Lately, a growing number of coffee enthusiasts are venturing into the world of home brewing, eager to craft their perfect cup. However, the seemingly simple act of buying coffee beans can quickly become a perplexing task, especially when faced with terms like “Single Origin,” “SOE,” (Single Origin Espresso) and “Blend.” Many coffee lovers, unfamiliar with these distinctions, find themselves unsure of where to begin.

This article, drawing upon two decades of expertise in the hand brew coffee industry, aims to demystify these terms and provide a comprehensive guide to help you choose the right coffee beans based on your brewing method and personal preferences.

We’ve often touched upon these topics in passing, but today, we’ll delve into a detailed exploration of the differences between Single Origin, SOE (Single Origin Espresso), and Blend coffee beans. Understanding these classifications is crucial for maximizing your home brewing experience and truly appreciating the diverse world of coffee.

Single Origin Coffee: Celebrating Terroir in Your Cup

First, let’s talk about Single Origin coffee (often referred to as “specialty coffee beans”). As the name suggests, single origin beans are sourced from a single, specific geographical location. This origin can be as broad as a country or as specific as a particular region, a single estate or farm, or even a designated plot of land within a farm.

The primary emphasis of single origin coffee is to highlight the unique and inherent flavor characteristics of that particular origin. Think of it like wine – the terroir (the complete natural environment in which a particular wine is produced, including factors such as the soil, topography,¹ and climate) significantly influences the final product. Similarly, factors like altitude, soil composition, climate, and processing methods in a specific coffee-growing region all contribute to the distinct flavor profile of a single origin bean.

To best showcase these nuanced origin flavors, the vast majority of single origin coffee beans on the market are roasted to a light, medium-light, or even extra-light degree. This lighter roast level helps to preserve the delicate and complex aromatics and flavors inherent in the green bean. While the general trend for specialty single origin is lighter roasts, it’s important to note that not all single origin coffees are light roasts. Classic examples like some Blue Mountain, Brazilian, and Mandheling single origin coffees are traditionally roasted darker, catering to different flavor preferences.

If your primary brewing methods involve high-tolerance methods such as pour-over, French press, Chemex, siphon, Aeropress, or cold brew (essentially, anything other than a traditional espresso machine), then single origin coffee beans are an excellent choice. These brewing methods allow for a more forgiving extraction process, giving you the best opportunity to “extract” the maximum value and unique flavor profile from the single origin beans. You can truly appreciate the subtle notes of fruit, floral, or spice that are characteristic of its origin.

However, this does not mean that single origin beans cannot be used for espresso. In fact, when a single origin bean is used to make espresso, it takes on a special designation: SOE.

SOE: Single Origin, Espresso Focused

SOE stands for “Single Origin Espresso.” As the name explicitly states, it is an espresso brewed using coffee beans from a single, specific origin. The purpose of using single origin beans for espresso, like with other brew methods, remains the same: to highlight the unique flavor characteristics of that origin.

The key distinction that necessitates a separate term like SOE is that not all single origin beans are ideally suited for espresso, particularly when it comes to milk-based drinks. The primary reason for this lies in the roast level. Many of the very light-roasted single origin beans, prized for their bright and delicate flavors, may not translate well into a balanced and enjoyable espresso, especially when combined with milk.

Consider this: very light-roasted coffees often have vibrant and sometimes pronounced acidity. While this acidity can be a delightful characteristic in a black pour-over, it can create a jarring and unbalanced experience when mixed with the sweetness and creaminess of milk in a latte or cappuccino. The delicate flavors can also be easily overpowered by the milk, resulting in a “milky” drink with little discernible coffee character.

Furthermore, achieving a balanced extraction with very light-roasted beans on an espresso machine can be challenging, often requiring significant adjustments to grind size, water temperature, and pressure.

This is where the concept of SOE roasting comes into play. To make single origin beans more compatible with espresso brewing and, importantly, with milk-based drinks, the roast level is typically taken a bit darker than the very light roasts common for many pour-over focused single origins. This slightly darker roast (though still often lighter than traditional Italian-style espresso blends) helps to:

• Develop more body and a richer, more pronounced coffee flavor that can stand up to milk.
• Reduce the perceived acidity, creating a more harmonious balance with the sweetness of milk.
• Improve the solubility of the coffee, making it easier to achieve a balanced and consistent extraction on an espresso machine.

While this slightly darker SOE roast might slightly diminish some of the absolute most delicate and fleeting origin-specific aromatics found in a super light roast, it allows the more robust and desirable characteristics to shine through in the context of espresso, especially in milk-based beverages. It’s a trade-off, as the saying goes: you can’t have your cake and eat it too (or, in this case, perhaps, you can’t have ultra-bright acidity and a perfectly integrated milk-based drink from the same super light roast).

Because these single origin beans are specifically roasted with espresso in mind (and often to a slightly different profile than their pour-over counterparts), roasters and coffee retailers often label them with terms like “SOE beans,” “SOE roast,” or indicate their suitability for espresso in the product description.

If your primary coffee-making method is espresso, and you’re looking to explore the unique flavors of individual coffee origins without the often-challenging acidity of very light roasts, then SOE roasted single origin beans are an excellent choice. You’ll get to experience the origin’s characteristics in a format optimized for espresso. You can certainly experiment with regular single origin beans, but be prepared for a potentially steeper learning curve in dialing in your espresso shots, especially if you plan on making milk drinks.

Blend Coffee: The Art of Harmonious Combination

Finally, we have Blend coffee beans (also known as mixed coffee). This is the most common type of coffee bean used for espresso, particularly in traditional coffee shops. Blend coffee beans are a combination of coffee beans from different origins and/or different processing methods.

The creation of coffee blends can be seen as a pursuit of the “ideal” cup – a desire to achieve a combination of desirable attributes that might be difficult to find in a single origin. Roasters aim to combine the best qualities of different beans to create a final product that offers:

• Excellent flavor complexity: By combining beans with different flavor profiles (e.g., one with fruity notes, another with chocolatey notes), a more nuanced and well-rounded flavor experience can be achieved.
• Good body and mouthfeel: Different beans contribute to the body of the coffee. Blending can help create an espresso with a desirable richness and texture.
• Consistency: This is a crucial factor, especially for commercial use. Coffee is an agricultural product, and the quality of a single origin can fluctuate from year to year due to weather and other environmental factors. By using a blend of multiple origins, roasters can maintain a more consistent flavor profile over time. If one origin has a less-than-stellar harvest in a particular year, the roaster can adjust the blend components, substituting a different origin to maintain the desired taste, without drastically altering the final product’s flavor. This also helps to manage costs, as roasters can often use more affordable beans in the blend while still achieving a high-quality result.
• Balanced acidity: Blending allows roasters to control the overall acidity of the espresso, creating a more balanced and approachable cup, particularly for milk-based drinks.

The practice of blending has a long history in the world of coffee, driven by both the pursuit of a superior taste and the need for consistency and cost-effectiveness in the commercial coffee world.

Because blends have traditionally been designed with espresso in mind, they typically feature a darker roast level compared to most single origin or even SOE roasts. This darker roast further enhances the body and reduces acidity, making the espresso from blends exceptionally well-suited for creating classic milk-based drinks like lattes and cappuccinos, where the coffee flavor needs to be prominent but not overpowering. Blend coffee is also typically available in larger package sizes (like 1lb or 1kg), as opposed to the smaller bags often used for specialty single origin beans.

If your primary method of making coffee is espresso, and you frequently make milk-based drinks, then a well-crafted espresso blend is an excellent choice. They are designed to perform well in espresso machines and provide a consistent and balanced flavor that complements milk beautifully. You’ll also often find that blends offer better value for money compared to many specialty single origin beans. For those simply seeking a reliable and affordable source of daily caffeine, a commercial-grade espresso blend is often more than sufficient, and these are the types of blends commonly used in many coffee shops due to their cost-effectiveness and consistent performance.

However, if you’re seeking a more distinctive and nuanced flavor experience in your espresso, you might consider specialty blends that use high-quality single origin beans in their composition. These blends often offer a more complex and interesting flavor profile than standard commercial blends, though they will typically come at a higher price point.

Right Beans for Your Perfect Cup: Single Origin vs Single Origin Espresso, SOE vs Blend

Understanding the distinctions between Single Origin, SOE, and Blend coffee beans is the first step towards becoming a more informed home brewer.

• Single Origin emphasizes the unique flavors of a specific place, best enjoyed with high-tolerance brew methods, often with a lighter roast.
• SOE is a single origin bean specifically roasted for espresso, often a bit darker than typical single origin roasts, to balance acidity and enhance compatibility with milk.
• Blends combine beans from different origins to achieve a balanced, consistent, and often more affordable espresso, typically with a darker roast profile.

By considering your preferred brewing method and your desired flavor profile, you can confidently choose the coffee beans that will bring the most enjoyment to your daily coffee ritual.