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Is SOE Usually Sour? What Does It Mean? Is It Single-Origin Coffee, and What's the Difference from Espresso Blends?

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/27, What is SOE, and how does it differ from blends? In early days, espresso didn't actually have the concepts of blends and SOE, because people were using SOE at that time. When transportation was inconvenient and information was not well-developed, people could only use local coffee varieties as espresso beans, and it was precisely because they didn't pay attention to...

What is SOE and How Does It Differ from Blends?

In earlier days, the concept of "blend" and "SOE" didn't actually exist in espresso coffee. This is because people were using what we now call SOE at that time. With inconvenient transportation and underdeveloped information networks, people could only use locally grown varieties as their espresso beans. However, due to the lack of attention to bean quality back then, the extracted coffee wasn't refined enough and showed significant flavor flaws. It was only after wars promoted international trade that blends were developed.

Blend Espresso vs. Single Origin Espresso

Blend Espresso refers to using two or more different beans for blending: coffee beans from different origins and varieties bring different flavors. By mixing them in certain proportions, we can better highlight, enhance, and balance the extracted espresso, giving the coffee a better taste. For example: many commercial blends incorporate Robusta beans, possibly for their rich crema or to reduce costs. At this point, other beans are needed to suppress the unpleasant flavors of Robusta, thus creating a balanced espresso blend.

SOE coffee, short for "Single Origin Espresso," refers to espresso extracted from coffee beans of a single origin. This approach maximizes the expression of unique flavors formed by factors such as growing environment, soil, and climate.

The Arrival of SOE

Specialty coffee is the core mainstream of the third wave of coffee. This wave not only emphasizes the quality of coffee beans but also stresses the importance of presenting unique and excellent flavors. Single origin coffee, with its powerful expressive capacity, embodies the core of this wave, leading to the emergence of countless single origin coffees, with pour-over coffee leading the charge.

As the specialty coffee wave spread over time, it penetrated into the core of the second wave - the espresso domain. And so, SOE began to take the stage!

SOE's Emergence and Rise to Prominence

The traditional espresso field had always used blended beans. Baristas at that time constantly pondered and researched in the field of blending, racking their brains to create a unique blend formula! Then, at the 2007 World Barista Championship (WBC), James Hoffmann led SOE to burst onto the scene like Jay Chou in the Chinese music industry, winning the championship title. In an instant, everyone's perspective was completely overturned - single origin beans could actually be used to make espresso? And the taste was so excellent! This gave people a completely new understanding of beans used for espresso. As long as the beans were outstanding enough, a unique good cup of coffee could be obtained without complex espresso formulas.

Getting to the Point: Why Are Most SOEs Acidic?

Different beans express different flavors. For example, there are light-to-medium roasted SOEs like "Flower Queen" that are rich in floral and fruity notes, or deep-roasted ones like Mandheling that emphasize dark chocolate and spice notes. However, when a coffee shop already has a rich, caramel-like traditional dark roast blend and chooses to add an SOE, the business will consider it from the customer's perspective to diversify their offerings, thus selecting light-to-medium roasted beans with different flavor profiles. Light-to-medium roasting allows beans to retain more acidity compared to dark roasting, making the taste sweeter and more aromatic. This is why most SOEs are acidic.