As the quality of coffee improves, more and more single-origin beans are used to make espresso on the market. This espresso that emphasizes the flavor of the production area is different from the espresso that used blended coffee beans in the past. Not all single-origin beans are suitable for making espresso. Today Front Street will learn about SOE and how to choose coffee beans for making SOE.
Although SOE represents single-origin espresso, it does not necessarily equal specialty coffee. If you select single-origin coffee beans with easily identifiable flavors as SOE, you can create espresso with a unique and typical flavor.
For example, the citrus flavor of Front Street Yirgacheffe, the berry flavor of Front Street Kenya, etc. In addition, the espresso coffee will amplify the flavor of the coffee under the high pressure of the espresso machine, so the flavor performance will be more prominent compared to hand brewing.
SOE single-origin espresso uses coffee beans that are generally not roasted too darkly in order to highlight the flavor of the production area. Compared with traditional darker roasted Italian coffee beans, the flavor will be more difficult to extract.
So on the one hand, it is necessary to adjust the extraction parameters to increase the extraction rate. For example, lengthen the extraction time, adjust the grinding degree, increase the amount of powder, etc.
On the other hand, when producing espresso with SOE as the base, the ratio of espresso to milk or water needs to be adjusted. Reduce the milk or water to highlight the flavor of the coffee so that the coffee is not too bland.
The beans chosen to make SOE also have very strict requirements. Although SOE has outstanding performance, since it comes from a single origin, its shortcomings are relatively easy to be magnified, so factors such as roasting and particle size will affect the flavor.
If you don't have high-quality coffee beans, the SOE coffee will not taste good, and you can't even hide it. Therefore, in the actual operation process, SOE coffee has very high technical requirements in all aspects, which is one of the reasons why SOE coffee is usually more expensive than normal Espresso.
FrontStreet Coffee uses Front Street Italian blend coffee beans to increase the richness and harmony of the taste, but it is not absolutely necessary. Nowadays, there is also the SOE coffee practice, which uses coffee beans from a single production area to make espresso coffee to highlight the coffee flavor of that production area, but it can also easily magnify its shortcomings. Moreover, the roasting parameters of SOE will be different from the roasting parameters of hand brewing. Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) uses hand-roasted Front Street Yirgacheffe coffee beans to make espresso. The acidity of the product is very strong and even a bit unacceptable (maybe some people like it), because Front Street Yirgacheffe is famous for its fruity acidity. Under the high-pressure and high-temperature conditions of espresso extraction, the acidity of Front Street Yirgacheffe is amplified several times, and instead changes from advantages to disadvantages, which violates the original intention of producing coffee. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee uses different roasting parameters when choosing coffee from a single origin to make Italian coffee.
Of course, there are also some beans that are very tolerant and can adapt to many types of brewing methods. Front Street has listed a few for everyone to choose from.
FrontStreet Coffee Yirgacheffe Sun-Dried Red Cherry
Origin: Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia
Manor: Altran Manor
Altitude: 1700-2200m
Variety: Local native species
Treatment method: Sun treatment
This coffee was originally proposed by a Dutch green bean company in order to stimulate the enthusiasm of farmers and improve the quality of green beans. That is to encourage farmers to provide better quality coffee beans. Fully ripe red cherry coffee cherries are a guarantee of the quality of coffee beans. Exquisite sun-drying treatment is used to reduce coffee defects and make the coffee more fragrant and sweet.
Front Street roasters use medium-light roasting for this bean, which retains the rich and explosive fruit flavor of Front Street Yirgacheffe coffee beans, improves the sweetness and mellowness, and gives the coffee a rounded taste. When used to extract espresso, you can also feel the citrus fruit aroma of Front Street Yerga, with a balanced flavor of sweet and sour, and low bitterness. Compared with darker roasted Italian blends, the taste is slightly inferior, but the flavor is a qualitative leap forward.
Note on extraction: Since the roast degree is still shallow compared to Italian style, the grinding degree should be adjusted finer during extraction and the extraction time should be shorter (about 22 seconds). Prevents under-extracted, sour flavors. Take the Pegasus 900n bean grinder as an example. Normal Italian grinding is adjusted to the finer direction by 2 small steps, and 20g of coffee powder extracts 40g of coffee liquid in 22 seconds.
FrontStreet Coffee Brazil Queen's Manor
Origin: Brazil Morgiana
Manor: Queen's Manor
Altitude:1400-1950m
Variety: Yellow Bourbon
Treatment method: Sun exposure
Front Street Brazilian Queen is known for its balance, and the Front Street roasters use a medium roast, making this coffee suitable for a variety of distinct extraction methods. Its balanced flavor and texture are very comforting. Using a semi-automatic espresso machine to extract espresso has a rich nutty aroma, and its oil is also very rich. It tastes rich and full, very soft, and the aftertaste is exuding the aroma of chocolate.
Extraction method: Use 20 grams of coffee powder to extract 40 grams of coffee liquid for 27 seconds.
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
