I am sure there's plenty of these conversations, but if you were going to have a blended espresso or an s/o, which would you go for? Why?

Views: 471

Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

As a roaster, and espresso lover, I would go for whatever is going to make a great shot of espresso. I've had blends that were simple and not overtly complex, and SO espresso that was layered and multi-dimensional. Every blend or SO should offer something different. The question is: Is it good? If the answer is YES, then both have their place. 

If you are asking as a sole espresso for a shop (or a roaster for that matter) I would go with a blend.  It is rare for a single origin coffee to be a slammin' espresso that displays all the desired characteristics harmoniously.  When it happens, its usually in small supply from a roaster or farm.  Definitely a seasonal product.  A blend can evolve over time to supply a desired taste profile year round even when certain "ingredients" need to be substituted, providing a more consistent product month to month.  Since consistency is the name of the retail game, I would always chose a blend first in a retail setting.  

All that being said, I have a Brazil Sertao Yellow Bourbon Peaberry SO espresso (Dallis Bros) in my hopper at home right now. 

Both is a great idea for shop environment.  You can have your reliable blend that your regulars like and know and then mix things up by offering a SO on the menu that you can change as often you like. 

In our shop we get different SO in every 3 weeks. We mostly see the same faces every day so they're happy to try something new, especially if they can tell its a SO that you're excited about. 

Not every SO will make cracking espresso, but some will.  The main thing is it spices things up for the regulars and really importantly keeps it interesting for you the barista.  Hard not to get excited everytime that new coffee arrives! :-)

Don't you mean single variety vs blend? A SO might be a blend. Lots of farms grow a mix of, say, typica with caturra and catuai. All three have different qualities. The trees are mixed together on the farm and the beans are thrown into one batch by the pickers. Single origin and single estate, yes. Single variety, no.

I like the complimentary flavors of a properly blended espresso. My espresso has three varieties of beans-all from the Big Island in Hawaii. Does that make it SO?  Even if the blended coffees all came from the same estate, it's still a blend, and a SO. 

thank you for the clarification. 

Dennis McQuoid said:

Don't you mean single variety vs blend? A SO might be a blend. Lots of farms grow a mix of, say, typica with caturra and catuai. All three have different qualities. The trees are mixed together on the farm and the beans are thrown into one batch by the pickers. Single origin and single estate, yes. Single variety, no.

I like the complimentary flavors of a properly blended espresso. My espresso has three varieties of beans-all from the Big Island in Hawaii. Does that make it SO?  Even if the blended coffees all came from the same estate, it's still a blend, and a SO. 

I suppose I should have explained more clearly- we have a traditional, dark Italian espresso and are currently looking for another espresso to fill the other grinder we have on our bar. We're not sure if we want to do another blend or a single origin of some kind. I thought I'd get some feedback while we are going through this selection. Thanks so much for your opinions! :) 

There are so many reasons to do all the above. Northern Italian, Southern Italian styles plus single origin. We at our cafe rotate seasonal single origin(currently Daterra's Org. Private Reserve) plus our Virtuoso espresso is always available. On request, we will reset our grinder for the Southern(darker) espresso. Why some ask? We enjoy cupping and tasting new coffees to share with our clients. We are fortunate to have staff that shares our passion and enjoys doing the same. Do what you can support and your market(clients) will support you... My two cents

We do a blend as our go to, and have a "guest espresso" listed on the menu.  It's either an SO that I roast or someone else's espresso.  Just got through Street Level by Verve and are waiting on Pillow Fight.  We change it up at least once every couple of weeks. Nice to have a variety and showcase other roasters' skills.

I completely agree! We also have a guest espresso program to showcase different espressos- whether SO or blend- to educate our staff and customers. It's been a lot of fun to teach our staff/customers and watch THEIR excitement grow about good/new/different espressos. This program has definitely brought our store a long way, not only in quality, but also in knowledge of our craft.

Daniel Williamson said:

We do a blend as our go to, and have a "guest espresso" listed on the menu.  It's either an SO that I roast or someone else's espresso.  Just got through Street Level by Verve and are waiting on Pillow Fight.  We change it up at least once every couple of weeks. Nice to have a variety and showcase other roasters' skills.

Reply to Discussion

RSS

Barista Exchange Partners

Barista Exchange Friends

Keep Barista Exchange Free

Are you enjoying Barista Exchange? Is it helping you promote your business and helping you network in this great industry? Donate today to keep it free to all members. Supporters can join the "Supporters Group" with a donation. Thanks!

Clicky Web Analytics

© 2024   Created by Matt Milletto.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service