Can Gesha be used for espresso? Can single-origin coffee beans be used for espresso? What does SOE mean?

Can You Use Premium Single-Origin Coffee Beans for Espresso?

As we all know, coffee beans sold on the market are mainly divided into two types: single-origin coffee beans used for pour-over coffee, and espresso beans used for espresso coffee. Since FrontStreet Coffee's main business is selling beans, we often encounter customers holding premium single-origin beans like Geisha to ask: Can this bean be used for espresso?

Without even thinking about it, the answer is of course yes! Espresso and pour-over coffee are not superior or inferior to each other - they are simply different coffee brewing methods. Geisha is a coffee variety, and besides espresso machines and pour-over coffee, we can also choose various other methods like moka pots, French presses, etc., to extract it. If we use single-origin coffee beans for making espresso, the resulting espresso will be called "SOE" (Single Origin Espresso) - espresso made from single-origin coffee beans. But this isn't the point - the point is: is it worth using such expensive beans for espresso?

From a Flavor Perspective

Looking from a flavor perspective, it's definitely worth it. Reviewing past World Barista Championships, we can find that many competitors use expensive beans like Geisha for making espresso. The reasoning is simple and easy to understand - these beans have more unique or more distinct flavor expressions. For competitions, this is the optimal choice that minimizes point deductions.

The same logic applies to our daily lives. Although expensive beans don't necessarily represent excellent flavor performance, and their roast level might not be suitable for espresso, they generally offer us a more distinctive experience. Despite this, many businesses still discourage such behavior. Why?

Because the Cost is Just Too! Damn! High!!!

From a Cost Perspective

Whether for ordinary consumers or businesses, the cost of making espresso with expensive beans is indeed very high. The price here doesn't just refer to the material cost of using coffee beans to make a cup of espresso, but also includes the waste required for grinder adjustments.

In yesterday's article comment section, a friend suggested that FrontStreet Coffee's article today could be "What to do when half a bag of beans is gone after grinder adjustment," which shows that grinder adjustment is not as simple as "getting it right in one go" (it's possible, but unlikely). However, this depends on the situation. If we simply want to make an Americano, then adjusting the espresso will be relatively simple. Even if the coffee grounds don't reach the appropriate grind size and the flow rate is fast, we can extend the extraction time by reducing pressure and water flow, while increasing the coffee liquid weight to obtain a relatively fully extracted lungo. After all, Americano needs to be diluted with water, so extending our extraction is perfectly acceptable.

But if we want to make a fragrant and rich milk coffee, we need multiple grinder adjustments to make the coffee have both excellent flavor expression and extremely high concentration. Let's assume that an extraction expert can set the grind in three attempts, with each extraction requiring 20g of coffee grounds. Three attempts would be 60g, and if there are grinder adjustments in between, the coffee grounds consumed would need to be 70-80g.

A normal package of expensive single-origin beans weighs around 100g (20g per serving can extract 5 servings), so just the grinder adjustment alone has already used up most of a bag of coffee beans. Cheaper ones cost around 100 yuan, while more expensive ones like Red Label can cost 300+ yuan. Although you don't need to adjust the grinder every day when drinking at home, if we don't drink many cups, the cost is still quite high. In summary, we can understand that the reason many businesses don't recommend using expensive beans for espresso is because the cost is too high. If we can ignore the waste caused by grinder adjustments, then using expensive beans for espresso is still worth trying. If friends really want to try, they can first read the article "How to Adjust Grinders" to understand how to quickly adjust a perfect espresso.

Additionally, we can also follow the suggestion from a friend in yesterday's article comment section: first use cheaper beans with the same roast level to adjust the grinder to an approximate range, then switch to expensive beans for flavor adjustments. This will be a good bean-saving method.

- END -

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473