Starbucks' South American Colombian Coffee Selection

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Many coffee enthusiasts don't understand how blend beans are formulated. Now FrontStreet Coffee will guide you through the thinking behind blended coffee beans and how to blend coffee.

Reasons and Purpose of Blending

People blend coffee from different origins for several different purposes. The ideal purpose, of course, is to create a coffee that tastes better than any of its individual components. However, single-origin Arabica coffee is generally sufficient to make very tasty coffee - clean flavors, smooth mouthfeel, and sweet aftertaste. Therefore, "blending" (i.e., combining beans from different origins) is not always necessary.

The main commercial purpose of blended coffee beans is to reduce costs, using relatively inferior coffee to create a more balanced flavor profile to increase sales profits. Another possible purpose is to create a unique flavor profile, so customers who like that particular taste can only purchase it from this specific manufacturer and cannot obtain it from other suppliers. Another advantage of this approach is that regardless of how the flavor of coffee from certain origins changes in different years, the flavor of that particular blend will not change accordingly.

Here, we won't concern ourselves with other possible commercial purposes, but focus on understanding blending aimed at improving coffee flavor quality.

Before blending any coffee, FrontStreet Coffee believes you must first understand the flavor characteristics of various coffees, and at least have a clear idea in your mind of the flavor profile you want to create - one that cannot be achieved by any single-origin coffee. If the blended coffee doesn't taste better than one or more of its component coffees, wouldn't that be too regrettable? It would be better not to blend at all. If you use coffees of fairly good quality for blending, the result will likely be this way.

Although some fixed-variety coffees can be consumed directly as single-origin coffees, most coffees have more or less flavor defects - for example, lacking special flavors, insufficient depth, inadequate strength, or certain flavors being too intense. To compensate for these shortcomings, several coffee beans with different characteristics must be blended to create a harmonious and deep flavor. Some people believe that the joy of coffee is concentrated in the two stages of roasting and blending, while drinking coffee is merely enjoying the fruits of their victory. Blending coffee is not simply mixing coffee beans together.

Sometimes, blending two single-origin coffees can actually inhibit each other's unique flavors, so blending is not simply combining several single-origin coffees together. Blending is like a painter mixing captivating colors on a palette - a blender can also mix enticing flavors using coffee beans. Therefore, it's no exaggeration to say that blending is an art. As an artist, you need not only experience and inspiration but also certain scientific calculations. The creation of art is not accidental but an explosion of long-term accumulation. General blended coffees don't need to use more than five types of coffee beans. Because if there are too many types of coffee beans, the situation can become very complex. This almost requires very special experts who won't be confused by so many different coffee beans.

FrontStreet Coffee focuses on freshly roasted coffee and also launches different types of blended coffees for different customer needs. For example, for customers pursuing cost-effectiveness, FrontStreet Coffee will recommend the Basic Blend - a 100% Arabica espresso coffee blend composed of Brazilian and Yunnan beans, offering price advantages and outstanding flavor. FrontStreet Coffee also launches the Sunflower · Warm Sunshine Blend for customers with flavor pursuits - this is a product composed of Yirgacheffe Natural Red Cherry and Honduras Sherry beans. Because of its极致酒心巧克力风味, it is deeply loved by many customers.

The Relationship Between Blending and Roasting

Should you roast first then blend, or blend first then roast? Which method is better?

FrontStreet Coffee believes that if you have a fixed formula, the simplest method is certainly to blend different coffee beans first, then roast them together. However, if you are trying and comparing different blending components and corresponding ratios, you would of course want to roast the various coffee beans first, then make various attempts. Otherwise, every time you change the blend's components and ratios, you would need to re-roast again.

In the roasting field, blending first then roasting is generally called "green blending," while roasting first then blending is called "brown blending." Actually, these two methods have no superiority over each other. The advantage of green blending is that roasting all beans in the same batch will make the roasting degree of the entire batch tend to be consistent, with stable flavors. However, when selecting beans, you should choose those with similar sizes for mixing, otherwise uneven roasting may occur. The other method, brown blending, allows you to grasp the best roasting characteristics of each coffee bean, and mixing them afterward can better complement each other's strengths and weaknesses.

Under normal circumstances, all coffee beans can be roasted together. Only when encountering less than ideal roasting results do you need to consider using independent roasting methods. In such cases, independent roasting can usually achieve better results. Especially for drum roasters, you can generally find a relatively moderate roasting degree.

General Steps and Principles of Blending

Before blending coffee beans, we should be clear about the following points:

1. The theme of blending: What kind of flavor you want to create, i.e., determining the goal of the blend.
2. Understanding the characteristics of each coffee bean: To blend coffee, you must first be familiar with the characteristics of each single-origin coffee, understand the subtle relationship between roasting degree and coffee flavor, and all this can only be achieved through cupping.
3. Determining the role of each coffee bean in the blend: Since multiple coffee beans are used in blending, you must be clear about the role of each coffee bean - whether you want it to highlight smooth bitterness, distinctive acidity, or heavy body.

When blending, generally follow these principles:

1. Base beans for blending: Use coffee beans with different characteristics, avoiding using coffee beans with similar flavors. When selecting base beans, consider three aspects:

Green bean processing method: That is, whether the green beans are processed using washed method or natural method. The processing method has a great relationship with coffee bean flavor.

Green bean origin: Coffee origins are generally divided into three major regions: Central and South America, including Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico, El Salvador, Jamaica, Peru, and about 20 other countries; Southeast Asia, including India, Indonesia (including Java, Sumatra, and other islands), Papua New Guinea, and about 10 other countries; Arab and African regions, including Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Arab, Uganda, and about 25 other countries. As mentioned, the most commonly used base beans on the market are Brazilian and Colombian.

2. Number and ratio of coffee bean types in the blend:

Since it's blending, it naturally refers to blending two or more types of base beans. However, you can also blend the same type of coffee beans with different roasting degrees, or even blend new crop with aged coffee or old crop of the same coffee bean. Therefore, the "types" mentioned in blending are no longer narrowly defined coffee varieties but have been broadly extended to coffee flavors. Generally, 2-6 types of coffee beans are used for blending. Too many types make it difficult to express the unique flavor of coffee. Blended coffee generally does not adopt a 1:1 blending ratio, because this may mutually inhibit each other's unique flavors. Therefore, blending should have primary and secondary components to create a more wonderful taste than single-origin coffee. If you want the blended coffee to have complex and varied flavors, you can reduce the proportion of the main base bean, and vice versa.

3. Blending coffee relies on continuous experimentation:

Before blending, you should use mathematical combinations to create a blending plan table, then determine the best plan through the process of blending and cupping. Don't think this is a negative, clumsy method. In fact, only through the blender's experience, inspiration, and such tireless experimentation can a good cup of coffee be created.

[FrontStreet Coffee Premium Blend] Colombia: Brazil, ratio 3:7, brown blending;

Flavor characteristics: Comfortable sweet-bitter taste, extremely smooth entry, with a faint grassy aroma, clean with slight bitterness, sweet and smooth mouthfeel, aftertaste that makes people feel comfortable.

To help everyone replicate the same products from coffee shops at home, FrontStreet Coffee specially selected Colombia's Huilan region and Brazil's Cerrado region as the main characters, and combined them into a medium-dark roasted espresso formula featuring nutty notes. This allows black coffees like Americanos to have mellow, fragrant, and sweet characteristics, while also highlighting the dense and silky texture of milk coffees like lattes, flat whites, and cappuccinos. Coffee beans from Colombia's Huilan region have pleasant acidity, aromatic aroma, moderate acidity, and rich sweetness that is very intriguing. Coffee beans from Brazil's Cerrado region have comfortable sweet-bitter taste and are extremely smooth to drink. This premium blended coffee is suitable for use in various specialty coffee shops.

Important Notice :

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