How to Make Espresso with Kenyan Coffee Beans? Can Single-Origin Kenyan Beans Be Used for SOE?

More and more specialty coffee shops are now offering SOE espresso, and many customers who visit FrontStreet Coffee also ask if we have SOE coffee. Currently, FrontStreet Coffee's espresso is made from a blend of FrontStreet Coffee's sun-dried red cherry and FrontStreet Coffee's Honduras sherry coffee beans. We don't offer SOE espresso at the moment. So why differentiate between blended espresso and SOE espresso when they're both espresso? In this article, FrontStreet Coffee will explain all about SOE espresso.

What is SOE?

SOE stands for Single Origin Espresso, which translates to "single-origin espresso" in Chinese. Although it represents single-origin espresso, it doesn't necessarily equal specialty coffee. If you select single-origin coffee beans with easily identifiable flavors as SOE, you can create espresso with unique and typical characteristics.

For example, FrontStreet Coffee's Yirgacheffe with its citrus notes and FrontStreet Coffee's Kenya with its berry flavors, combined with the high pressure of an espresso machine which amplifies coffee flavors, make the flavor profile more prominent compared to pour-over coffee. However, although SOE has outstanding flavor characteristics, because it comes from a single origin, its defects are also more easily amplified. Factors like roasting and grind size all affect the flavor, which is why FrontStreet Coffee doesn't offer SOE at our storefronts. FrontStreet Coffee wants every customer who walks in to enjoy espresso drinks that are both flavorful and stable.

Regarding the rise of this trend, Chen Zhihuang, founder of Fika Fika Cafe and winner of the 2013 Nordic Roasting Championship, believes that coffee's development today parallels that of whiskey. Everyone started by recognizing brands and drinking blended whiskeys, until the past decade when single malt whiskeys from different regions became hugely popular. SOE follows the same concept.

Is SOE just pour-over single-origin beans made into espresso?

In concept, making espresso from pour-over single-origin coffee beans is indeed SOE "single-origin espresso," but in practice, it's not as simple as it seems.

Compared to blends, espresso made from single-origin coffee beans allows for clearer flavors or regional characteristics to be more easily perceived. Blended coffee beans, because they combine several different types of beans, have the advantage of balance and stability, but the combination of many beans makes it difficult to identify the origin flavors.

Therefore, compared to traditional blended espresso, SOE should be a type of espresso that emphasizes flavor more prominently. This characteristic affects the selection of coffee beans for SOE, which should prioritize beans with high and strong flavor recognition. If you choose beans with slightly weaker flavor intensity for SOE, the resulting espresso will be weak and unimpressive. Imagine this type of SOE that lacks distinctive characteristics while also losing the balance and stability of blended beans - wouldn't that be counterproductive?

Secondly, the roasting level should not be too dark or too light. A darker roast level will greatly diminish the regional flavors, while a lighter roast will cause the coffee machine to amplify the acidity from light roasting under high pressure, easily making the espresso sharp and unpleasant. A lighter roast also makes the coffee beans harder, leading to under-extraction. Both diminishing regional flavors and sharp acidity causing imbalance violate the original intention of highlighting single-origin flavors, so the roasting curve for SOE from the same beans should be different from the curve for pour-over coffee.

What should you pay attention to when making SOE?

FrontStreet Coffee has found that many people think SOE is simply applying single-origin beans to espresso machine extraction, thereby creating a single-origin espresso series. It's only when they bring home various floral and fruit-flavored beans and try them with their coffee machine that they realize something is off. Here, we'll use FrontStreet Coffee's Kenya Small Tomato as a reference to demonstrate how to make a standard SOE coffee, so you can experience the charm of fruit acidity at home.

FrontStreet Coffee: Kenya Small Tomato Coffee Beans
Region: Thika, Kenya
Altitude: 1550-1750 meters
Varieties: SL28, SL34
Grade: AA
Processing: Washed
Flavor Notes: Dried plum, snow pear, brown sugar, cherry tomato, plum

FrontStreet Coffee's coffee machine is a commercial single-group "Lelit Bianca," which can adjust extraction by changing pressure, with a maximum pressure of 11 bar. Home coffee machines only need to reach 9 bar pressure to satisfy extraction and milk frothing functions, paired with an espresso grinder.

SOE Coffee Extraction Parameters Sharing

Coffee Beans: FrontStreet Coffee Kenya Small Tomato
Coffee Dose: 20g
Espresso Yield: 40g
Brew Ratio: 1:2
Extraction Time: 26-33 seconds
Grind Setting: Galileo 2.0

FrontStreet Coffee uses a double basket capacity, with a dose of approximately 18-20 grams. When serving, FrontStreet Coffee uses 20 grams of coffee grounds.

Usually, the ratio of coffee grounds to espresso liquid is between 1:1.5-1:2.5. FrontStreet Coffee's extraction ratio is 1:2, meaning 20 grams of coffee grounds to extract 40 grams of espresso liquid. Time is related to the flow rate of the coffee grounds. Generally, a single extraction duration is controlled between 20-35 seconds, because coffee usually tastes thin within 20 seconds, while exceeding 35 seconds tends to lead to over-extraction and bitter flavors. FrontStreet Coffee's espresso mostly falls within the 28-30 second range.

FrontStreet Coffee first wipes the portafilter dry, turns on the grinder to grind a double dose of coffee grounds, places it on an electronic scale to adjust to exactly 20 grams. Then, use a tool to distribute the grounds evenly, tamp the coffee puck firmly to ensure more stable extraction. Next, turn on the extraction switch to run water, wetting the brew head while washing away any stuck coffee grounds, then gently lock the portafilter onto the brew head and begin extraction. When the electronic scale shows 40 grams of espresso liquid extracted, at approximately 28-33 seconds, you can stop the extraction, and a SOE espresso is complete. You can add an appropriate amount of ice water or 80°C hot water according to your preference to make a Yirgacheffe SOE Americano.

When making SOE hot latte, FrontStreet Coffee uses a 1:6 ratio, adding 40 grams of espresso liquid to a pre-warmed coffee cup, then using the espresso machine's steam to froth 240g of milk. The milk temperature should ideally be controlled between 50-65°C to form a fine, moderately thick foam, then evenly blend it with the espresso liquid. The resulting Yirgacheffe SOE latte tastes like eating a lemon-flavored cookie - rich, fragrant, and smooth, leaving you feeling warm and cozy after drinking.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473