularity of simple recipes means that consumers have been able to accept the concept that "good coffee is a seasonal product." The small number of components means that each replacement of "parts" will cause a great change in the overall flavor performance.
The stability and consistency of taste is no longer the primary consideration, the consistency of "concept" is the focus. The roasting methods for making SOE coffee beans are very different from those for making Pour over(V60) coffee beans. This is the pursuit of roasting skills, and it is also the further pursuit of fine coffee, because coffee beans that can be roasted by SOE must have many characteristics and advantages. But of course, don’t misunderstand that blended coffee beans are not good.

How to make a cup of SOE coffee?
this timeSOE coffee showcaseMade with Front Street Dingding coffee beans from Ethiopia, Africa, this single-origin bean has a distinct tea feel when used in Pour over(V60) coffee, and the fullness of berry juice is unforgettable.

Front Street Guodingding Cooperative washed coffee beans
Origin: Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia
Cooperative: Guodingding Cooperative
Breed: Ethiopian native species
Planting altitude: 2000m
Treatment method: washing treatment
Front Street Guodingding SOE espresso extraction parameters: 20g of extremely finely ground coffee powder extracts 40g of espresso liquid, and the extraction time is 30 seconds.
Coffee beans: Front Street Guodingding Cooperative
Amount of coffee powder: 20g
Coffee liquid volume: 40g
Powder to liquid ratio: 1:2
Extraction time: 25~30 seconds
Grinding scale: Galileo 1.6 grid

The coffee machine used by Front Street has a double powder bowl capacity, which requires 20 grams of coffee powder each time. The extracted powder-to-liquid ratio is 1:2, which means 40 grams of coffee liquid can be produced in a reasonable time. The extraction time is related to the flow rate of the coffee powder. Generally, the single extraction time will be controlled between 20 and 35 seconds. If it is less than 20 seconds, the coffee will easily taste thin and bland, and if it exceeds 35 seconds, it will easily over-extract and cause the coffee to have a burnt and bitter taste. Therefore, Front Street will control the espresso time within the range of 26 to 32 seconds.
Before extraction, we need to dry the powder bowl first, turn on the grinder, grind out a double portion of coffee powder, place it on an electronic scale and measure the increase or decrease until it weighs 20 grams. Then use a powder spreader to spread the coffee powder, and use the tamper to press vertically downward to fill the coffee powder cake tightly to ensure more stable coffee extraction.

Then turn on the extraction switch and let in water for 1 to 2 seconds to moisten the brewing head and take away the coffee grounds stuck on it. Place an electronic scale under the cup where the Espresso is connected, return the weight to 0, and place it under the brewing head during extraction.
Gently snap the handle onto the brewing head and start turning down the extraction switch. Observe the changes in the extraction liquid. When the electronic scale shows that 40 grams of coffee liquid has been extracted, and the time is about 30 seconds, pull down the extraction switch.

Flavor description of SOE espresso coffee: medium acidity, medium-low bitterness, medium-low sweetness, sticky taste, berry juice flavor, slightly obvious tea feeling, and a long aftertaste.
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