Espresso coffee has a thicker texture and rich oil than drip coffee, and making high-quality espresso coffee is inseparable from good quality coffee.espresso beansGenerally speaking, Italian coffee beans are chosen to blend coffee from several origins to achieve a balanced flavor. FrontStreet Coffee will introduce you to several Italian blended coffees.
What is a coffee blend?
Blend coffee, also known as blended coffee and espresso beans, is to mix various single-origin coffee beans together to fully bring out the advantages of various single-origin coffee beans. The blended beans are mixed from coffee beans from different origins to create a more balanced taste. For example, if a kind of coffee bean is smooth but lacks aroma, you can add another bean with rich aroma. The advantages of individual coffee beans can be used to complement each other and complement or enhance the taste, thereby creating a new and richer taste of coffee. Sometimes the beans are mixed first and then roasted, which is called raw blending; sometimes the coffee beans are roasted and then mixed, which is called cooked blending.
Whether it is pre-mixed green beans, or individually roasted and then blended. Both methods are acceptable depending on the characteristics of the coffee in the recipe. Post-roast blending provides a different degree of roasting for each bean so that each ingredient brings out the best in it.
Before mixing beans, you must first know the flavors of different varieties of coffee around the world. Beans have different characteristics depending on where they are produced. Different coffee beans have different personalities due to different varieties and origins. There are subtle differences in sour, bitter, sweet, aroma, mellow and other flavors. Single-origin coffee beans often focus on showing the unique characteristics of a certain type of coffee. Blended beans are mostly used in Italian coffee such as Espresso, Americano, Latte or Cappuccino. The taste of coffee is more balanced, smoother and more stable. It can be said that the taste is more popular.
Mixing different coffee beans mainly serves the following purposes:
1. Stable flavor
Since coffee beans are a type of crop, even the same kind of coffee beans will have different flavors from year to year, so blending several coffee beans together solves this problem and keeps the taste basically the same every year.
2. Balance the taste
Since an espresso machine has the characteristic of amplifying the most prominent flavor characteristics of the coffee beans, we almost never use a single variety of coffee to make Espresso. Otherwise, if the coffee beans are bitter, the Espresso will be extremely bitter, and if it is too sour, it will be very sour. So we need to balance the flavors through blending.
Blending coffee is by no means a simple addition. Instead, it is hoped that through the blender's unique understanding of coffee flavor, different coffee beans can complement each other's strengths and weaknesses, and blend Italian coffee beans with excellent flavor. So how do you make a coffee blend recipe?
1. Clarify the purpose of blending
Reduce costs
Some cafes will use lower-quality coffee beans mixed with better-quality coffee beans to reduce costs and increase sales profits.
Create long-term stable flavor
We have to admit that coffee is an agricultural product. Different production seasons in the same production area or even different batches within a year will produce different flavors. The disadvantages of a single origin are exposed here. You cannot confidently guarantee that you will be able to drink coffee from a single origin next year that tastes good this year (except for coffee beans that are processed in a way that dominates the coffee flavor, and other factors between the origin and the cafe will also cause the coffee beans you buy to taste different from the past).
So one of the purposes of blending is to create a product that can be supplied for a long time and has a long-term flavor stability. When the quality of one of the coffee beans cannot meet the requirements or changes in the new production season, you can find similar coffee beans to replace them to achieve the purpose of stability.
Create flavors that cannot be produced by a single coffee bean
Sometimes coffee beans from a single origin are like a person, with both strengths and weaknesses, and blending is like organizing a team to use their strengths to make up for each other's weaknesses, so as to achieve the effect of complementing each other.
It's like using a coffee bean with a higher sweetness and a coffee bean with a higher acidity to achieve a sweet-sour balance, or adding a certain amount of Brazilian beans to the coffee beans to improve the overall body. These are the purposes of blending.
2. Determine the target flavor
Once we have determined the purpose, the next step is to determine the target flavor of the blended coffee beans. Only by clarifying the goal can we know where we need to start. At the same time, it also tests the blender’s understanding of the existing coffee beans and the flavor of the coffee producing areas.
When FrontStreet Coffee was blending the Front Street Sunflower Warm Italian Blend coffee beans, we were very clear about blending beans with a wine aroma, so we could immediately include Front Street Honduran Sherry Barrels, Front Street Honduran Lychee Orchid, and Front Street Colombia San Jose coffee beans that are fermented in wine barrels and have obvious wine aromas on the blending candidate list. After many attempts, as well as factors such as cost-effectiveness, we finally settled on Front Street Honduran sherry barrels as the main tone of Front Street Sunflower Warm Sun blended coffee beans.
3. Determine the blending type
Generally, we call "blending first and then baking" as "raw blending", and "baking and then blending" is called "cooked blending". In fact, these two types have their own advantages and disadvantages, and there is no right to say which one is better. You can choose the type that suits you based on its characteristics.
The advantage of Shengpin is that the same roasting level can be used to make the coffee stable and uniform. Secondly, it can reduce the number of roastings, and it can be roasted in one time, which improves efficiency. The same roasting level can also greatly reduce the difficulty of quality control (for the same roasting, you can only focus on one bean raising date, while Shengpin is prone to several blending combinations of beans with different roasting dates, resulting in taste differences.)
At the same time, the shortcomings of raw blending are also very obvious. The limitations of raw blending are very large. Generally, raw blending recommends several beans with relatively close coffee bean densities. For example, if a coffee bean suitable for light roasting and a coffee bean suitable for dark roasting are mixed and roasted together to the same roasting level, a situation of 1+1<1 will easily occur, which will not only lose the wife, but also lose the soldier, and the gain outweighs the gain.
The advantage of cooked roasting is that each bean can be roasted according to its optimal roasting degree, maximizing the characteristics of each bean. FrontStreet Coffee adopts a ripe blending method when roasting Front Street Sunflower Warm Italian Blend coffee beans, roasting Front Street Honduran Sherry Barrel coffee beans and Front Street Sun-dried Yirgacheffe Red Cherry Plan separately to maximize the wine aroma of Front Street Sherry Barrel coffee beans and retain as much as possible the fruity sour tones and citrus berry aroma of the other Front Street Sun-dried Yirgacheffe. The adjusted Eggshell value for Front Street Sun-Dried Yirgacheffe is 58.4, and the Eggshell value for Front Street Sherry Cask Blend is 50.8.
However, the disadvantages of cooked coffee beans are as mentioned above. Daily quality control and management will be more difficult. Inconsistent roasting dates require more attention to the bean-raising period. Imagine using 4 to 5 coffee beans to make cooked coffee beans. For this product, you need to pay attention to 4 to 5 roasting dates.
4. Determine the blending ratio
The final blending requires determining the blending ratio, which is also a very important step. FrontStreet Coffee recommends dividing this part into two steps, one is pre-confirmation, and the second is final confirmation.
Pre-confirmation uses the cupping method to extract several candidate coffee beans separately. This has two purposes:
The first is to blend the flavor and quality of candidate coffee beans. Before blending, you must first confirm whether the quality of the coffee is up to standard and whether there is any difference in flavor. This step is very important for blending a boutique-grade coffee bean.
The second is to pre-confirm the proportion. After extraction, extract the coffee liquid from the coffee liquid and mix it in different proportions. Combine and design several plans with different proportions, and confirm an optimal range by sipping.
The final confirmation is to bake the range values in the pre-confirmation according to the blending type confirmed in the third part (raw or cooked). And directly use the extraction mode of product positioning to taste. For example, the Front Street Sunflower Warm Sun Comprehensive Blend Beans blended by FrontStreet Coffee are intended to be used for Italian coffee, so they are tasted in the way of extracting Italian coffee, and espresso, Americano and milk coffee are made respectively to finally confirm the performance of the blended beans.
So how does FrontStreet Coffee do its blending? FrontStreet Coffee currently has four types of FrontStreet espresso beans.
1、Front Street Premium Italian Blend Coffee Beans
Colombia:Brazil, ratio 3:7
Colombia Cymbidium Producing Area
Located in the southwest of Colombia, it is one of the main coffee cultivation areas. Colombia generally has an altitude of 1,500-1,800 meters. Most of the beans are Bourbon and Caturra varieties. They are washed and processed with high density, uniform bean mesh, and full bean shape (bean core to bean surface is thicker). Because the Cymbidium area is dotted with famous coffee cultivation areas, the names of each small area became brand names and circulated. Although the cultivation conditions in the area are also very good, the cultivation infrastructure for coffee cultivation farms and surrounding conditions is not very developed. It is very regrettable that the green bean drying equipment or water-washing processing facilities are not yet complete. The coffee from the Huilan region has a strong taste and a heavier texture. In particular, the coffee from the Cymbidium region can be called high-end specialty coffee with its nutty, chocolate, caramel and other aromas and appropriate acidity.
Flavor characteristics: The taste is rich and solid, with a pleasant sour taste, a mellow smell, moderate acidity, and a rich and intriguing sweetness. Because it is cheap and the beans are small, it is suitable for use as a single product or as a base for Italian blends.
Brazilian Cerrado region
Brazilian coffee generally grows at an altitude of 1,000-1,300 meters, so its density is relatively low. Most of them are Bourbon varieties, which are processed by semi-sun drying. The water content is moderate, the bean quality is soft, and the thickness from the bean surface to the bean core is thin, so it is not suitable for roasting at too high a temperature. The temperature of the inner wall of the boiler will burn the bean surface, which will cause a burnt and bitter taste. We hope to show the characteristics of nuts, milk chocolate, and good body, and use it as the base for blending, so FrontStreet Coffee adopts a method of adding beans over medium heat, maintaining the fire until the dehydration stage, and fine-tuning as the temperature rises after the first crack begins to promote a more complete caramelization reaction. When the temperature rises to the time when the second crack is approaching, the beans can be discharged.
Flavor characteristics: Comfortable sweet and bitter taste, extremely smooth in the mouth; with a light grassy aroma, slightly bitter taste; sweet and smooth, with a refreshing aftertaste.
Flavor after blending: sweet taste. Using medium-dark roasting, when concentrated, the taste will be soft, slightly sour, sweet, and nutty. The overall feeling is not too irritating, mild, and the fat is medium, meeting the daily needs of coffee shops.
2. Front Street Commercial Italian blended coffee beans
Colombia: Brazil: Robusta, ratio 3:6:1, raw;
Robusta beans have strong resistance to pests and diseases and have high yields. Usually without the acidity of Arabica beans, they often have a woody aroma. The caffeine content of 2.2% is higher than the 1.2% of Arabica beans. The content of chlorogenic acid is also higher and quite bitter. It is usually used in commercial beans and the cost is cheaper than Arabica beans.
In terms of the flavor of individual beans, the taste of coffee obtained from commercial beans is much inferior to that of specialty coffee beans. Generally, commercial beans are selected for blending. After blending, coffee with good taste can also be made, which can be used to make latte, cappuccino and other Italian coffees. FrontStreet Coffee's Front Street commercial blend makes Espresso. Because it contains Robusta beans, the oil will be richer. The taste is classic, with the sweetness of caramel, the flavor of nuts, cocoa, and dark chocolate. It has a balance of sweet and sour, a little bit of sweetness and bitterness, and a long-lasting aftertaste. It is suitable for making daily drinks in coffee shops.
3. Front Street basic Italian blended coffee beans
Yunnan AA: Brazil; ratio 3:7, cooked;
FrontStreet Coffee's Yunnan AA is Typica, Ethiopia's oldest native variety, produced in the southeastern part of Ethiopia and Sudan. All Arabica is derived from Typica. The top leaves are red copper in color, so it is called red-top coffee. It has an elegant flavor, but it has a weak constitution and poor disease resistance. It is prone to leaf rust and has low fruit production. The four Tiepikas are slender, spread out, and tilted at an angle of 50 to 70 degrees. The opposite leaves are oblong in shape with smooth leaf surfaces. The branches at the end are very long and have few branches. The flowers are white and bloom at the base of the petiole connecting the branches. Ripe coffee berries look like cherries and are bright red.
It requires more shade when planted and can only be harvested about once every two years. Yunnan's high-quality geographical and climatic conditions provide good conditions for coffee growth. The planting areas include Lincang, Baoshan, Simao, Xishuangbanna, Dehong and other prefectures. The natural conditions of Yunnan are very similar to those of Colombia, with high altitude and large temperature difference between day and night. The flavor is mellow, with moderate sourness, rich and mellow taste, uniform particles, rich oil content and fruity aroma. Its quality and taste are similar to Colombian coffee.
Blending flavor: with soft fruit acidity, caramel sweetness, nutty, dark chocolate flavor, smooth and sticky, but light taste, suitable for shop owners and home users who prioritize cost and have average flavor requirements.
4. Front Street Sunflower Warm Italian Style Blended Coffee Bean
FrontStreet Coffee's Sunflower Warm Sun blend uses Front Street Honduran sherry wine barrel fermented coffee beans and Front Street sun-dried Yirgacheffe red cherries, with a ratio of 7:3. 70% of the Front Street Honduran sherry provides flavor and mellowness to the blended beans, and 30% of the Front Street sun-dried Yirgacheffe provides more aroma and acidity. This Front Street Sunflower Warm Yang blended Italian coffee beans are all manor-grade specialty coffee beans, and are independently roasted medium to dark to highlight the wine aroma, chocolate charm and sweetness.
FrontStreet Coffee chooses the warm sunshine of Front Street sunflowers to make iced latte.
Espresso extraction parameters:
Coffee serving size: 20g
Coffee liquid volume: 40g
Extraction time: 28s
Because iced latte coffee is mixed with a lot of milk, the milk flavor is more obvious.
The espresso made with the Front Street Sunflower Warm Yang blend used by FrontStreet Coffee stores will have a more obvious alcoholic chocolate flavor. The iced latte made with milk and ice will have a smoother taste, a long-lasting chocolate flavor, mixed with a pleasant wine taste, a long-lasting aftertaste, and obvious sweetness, which is very suitable for cooling off in summer.
Why is there a spoon attached?
When drinking espresso, most people will add a spoon, sugar and water.
Espresso is extracted using hot water and pressure, so in addition to the water-soluble components that dissolve in water, some fat-soluble components are also extracted. The water-soluble ingredients are heavier, so they sink below as coffee liquid, while the fat-soluble ingredients float on top as foam. The ingredient of this foam type is crema, which contains many ingredients that affect the aroma, consistency and texture. The water-soluble ingredients sinking below are mainly substances that allow the tongue to feel the taste. To put it simply, crema is responsible for the aroma part, and the extract is responsible for the taste part.
If you drink it without stirring, the water-soluble components and fat-soluble components will be separated. Mix the ingredients of espresso by stirring or shaking before drinking, so that you can feel the rich and harmonious taste and aroma. So the espresso is always served with a spoon.
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
