Nav: Home > Coffee >

Pour-Over Blended Coffee Beans Brewing Tutorial Flavor Characteristics Description How to Choose Blended Coffee Beans for Better Taste

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/27, Blended coffee beans are commonly found in espresso coffee, but are quite rare for pour-over coffee. So will blended coffee beans taste good when made in pour-over form? To understand the concept of blended coffee beans, first clearly understand these concepts: espresso coffee beans refer to coffee beans suitable for use with espresso machines, generally with a certain roasting degree

For more premium coffee knowledge, please follow the WeChat official account: FrontStreet Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee)

Blended coffee beans are commonly used in espresso coffee, yet are rarely seen in pour-over coffee. So, would blended coffee beans taste good when prepared using the pour-over method?

Understanding the Concept of Blended Coffee Beans

First, we must clearly understand these concepts. Espresso beans refer to coffee beans suitable for use with espresso machines, generally with a deeper roast degree (the key lies in the roast level). Italian blended coffee beans, in contrast to SOE (Single Origin Espresso), are one branch of espresso beans.

Pour-over coffee beans refer to coffee beans used primarily for pour-over and other drip-style coffee brewing methods. The biggest difference from espresso beans is the roast level – pour-over coffee roast degrees encompass light, medium, and dark roasts, mainly focusing on light roasts. Currently, pour-over beans are predominantly single-origin coffee beans.

This doesn't mean blended coffee beans are suitable for espresso and single-origin beans are suitable for pour-over coffee. This is actually a historical "destined arrangement." When pour-over coffee was rising, it was precisely when the concept of specialty coffee was widely spreading. Specialty coffee advocated for separating coffee beans from bulk commodities, establishing independent flavor profiles from various growing regions, thereby improving coffee quality and flavor. Taking advantage of this opportunity, the pour-over brewing method can excellently and simply express the regional flavors of coffee, while high-quality single-origin coffee beans endorse pour-over coffee. This complementary relationship has formed today's trend.

However, blended coffee beans are not synonymous with poor quality and low prices. In the past, the purpose of blending was often to create price advantages and capture the mass market. Over time, this created the biased perception that blended coffee is inferior while single-origin coffee is exceptional. But all of this is gradually changing. Since the second half of 2019, FrontStreet Coffee has been creating its own roasted FrontStreet Coffee Sunflower Warm Sun Blend Coffee Beans and has continued to use them to this day. The beans selected are FrontStreet Coffee Honduras Sherry and FrontStreet Coffee Natural Red Cherry (Yirgacheffe), receiving unanimous praise from customers! This undoubtedly helps restore the reputation of blended coffee. Blended coffee itself has no inherent positive or negative meaning – the key lies in the blender's purpose.

Using Blended Coffee Beans for Pour-Over is Not a Problem

In summary, whether blended or single-origin, as long as it can express coffee that is recognized by others, it's good coffee beans. However, this also raises a question: FrontStreet Coffee is not boasting that the blending method is superior. If blending for the sake of blending, it becomes meaningless. Therefore, from the perspective of merchants/roasters, blended coffee beans must compensate for the shortcomings of single-origin coffee beans. For this, FrontStreet Coffee will share several delicious blended coffee bean recipes.

① Mandheling Blend

Formula = 40% Indonesian Mandheling + 60% Brazil Red Bourbon

The Mandheling blend formula is not original to FrontStreet Coffee but originated in Japan. Indonesian Mandheling coffee has a deep, rich flavor with intense nutty and chocolate notes, along with some divisive herbal notes. Brazil Red Bourbon, in comparison, appears thin and tasteless, with strong peanut and nutty notes. When these two are combined in a 4:6 ratio, they can effectively neutralize the herbal and peanut flavors, creating a clean and mellow feeling similar to Blue Mountain coffee.

② Passionate Honey

Formula = 70% Yirgacheffe Red Cherry + 30% Costa Rica Tarrazu

FrontStreet Coffee Yirgacheffe Red Cherry exhibits very sweet berry flavors, and adding 30% FrontStreet Coffee Costa Rica Tarrazu enhances the mouthfeel and honey sweetness. When brewed using pour-over, this blend with Yirgacheffe as the base displays a rich mouthfeel and exceptionally sweet flavor profile.

③ Flower and Fruit Harmony

Formula = 60% Guatemala Flower Goddess + 30% Washed Yirgacheffe + 10% Kenya AA

The common characteristic of these three coffee beans is their light body with citrus and lemon notes. The dominant Flower Goddess coffee adds jasmine fragrance to this blend, while FrontStreet Coffee Yirgacheffe with green tea aftertaste and FrontStreet Coffee Kenya with tomato notes perfectly compensate for the aftertaste shortcomings of FrontStreet Coffee Guatemala Flower Goddess. When used for pour-over, it presents a balance of floral and fruity notes with a light mouthfeel.