Can Guji Uraga 8.0 be used for SOE? Why are SOE coffee beans roasted darker than single-origin beans?

Many coffee enthusiasts have developed a habit when they discover a bean they love: they're not satisfied with just one extraction method to taste their coffee, but instead want to extract it using all the tools at their disposal. One of the most popular approaches is using Single Origin Espresso (SOE).

Take FrontStreet Coffee's recently introduced Ethiopia Gemika 8.0, for example. With its rich fermented fruit notes and the mellow sweetness unique to natural processed coffee, it has become a daily favorite for many coffee lovers. It has also inspired those with home espresso machines to try recreating coffee shop-quality Gemika SOE lattes or SOE Americanos at home - just the thought of it is delightful.

However, FrontStreet Coffee has noticed that many people mistakenly believe SOE simply means using single origin beans directly in an espresso machine to create single origin espresso shots. It's only after they purchase various floral and fruity flavored beans and try them at home that they realize something isn't quite right. First, they experience the spectacle of coffee "gushing" out uncontrollably, followed by an overwhelmingly acidic espresso that prevents them from taking a second sip. Then they begin to wonder if their equipment is inadequate or if they've made some operational error.

In reality, the reason you might not be able to replicate café-quality SOE at home likely has nothing to do with your equipment or beans, but rather that the roast level of this particular coffee bean isn't suitable for your current extraction parameters. Don't believe it? When FrontStreet Coffee tried to make SOE directly using the Gemika 8.0 beans that are typically used for pour-over brewing, we encountered the same problems. Since FrontStreet Coffee's house blend "Sunflower Sunshine" is a medium to dark roast with a relatively porous texture, we needed to adjust the grinder to a finer setting to accommodate the denser Gemika 8.0 single origin beans. Let's walk you through FrontStreet Coffee's adjustment process!

First Gemika SOE Extraction Parameters

Galileo Q18 grinder setting: 1.4, Dose: 20g, Yield: 40g, Ratio: 1:2

After starting the extraction, the first coffee drops appeared at 8 seconds, with a slow flow rate, taking 37 seconds to reach the target yield. The crema was pale yellow with dark tiger striping, with sharp acidity in the mouth. The flavor profile only revealed minimal citrus notes and caramel aftertaste, clearly indicating under-extraction.

FrontStreet Coffee then adjusted the grinder to a slightly coarser setting of 1.6, maintaining the same dose and ratio for extraction. After adjustment, the first drops appeared at 7 seconds with a relatively faster flow rate, completing in 32 seconds total. The espresso wasn't as harsh as the first cup, but the flavor remained weak, with only faint lemon acidity and black tea notes after swallowing - completely lacking Gemika's characteristic fermented fruit notes.

At this grind setting, FrontStreet Coffee further reduced the dose to increase flow rate, extracting 40g from 19.7g in 30 seconds. Compared to the first two shots, this faster-extracted espresso had better aroma, with subtle fruit notes in the crema and citrus and passionfruit acidity in the mouth. FrontStreet Coffee continued with this extraction formula to make a hot Americano and a hot latte. However, both drinks still didn't perform ideally. The Americano lacked aroma, resembling watery plum juice, while the SOE latte was heavily masked by milk - though without any negative flavors, it barely had any discernible "coffee taste."

The Root Cause

The reason is quite simple: the ratios we currently use are based on traditional espresso blends, which are typically medium to dark roast and have a substantial "coffee flavor." Therefore, Americanos and lattes are typically made with a ratio of 1 (coffee) to 4-5 (water/milk). Simply put, because the extracted coffee flavor is strong, adding more water or milk for dilution doesn't risk masking the taste. Since single origin beans are generally lighter roasted, while this advantage helps showcase their inherent flavors in drip or immersion brewing, it also means they cannot be prepared using traditional espresso recipes. So when we want to make rich-flavored Americanos or milk drinks using SOE from single origin beans, we need to reduce the amount of water and milk to lessen the dilution of coffee flavor!

As expected, when FrontStreet Coffee slightly reduced the amount of water and milk, Gemika's coffee flavor began to emerge, but still wasn't outstanding, especially in milk drinks, where performance remained mediocre. The main reason was simply that the roast was too light. For this reason, FrontStreet Coffee readjusted their approach, focusing on the roasting process for Gemika SOE. By slightly increasing the roast level to reduce acidity while enhancing the coffee flavors developed during roasting, there would be no need for significant adjustments to the original ratios!

Roasting Experiments

Drawing from past production experience, FrontStreet Coffee's roasters developed two new roast profiles for Gemika 8.0: one with minor adjustments based on the natural Red Cherry from the Sunflower Sunshine blend, aiming for more stability in espresso extraction; another profile with slight modifications from the pour-over single origin Gemika 8.0, designed to create an SOE that balances origin characteristics (rich fruit notes) with espresso's full body while maintaining cocoa-like sweet tonalities.

Seven days after roasting, once the beans had completed their degassing, FrontStreet Coffee immediately began testing. Gemika SOE extraction parameters: Dose 20g, Yield 40g, extraction time 30-35 seconds. The SOE from the first roast profile had rich crema with a fine, golden-yellow cream-like texture, but unfortunately, the flavor still didn't meet expectations. Due to the longer roasting time, the beans developed more caramelized compounds, while Gemika's original fruit notes were significantly diminished during the Maillard reaction, ultimately directing the coffee toward bitter caramel and spice notes. In contrast, the medium roast Gemika SOE from the second profile delivered unexpected surprises. Using the same parameters (20g dose for 40g yield in 33 seconds), the straight espresso had balanced notes of dark berries, dried apricots, caramel, and creamy chocolate. When made into an Americano, it revealed fresh citrus acidity, and when prepared as a latte, it displayed rich flavors of butter cookies, plums, almonds, and chocolate biscuits.

The Perfect Balance

After multiple trials, FrontStreet Coffee discovered that this was exactly the SOE flavor we were looking for! The acidity, sweetness, and bitterness were perfectly balanced, without any overwhelming sour or bitter notes, making it very approachable for those who dislike excessive acidity or harsh bitterness. After careful consideration, FrontStreet Coffee decided to launch this Gemika roast profile, allowing friends who appreciate high-sweetness espresso to experience this wonderful flavor! For detailed information, please refer to the second article for a comprehensive explanation - this promotion is limited to today only!

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