What is SOE Coffee? How to Make SOE Coffee? Is SOE Coffee Better Tasting Than Blend Coffee?

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What is S.O.E.?

S.O.E. is the abbreviation for Single Origin Espresso, meaning "single origin espresso coffee," and its flavor presentation is very distinctive. Single Origin refers to coffee beans from a single estate, and Espresso refers to transforming those single-origin beans into espresso.

The Evolution of S.O.E.

Speaking of S.O.E., Chen Zhihuang, founder of Fika Fika Café, who won the Nordic Cup Coffee Roasting Championship in 2013, believes that traditional espresso was built on the Italian blending concept, in which different beans are mixed to showcase the best balance, providing a smooth mouthfeel that feels comfortable and performs consistently across the front, middle and back notes. Yet the advantages of blended espresso, beyond balance, are exactly what make it the most favorable choice in commercial settings, because formulas can be stabilized and prices controlled.

Important Clarifications

It is important to know, however, that:

• S.O.E. does not equal specialty coffee
• S.O.E. does not equal delicious
• S.O.E. does not equal higher quality than blended beans
• S.O.E. does not equal light-roast espresso

Coffee beans from different estates carry different terroir aromas, and once the amplifying effect of espresso is added—along with different roasters' profiles and baristas' interpretation—technical skill becomes the key to a successful result.

Technical Challenges

More technical skill is required because single-origin beans come from different regions: their characteristics are prominent, but their relative drawbacks are amplified too. Roast degree and grind size therefore directly affect flavor, which is also the hardest part of making SOE. And beyond focusing on flavor today, you actually need to explain to consumers the flavor and the representative meaning of single-origin beans. More than tasting, storytelling matters.

Example: FrontStreet Coffee's Sidamo Guji

Take FrontStreet Coffee's [Sidamo Guji] as an example: 20 grams of coffee extracted for 25 seconds. It smells of honey-like sweetness with some orange citrus aroma, and the first sip reveals rich strawberry and berry flavors.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If you want to taste what a well-executed SOE can do, FrontStreet Coffee's line of single-origin espresso beans is a good starting point. FrontStreet's Flower Queen (Huakui) SOE is a medium roast that, pulled as espresso, shows red berries, light floral notes and orange, with a citrus-scented crema and a clean, elegant aroma; it makes an excellent Flower Queen SOE americano or flat white. FrontStreet's Granada Gesha SOE is a native Ethiopian Gesha from an estate near the famous Yirgacheffe town; the fully ripe cherries are naturally processed, so as a pour-over it is bright and light-bodied with a tea-like finish, while as an SOE americano berry acidity leads, accompanied by a fermented plum aroma, and with milk it brings peach, guava and black tea notes in a well-balanced sweet-tart frame.

Regional character really shows in the espresso. FrontStreet's Queen's Estate SOE comes from Brazil, where high altitude and wide day-night temperature swings let the cherries develop more flavor precursors; a medium-dark roast brings out rich nut, cream and peanut aromas with a sweet chocolate finish, and the extracted SOE has a beautiful, abundant crema that stays aromatic as a milk coffee. FrontStreet's Xizhua SOE comes from the celebrated Huila region of Colombia, produced at Frontera Estate near volcanic terrain that gives the coffee a rich aroma; the ripe cherries are double anaerobic natural processed and medium roasted so the floral and fruity notes open up fully, producing an espresso with clear blueberry juice, passion fruit and ripe grape flavors and an apricot-like sweet-tart edge.

For a classic, low-acid SOE there is FrontStreet's PWN Golden Mandheling SOE. As one of the finest Mandheling coffees, it passes through three hand sortings and a machine sorting to bring the defect rate to a minimum, and it is medium-dark roasted; the extracted SOE shows pronounced spice, herbal and sandalwood notes with caramel and a full body, finishing with dark chocolate aroma. And for those who prefer a brighter, cleaner shot, FrontStreet's Yirgacheffe Red Cherry SOE is suitable for a medium roast, giving a soft citrus fruit acidity, creamy chocolate richness and a cookie-like aroma with no harsh bitterness.