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SOE Espresso vs Italian Blend Espresso: Which Tastes Better - Flavor Differences Between Blended and Single Origin Espresso

Published: 2026-01-28 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/28, Professional coffee knowledge exchange For more coffee bean information please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat official account cafe_style) In the coffee field when mentioning SOE coffee it refers to Single Origin Espresso Expanding this English abbreviation gives us Single Origin Espresso which is directly contrasted with Espresso Blend referring to Italian blended beans SOE is not equal to specialty coffee SOE

Professional coffee knowledge exchange. For more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style).

Understanding SOE Coffee

In the coffee industry, when we mention SOE coffee, it refers to Single Origin Espresso. Expanding this English acronym gives us Single Origin Espresso, which is directly contrasted with Espresso Blend, referring to blended espresso beans.

SOE Coffee Misconceptions

SOE coffee does not equal specialty coffee
SOE coffee does not equal good taste
SOE coffee does not equal higher quality than blended beans
SOE coffee beans do not equal lightly roasted espresso

About Espresso Blends

Traditional Italian espresso beans are composed of multiple coffee bean varieties. In Italy, a bag of coffee beans can consist of several, or even dozens of different coffee beans. The greatest advantage of using multiple coffee beans for blending is to ensure the stability of coffee flavor. When the quality of a certain coffee bean changes, or production decreases, or prices rise, roasters can choose to replace it with beans of similar quality without affecting the overall flavor. Therefore, some famous coffee roasters consider their blending formulas as commercial secrets.

Blending methods include both raw blending and roasted blending.

Raw blending refers to mixing different raw coffee beans according to the proportions in the formula before roasting.
Roasted blending refers to roasting different raw coffee beans separately, then mixing them according to different proportions in the formula.

The Challenges of Blending

When roasters select blended beans and create blending formulas, they need to first determine the coffee characteristics they want to present, including the expression of acidity, sweetness, and bitterness, expectations for body, coffee flavor, and whether the final product focuses on milk-based coffee, Americano, or espresso. All these factors need to be considered when selecting raw beans, determining roasting methods, and finalizing formulas. Furthermore, before final confirmation, formulas undergo multiple rounds of testing, adjustment, re-testing, and re-adjustment...

Blended beans can also be composed entirely of specialty coffee beans.
Blended beans can also be composed of specialty coffee beans with different roast levels.
Blended beans can also taste very good.
Blended beans do not equal dark roasted Italian espresso beans.

Understanding SOE Characteristics

Espresso made by espresso machines can be consumed directly as espresso or used as a base for Italian specialty coffee drinks.
Coffee beans come from the same or the same batch of bags. Due to the current state of post-processing and trading of raw coffee beans, only a very small portion can be confirmed for their true origin.
Raw coffee beans from the same bag often contain different varieties, especially coffee beans from Central and South America.
Coffee beans can be blended together from the same batch of raw beans roasted using different roasting methods. Strictly speaking, this is still an SOE coffee bean.
When the origin flavor or variety flavor of coffee beans is highly recognizable, roasters tend to choose slightly lighter roasting to showcase the characteristics of the beans. When roasters focus more on flavor balance and body, they will choose more suitable roasting methods to enhance consumer experience.

What to Consider with SOE?

Choose beans with high flavor recognition for SOE.

Using single-origin coffee beans for espresso is essentially to allow people who enjoy espresso and milk-based coffee to appreciate the inherent flavors of single-origin beans. If a single-origin bean has low recognition and most people cannot taste its unique flavors, it would be better to drink a cup of blended coffee with balanced flavor and strong body.

Don't pursue stability in SOE.

Coffee is an agricultural product, and single-origin coffee beans are affected by factors such as weather and cultivation, resulting in flavor variations even among beans from the same producing region. This is also what distinguishes them from blended coffee beans that pursue flavor stability.

If we order the same SOE made from the same bean at the same cafe on different occasions but taste slightly different flavors, this is completely normal, and there is no need to question the establishment's professionalism.

FrontStreet Coffee selects Colombian and Brazilian beans for blending, creating espresso with bright and gentle acidity, nutty flavors in the mid-palate, and a persistent sweet aftertaste. It also tastes excellent with milk, with noticeable sweetness and even cookie flavors when cooled.