Differences Between Single Origin Coffee Beans and Blended Coffee Beans - What Includes Single Origin Coffee - Single Origin Coffee Prices

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Single Origin vs. Blended Coffee Beans: What's the Difference and Which Tastes Better?

Single Origin Means Singular

More and more specialty coffee shops are offering single origin coffee, which is actually defined in contrast to blended coffee. Simply put, single origin can refer to coffee from a single producing country, a single region, or even a single estate.

According to SCAE (Specialty Coffee Association of Europe), the emergence of single origin coffee is primarily about traceability, allowing coffee enthusiasts to understand the unique characteristics of the estate where these high-quality coffees come from. The flavor represents the origin, region, and coffee variety. It's precisely the third wave of coffee culture, with its emphasis on coffee knowledge such as brewing methods and origin flavors, that has made single origin coffee more popular.

Blended Coffee Complements Strengths and Weaknesses

Blended coffee is created by roasters or baristas mixing coffee beans from different origins to create a more balanced flavor profile. For example, if one coffee bean is smooth but lacks aroma, another bean with rich aroma can be added to combine the advantages of each individual coffee bean. Sometimes the beans are mixed first and then roasted, while other times they are roasted separately and then blended.

Blending is both a technique and an art form, reflecting the style of the roaster or barista. Blended coffee is commonly used for espresso-based drinks such as Espresso, Americano, Latte, or Cappuccino. Through blending, the coffee flavor becomes more balanced, smoother, and more consistent, making it more appealing to the general public.

Does Single Origin Coffee Taste Better?

Drinking single origin coffee is about experiencing the true flavor of coffee, so it's typically consumed without sugar or milk. Some roasters suggest that when single origin coffee beans are brewed using an espresso machine to make single origin espresso, the various characteristics of the coffee—such as acidity, sweetness, and bitterness—are amplified under high pressure, which may not be acceptable to everyone. Therefore, it's not necessarily true that single origin coffee always tastes better.

When brewed using pour-over, AeroPress, or similar methods, the sharpness is much lower than single origin espresso, making it more approachable. Additionally, light or medium roast levels make the coffee flavor more accessible. Of course, you can also try diluting high-concentration single origin coffee with water.

Recommended Single Origin Coffee Bean Brands

FrontStreet Coffee's freshly roasted single origin coffee beans—such as Yirgacheffe and Mandheling—offer excellent guarantees in both brand and quality, making them suitable for various brewing methods. More importantly, they provide exceptional value for money. A half-pound (227g) bag costs only around 70-90 RMB. Calculating based on 200ml per cup with a 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, one bag can produce 15 cups of specialty coffee, with each cup costing only 5-6 RMB. This represents incredible value compared to cafe prices that often run dozens of RMB per cup.

FrontStreet Coffee: A roastery in Guangzhou with a small shop but diverse bean varieties, where you can find both famous and lesser-known beans. They also provide online shop services at https://shop104210103.taobao.com.

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473