Single Origin, Blends, SOE? Which Beans Make the Best Milk-Based Espresso? How to Make Latte Coffee?

As one of the most widely embraced coffee varieties, latte is not only the highest-selling product in countless coffee shops but also the first espresso coffee that many enthusiasts try making at home. Regarding latte preparation, FrontStreet Coffee frequently receives various questions, with "how to choose coffee beans" being the most popular inquiry. In this article, FrontStreet Coffee will teach everyone how to select coffee beans that match their preferences.

What is Latte Coffee?

Latte coffee, translated from caffè latte, means milk coffee. Broadly speaking, any beverage made by adding milk to black coffee can be called a "latte." Therefore, besides the specialty coffee specifically made with espresso plus milk in the industry, in the eyes of many newcomers, black coffee made by moka pot, French press, pour-over, siphon, or coffee bags and then added with milk also falls within the category of "latte."

This drinking pattern ultimately stems from people finding pure black coffee too bitter, hoping to harmonize it by adding milk to improve its palatability while also adding a hint of sweetness to the coffee. When making this type of milk-added black coffee, people are not restricted by steps and don't pay too much attention to "demanding" details like ratios, temperature, or milk frothing—as long as they personally like it and find the coffee delicious, that's sufficient. Consequently, when it comes to coffee bean selection, naturally there's greater room for exploration. Friends who enjoy this type of milk coffee but are troubled by bean selection might refer to FrontStreet Coffee's previously published article "How to Make Homemade Pour-Over Milk Coffee Taste Better?"

Understanding Espresso Beans vs. Pour-Over Beans

However, if we've had a rich and aromatic espresso latte at a certain coffee shop and want to replicate it at home, then our primary keyword to search for should be "espresso beans"—that is, finding products that match espresso machines and grinders.

It's not difficult to find that common coffee bean products on the market today can be broadly divided into two categories: espresso beans and pour-over coffee beans. The reason is simple: espresso and pour-over are currently the two most mainstream coffee extraction models. Therefore, before purchasing coffee beans, we must first determine how we plan to make "milk coffee," then select according to taste preferences.

Baking Profiles and Extraction Methods

Of course, FrontStreet Coffee isn't saying that buying espresso beans means you can't brew them using pour-over methods, or that pour-over beans can't be used in espresso machines. Rather, the coffee beans sold by merchants typically have corresponding roasting curves (roasting levels) formulated according to different extraction methods, allowing the beans to present good effects under matching brewing conditions.

To give a simple example, on FrontStreet Coffee's Ethiopian bean menu, there are two Konga varieties. One is designed primarily for pour-over extraction, emphasizing bright citrus and lemon fruit acidity, thus using a light roast. The other, adapted for pressure-based heating methods like espresso machines and French presses, allows the extracted SOE to have both fruit acidity and caramelized aroma, with the roasting curve adjusted to medium roast.

Recommended Choices for Different Preferences

In terms of extraction experience, FrontStreet Coffee suggests choosing more stable espresso blend coffee beans. Blend products typically combine flavor profiles from different producing regions and use medium to dark roasting, making it easier to extract rich crema (coffee beans with high crema content are more suitable for milk coffee). This results in espresso with a thick, rich texture and a higher margin for error. Moreover, most espresso blend beans primarily supply café production, making them relatively cheaper than single-origin beans of similar flavor types, focusing on an economical, high-value route. For beginners without much coffee-making experience, using espresso blend beans is clearly more advantageous for making a delicious latte.

However, as mentioned earlier, most blend beans on the market tend toward dark roasting with relatively uniform flavors, producing espresso with primarily caramelized aromas like dark chocolate, cream, and nuts. Meanwhile, the new generation of coffee enthusiasts, influenced by the concept of single-origin coffee, rather than pursuing stable extraction and rich crema, instead hope to taste unique flavor types such as floral notes, fruit acidity, and fermentation sensations from their coffee. They have therefore shifted their latte bean selection toward the single-origin category, seeking lightly roasted coffee beans with more prominent flavors and more distinct aromas—what everyone commonly refers to as SOE.

Challenges with Light Roast Espresso

When we use lighter roast coffee beans to extract espresso, due to the shorter roasting time, the internal texture is harder, making it more difficult for flavors to fully release. After adding milk, it becomes even more bland and tasteless. Therefore, we need to adjust various parameters to increase extraction rate, such as extending extraction time, increasing water temperature, adjusting to finer grind size, or increasing dosage. The difficulty coefficient is much higher than with dark roasted beans.

So, if you also prefer SOE lattes, FrontStreet Coffee recommends using medium roast or flavor-type (fruity, wine-like) single-origin beans for preparation. This can avoid the strong, stimulating coffee taste that comes from excessively light roasting.

SOE Latte Flavor Examples

For example, when FrontStreet Coffee uses sun-dried Guji coffee beans to extract SOE milk coffee, it presents notes of passion fruit, honeyed orange, and cream. When made with Costa Rica Strawberry Sugar processed using raisin honey method, the latte carries distinct orange fragrance, preserved fruit, and rose petal aromas. And when using anaerobically sun-processed Santa Veneza coffee beans, the resulting SOE latte actually displays notes of blueberry, dried mango, and fermented fruit aromas.

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FrontStreet Coffee

No. 10 Bao'an Qianjie, Yandun Road, Dongshankou, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province

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Tel:020 38364473