Today, FrontStreet Coffee would like to share with you the two main types of coffee beans: single-origin beans and mixed beans.
Blend coffee, also known as comprehensive coffee, is to mix various single-origin coffee beans together, thereby giving full play to the strengths of various single-origin beans. Comprehensive beans are mixed from coffee beans from different origins to create a more balanced taste. Front Street sells four different styles of Italian blended beans. 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.
single origin coffee beansWhether it is pre-mixed green beans, or individually roasted and blended coffee beans. 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.
FrontStreet Coffee generally needs to know the flavors of different varieties of coffee from around the world before blending coffee beans. The 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 coffee 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 into blends is mainly for the following purposes:
1. Stable flavor
Since coffee beans are a kind of agricultural crop, even if it is the same kind of coffee beans, its flavor will be different every year. Therefore, mixing several coffee beans together to form a comprehensive bean solves this problem very well and can make the taste basically consistent 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.
FrontStreet Coffee believes that blending coffee is not just a simple addition, but hopes that through the blender's unique understanding of coffee flavor, different coffee beans can complement each other and blend coffee beans with excellent flavor.
3. Stable flavor:
Since coffee beans are a crop, even if they are of the same kind and origin, their flavor will vary from year to year. Therefore, mixing several types of coffee beans together solves this problem well and keeps the flavor basically consistent every year.
The formation of the single-origin SOE trend:
SOE has become popular recently. SOE stands for single-origin espresso. Although it is not necessarily the same as 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 typical citrus flavor of Yerga, the fruity flavor of Kenya, etc., plus espresso coffee will amplify the taste of coffee, so specific flavors will be more prominent compared to Pour over(V60) coffee. However, FrontStreet Coffee believes that although SOE has outstanding performance, since it comes from a single origin, its shortcomings are relatively easy to be magnified. Therefore, factors such as roasting and particle size will affect the flavor, so it may not necessarily taste better than blended coffee.
So, how do FrontStreet Coffee baristas create a unique blend of beans?
(1) FrontStreet Coffee’s premium blend of 100% Arabica beans:
Colombia:Brazil, ratio 3:7
Colombia Huilan production 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). Since there are famous coffee cultivation areas throughout the Hyelan area, the names of each small area have become brand names and are being 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. FrontStreet Coffee has cupped a variety of coffee beans from the Huilan region and believes that the Huilan region has a strong taste and heavier texture.
In particular, coffee from the Huilan region can be called high-end specialty coffee with its nutty, chocolate, caramel and other aromas and appropriate acidity. With aromas such as caramel and caramel and moderate acidity, it can be called a high-end specialty coffee.
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 they are cheap and have small beans, they are suitable for blending coffee. Coffee has a strong taste and a heavier texture. Its nutty, chocolate and caramel aromas and appropriate acidity can be called high-end specialty coffee, suitable for single product or Italian blending base.
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 species and are treated with semi-sun. The water content is moderate, the beans are 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 surface of the beans, resulting in a burnt and bitter taste;
At the same time, if you want to express the characteristics of nuts, milk chocolate, and good body, and use it as a base for blending, FrontStreet Coffee chooses to add beans over medium heat, maintain the fire until the dehydration stage, and make fine adjustments 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 faint grassy aroma, a refreshing fragrance with a slightly bitter taste; sweet and smooth, with a refreshing aftertaste;
Flavor after blending: sweet taste. It is roasted in medium depth and when concentrated, the taste will be soft, slightly sour, sweet, and nutty with a sweet aftertaste. The overall feeling is not too exciting, mild, and the fat is medium.
(2) Front Street Commercial Blended Italian Coffee Beans:
Colombia: Brazil: Robusta; ratio 3:6:1, raw;
[Robusta] beans have strong resistance to diseases and pests 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 of the presence of 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.
(3) FrontStreet Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) Front Street black cocoa blend (100% Arabica) espresso beans:
Yunnan AA: Brazil; ratio 3:7, cooked;
FrontStreet Coffee’s Yunnan AA is [Tipica], 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 50-70 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.
Flavor blend: with soft fruit acidity, caramel sweetness, nutty, dark chocolate flavor, smooth and viscous, but light in taste.
FrontStreet Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) believes that a blend of beans with good flavor must be prioritized when blending, so that it can create a more wonderful taste than single-origin coffee. For example, before making a blending plan, Front Street first envisions a more suitable combination, then blends it through appropriate roasting, and determines the best solution through cup tasting and subsequent adjustments. I hope it can help everyone.
For more specialty coffee beans, please add FrontStreet Coffee on private WeChat, WeChat ID: kaixinguoguo0925
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
