What does SOE coffee mean? Is it just single origin beans? What are the taste differences between Yirgacheffe SOE coffee and blended beans?

In recent years, SOE coffee has become particularly popular. Basically, new community coffee shops are equipped with two or more espresso grinders—one loaded with traditional coffee beans (usually blends), and another with SOE coffee beans. Generally, SOE is considered an upgraded version of traditional (blend) coffee beans, requiring an additional charge to switch. Depending on the scale of urban consumption and the quality and price of coffee beans, the additional charge typically ranges between 3-10 yuan.

Understanding Coffee Terminology

FrontStreet Coffee would like to provide some explanations for these terms to help everyone understand:

SOE stands for "Single Origin Espresso," which translates to single-origin espresso. It's espresso made specifically from coffee beans of a single origin.

Single-origin coffee beans are Single Origin Coffee Beans, referring to coffee beans from a single origin. In a broad sense, it includes all single-origin coffee beans, including SOE. Influenced by the specialty coffee trend, single-origin coffee traceability is now preferred to be as detailed as possible.

Blend coffee beans refer to artificially combining coffee beans from two or more origins (usually by producing country) with the goals of cost, stability, and flavor in mind. Similarly, blended coffee is divided into those used for espresso and those used for pour-over, with espresso use being the primary one.

The History and Evolution of SOE

SOE didn't just appear in recent years! Many people simply want to drink a cup of coffee and naturally wouldn't deliberately learn more about the stories behind coffee. When they hear about SOE coffee beans and that there's an additional charge to switch, they assume it must be something premium.

In fact, SOE is not a new product—it appeared earlier than blended coffee (though the term SOE was coined later). Here, FrontStreet Coffee needs to clarify the logic behind the emergence of blended coffee beans. Before blended coffee beans appeared, the world naturally used single-origin coffee beans—coffee from Mocha, coffee from Brazil, coffee from Java. At that time, single-origin wasn't emphasized because it was taken for granted and didn't need special mention.

Until consumer markets formed a certain scale (mainly the European market at that time), coupled with the risk of unstable production and quality of coffee beans from major producing regions, people began blending coffee beans from different regions to combat this risk. Since then, blended coffee became the mainstream at that time, using coffee beans from different regions to complement each other and stabilize the coffee's flavor. Even if a certain region had a poor harvest the following year, the blend formula could be adjusted to compensate.

In recent years, the resurgence of SOE coffee is mainly influenced by the general environment. Single-origin coffee has gradually become deeply rooted in people's hearts. In pour-over coffee, single-origin coffee is predominantly used, and the extracted flavors are excellent, which has created the subconscious belief that "single-origin coffee equals good coffee."

Actually, the rise of single-origin coffee must be traced back to the concept of specialty coffee. To summarize, a group of coffee industry leaders aimed to solve the problem of inconsistent coffee quality from its roots. Through a series of standard-setting, teaching coffee farmers scientific cultivation methods, and purchasing high-quality coffee at premium prices, they incentivized coffee-producing farmers to practice meticulous cultivation. This improved coffee bean quality, and naturally, the brewed taste became better.

In the past, our impression of espresso coffee flavor was balanced, bitter black coffee that tasted better with milk. This wasn't due to the extraction method but rather the coffee beans used. Espresso coffee prices couldn't be too high, and consumption was large, so cost was the first priority for bean requirements, followed by stability, and finally flavor. Blending was the safest approach, and the raw materials used for blending had to be high-yield and supply-stable, so ingredients were basically selected from the top ten coffee-producing countries. As for flavor, it was basically fixed between caramel, nuts, cream, and cocoa, because considering the flavor and texture compatibility of various coffee beans, deep-roasting all beans was the most hassle-free method (of course, market taste preferences were also a leading factor). Traceability was relatively poor at that time, and consumers could only recognize which roaster or coffee shop had good coffee.

Meanwhile, single-origin coffee emphasizes the flavor of coffee-producing regions and focuses on traceability stories. Having succeeded with extraction methods like pour-over and siphon, it gradually applied to espresso coffee, becoming what we now call "SOE."

Why Does SOE Cost Extra?

Since SOE coffee is not inherently superior to blended coffee by definition, why can SOE be sold at higher prices? The reason is simple—the raw material cost of the SOE coffee beans used by merchants is higher.

Logically speaking, using pure coffee beans from a specific region in Brazil to make espresso could also be called "SOE." However, such operations are rarely seen in the market. Because the espresso extracted this way might not necessarily taste better than blended coffee beans! Therefore, coffee beans marketed as "SOE" must have flavors that distinguish them from traditional blends, creating a pleasant surprise for consumers and making them willing to pay. This is why many Ethiopian small-region coffee beans are used for SOE, because Ethiopia is known for citrus and floral flavors, and with relatively bold (slightly lighter) roasting, people can taste different espresso coffee flavors.

Later, more and more specially processed coffee beans emerged, with increasingly distinctive flavors (higher recognizability), which were quickly applied to SOE. The rising cost of coffee beans naturally reflected in the additional charges. Therefore, many coffee shops will have at least one regular blend and one SOE coffee bean, satisfying both those who prefer economical options and those who pursue flavor.

SOE vs. Blend: Which to Choose?

As FrontStreet Coffee mentioned before, there's no inherent superiority between SOE coffee beans and blended coffee beans—the only difference is the user's purpose. For example, one of FrontStreet Coffee's popular blended coffee beans—FrontStreet Coffee's Sunflower Warm Sunshine Blend—uses FrontStreet Coffee's Honduras Sherry coffee beans and FrontStreet Coffee's Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Natural Red Cherry Project coffee beans. Both are among the highest quality single-origin coffee beans, and blending these two creates a 1+1>2 flavor—sherry, vanilla cream, chocolate—achieving an extremely distinctive flavor different from traditional espresso blends. Of course, when your blending purpose chooses flavor and stability, price advantages disappear.

Due to historical reasons, the term "blend" has become a stereotype in many people's minds, which is also why many merchants don't choose high-quality blends. The term "SOE" forms a vivid contrast with "blend" (blend corresponds to single-origin, bad impression to good impression). For this reason, when SOE coffee beans became a trend, it was inevitable that many bandwagon phenomena would appear, leading to SOEs not primarily focused on flavor but rather SOEs for the sake of being SOE.

Choosing Suitable Coffee Beans for SOE

FrontStreet Coffee has found that many people think SOE is simply applying single-origin beans to espresso machine extraction, creating a single-origin espresso series. It's not until they bring home various floral and fruity flavored beans and try them with their coffee machine that they realize something is wrong. First, they experience the scene of coffee spraying wildly, followed by being shocked by the extremely sour espresso and not daring to take a second sip, then they start wondering if their equipment is too poor or if there were mistakes in their operation.

In fact, the reason you might not be able to make the same SOE at home as in the shop likely lies not in your equipment and technique, but rather that this coffee bean's roast level isn't really suitable for making espresso. According to FrontStreet Coffee's barista experience, choosing coffee beans suitable for SOE extraction not only makes it easy to produce delicious espresso but also makes creating Americanos or lattes by adding water or milk twice as effective. FrontStreet Coffee's bean menu features two single-origin coffee beans with SOE versions—one is the strawberry-flavored FrontStreet Coffee's Hua Kui, and the other is the classic Yirgacheffe-flavored FrontStreet Coffee's Kongjia. We just need to select espresso roast when placing orders.

Making SOE Yirgacheffe Dirty with FrontStreet Coffee's Kongjia Beans

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

SOE Coffee Extraction Parameters

Coffee Beans: FrontStreet Coffee's Ethiopia Natural Kongjia
Coffee Dose: 20g
Coffee Liquid Yield: 40g
Dose-to-Yield Ratio: 1:2
Extraction Time: 26-33 seconds
Grind Setting: Galileo 2.0

FrontStreet Coffee uses a double basket capacity with approximately 18-20 grams of coffee grounds. FrontStreet Coffee uses 20 grams of coffee grounds when preparing drinks.

Usually, the ratio of coffee grounds to coffee 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 coffee liquid. Time is related to the flow rate of coffee grounds. Generally, single extraction times are controlled between 20-35 seconds, because coffee extracted within 20 seconds usually tastes thin, while extraction over 35 seconds tends to be over-extracted with burnt bitterness. 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 double-shot coffee grounds, places them on an electronic scale to adjust to 20 grams. Next, use a tool to distribute the grounds evenly, tamp the coffee puck firmly to ensure more stable extraction. Then turn on the extraction switch to release water, wetting the group head while washing away any stuck coffee grounds, gently lock the portafilter to the group head, and start the extraction. When the electronic scale shows 40 grams of coffee liquid extracted, with time around 28-33 seconds, you can pull down the extraction switch, and a cup of SOE espresso is ready. We can add an appropriate amount of ice water or 80°C hot water according to personal preference to make a cup of 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 dense, moderately thick foam, then evenly blend it with the coffee liquid. This creates a Yirgacheffe SOE latte that tastes like eating a lemon-flavored cookie—rich and smooth, leaving you feeling warm all over after drinking.

For professional coffee knowledge exchange and more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat official account: cafe_style).

For more specialty coffee beans, please add FrontStreet Coffee's private WeChat (FrontStreet Coffee), WeChat ID: qjcoffeex

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473