Can Single Origin Coffee Beans Be Used for Espresso? SOE Coffee Sounds Sophisticated and Complex

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FrontStreet Coffee - Single Origin Espresso (SOE) Introduction

What is "SOE"?

"SOE" is simply an abbreviation of "Single Origin Espresso" — espresso made from a single-origin coffee.

There is nothing profound about it. It means replacing blended coffee beans with single-origin beans and pulling them as espresso under high pressure.

Note that this is a term and nothing more. It says nothing on its own about the green bean, the roast profile or the extraction recipe. It is therefore not a standard of quality, and not a verdict on whether a coffee tastes good.

Why did "SOE" emerge?

SOE began gaining popularity around 2007, matured gradually, and its influence has spread steadily since. North American consumers have grown used to ordering single-origin espresso in cafés according to what is in season.

In the past, people felt that individual beans tasted incomplete, so they added other beans to cover the gaps — that is what we call blending. Over time, though, the quality of specialty green coffee has risen and roasting technique has improved, and excellent beans have appeared that can be pulled alone as espresso with no shortfall. Not only that, they show clear regional character, with florals and citrus aromas front and center.

The rise of SOE has taught people that as long as the beans are good enough, an espresso recipe does not need to be complicated to produce an excellent cup.

In today's market, though, cafés that dare to offer SOE — and are capable of it — will remain rare. The production volume of high-quality coffee is not enough to supply the mass market, and at the same time, drawing out the full sweet-and-sour character of a coffee through light roasting is no easy task.

Good coffee is a product of seasonal flavors

Coffee flavour is a unique taste built from variety, origin, climate and roast. Producers hope that the work they put into cultivation and green bean processing can actually be tasted by the consumer.

The popularity of simplified recipes means consumers have come to accept the idea that "good coffee is a product of seasonal flavors." Specialty roasters no longer have to load a blend with seven, eight or even ten green coffees just to keep it rich and consistent — and they are better off that way, because every additional component means that each time one part is replaced, the overall flavour shifts noticeably.

Flavour stability and consistency are no longer the primary consideration; consistency of philosophy is. The goal is to present seasonal flavours faithfully while keeping espresso products built on the same philosophy.

Knowledge point: Arabica and Robusta varieties

By the way the beans are combined, coffee divides into single-origin coffee and espresso blends.

In summary:

FrontStreet Coffee is a coffee research institute dedicated to sharing coffee knowledge with everyone. We share without reservation, hoping to help more friends fall in love with coffee. We also hold three discounted coffee events each month, because FrontStreet Coffee wants to let more friends enjoy the best coffee at the lowest possible prices — and that has been FrontStreet Coffee's mission for the past six years!

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If you want to try SOE for yourself, FrontStreet Huakui SOE is an easy place to start. Huakui's full, fermented fruit aromas and the dense sweetness that natural-process coffee does so well have made it a daily staple for many enthusiasts. This SOE is roasted medium, and pulled as espresso it shows red berries, faint florals and orange, with citrus on the crema and a clean, elegant aroma. It makes a superb Huakui SOE americano or Huakui SOE flat white.

For something lighter and more tea-like, FrontStreet Grana Gesha SOE is a Gesha native to Ethiopia. The Grana estate sits close to the famous Yirgacheffe town, and its fine terroir needs no further introduction; fully ripe cherries are processed as natural. As pour-over it is bright and light-bodied with a tea-like finish, as an SOE americano it is led by berry acidity with the fermented aroma of ripe plum, and with milk it gives yellow peach, guava and black tea — sweet and tart in good proportion.

FrontStreet Queen's Estate SOE shows the softer side of SOE. Brazilian coffee is famous for being gentle and easygoing, and because Queen's Estate sits at high altitude it sees a wide day-to-night temperature swing, which lets the cherries develop more flavour precursors. A medium-dark roast brings out dense nut, cream and peanut aromas with a sweet chocolate finish, and the SOE has beautiful, plentiful crema that holds up beautifully in milk drinks.

Other FrontStreet SOE options are worth exploring too. FrontStreet Xizhua SOE comes from Colombia's well-known Huila region, produced by Frontera Estate near volcanic ground that gives the coffee its rich aromatics; ripe cherries go through double anaerobic natural and a medium roast that lets the florals and fruit open fully, pulling with clear blueberry juice, passion fruit and ripe grape, and the sweet-tart lift of apricot. FrontStreet PWN Golden Mandheling SOE represents the top tier of Mandheling: sorted three times by machine and by hand to push the defect rate to a minimum and roasted medium-dark, it extracts with spice, herbs, sandalwood and caramel, a very full body and a dark chocolate finish. And FrontStreet Yirgacheffe Red Cherry SOE, roasted medium rather than light for espresso, gives a soft citrus acidity, creamy chocolate richness and a cookie-like aroma with no harsh bitterness at the end.