Wasting time drinking espresso blends?

#1: Post by **RyanJE** » November 2nd, 2015, 9:58 pm

Am I wasting my time drinking espresso blends rather than SO as espresso?

I only drink SO as brewed coffee because blends don't do much for me. Would that also apply to espresso? Haven't tried any SO as espresso.

#2: Post by **Doolittlej** » November 2nd, 2015, 10:05 pm

I also only drink s.o. when drinking chemex or drip. S.O. for espresso can be tricky. I find it harder to dial in, and not as consistent. They can be amazing, but I became tired of having lots of mediocre shots. An S.O. that tastes amazing in a drip will sometimes be horrible in an espresso as flavors are concentrated.

#3: Post by **Nick Name** » November 3rd, 2015, 4:50 am

Well, I drink only (99% at least) espressos or cappuccinos and I'll use mostly SOs (maybe one bag out of 20 is a blend).

I like to taste different beans and I prefer a more or less dramatic difference in taste when I change beans. Also IMHO most blends seem a little like a compromise, not to be too much of anything and resulting to be a little bit boring. On the other hand, I think SO beans must be of excellent quality. With dark roasted espresso blends you can get away with minor defects in quality without many people noticing anything... I personally just don't like dark roasts.

Some people do say that SOs can be difficult as espresso, but I've only ever had trouble with extremely few very lightly roasted Kenyans or Ethiopians (and even then it's been usually more so that they've been hard to get to work as cappuccino). Blends (especially darker 'espresso blends') can be easier to pull if you are not familiar with how to dial in different types of coffees or roasts. It's all part of the learning process. I would say that if you strictly follow the somewhat outdated "rules of thumb of espresso making" (25s pull etc.) you might find yourself in trouble. Those rules date back from a long time before 3rd wave coffee was even heard of...

On the other hand, there is nothing wrong with using blends if that is what tastes best for you.
It is very much a personal choice.

#4: Post by **Moxiechef** » November 3rd, 2015, 7:07 am

To me, it's like wine, when you drink a cab or pinot you're very dependent on that seasons grapes. When you drink a meritage of sorts, you give more control to the wine maker.

When drinking a SO, the roasters influence on the final flavor in the cup is somewhat limited to the way they chose to roast the bean.

That said, I appreciate both. Blends just give the roaster the freedom to "create" a more specific flavor. Which, depending on their skill level, can be great or not so great.

JB

#5: Post by **Nick Name** » November 3rd, 2015, 8:13 am

OR it could be thought as meat (or whatever food).

Do you prefer your steak out of HQ beef or do you like to throw in some minced pork?

For me (also with wines) I like to source the best the season has to offer. Like champagnes, they (to my humble knowledge) are usually made of single grape, not blends. I think most European whites are made from single grape as are some traditional reds (like Pinot Noir or Brunello with Sangiovese f.ex.).
But of course, it is easier for the vineyards to produce a more complex wine by blending than getting everything out from a single grape. And that is what makes it intriguing. How to make the best out of a single ingredient. Of course, you'll have to be prepared to pay for the best stuff. Luckily for coffee the costs are much less than with wine. Naturally, I have also had some excellent blended reds along the way.

I'm not saying that all coffee blends are inferior, not at all, but I think most are mediocre (which naturally also means that they are better than the not so good SOs).
At least many artisan roasters here in Europe that I'm aware of often create seasonal blends (created from top quality beans of that particular season) which are superior to those blends that are supposed to keep their taste similar from year to year. But it's everyones' own pick. Whatever tickles your tastebuds... nobody can tell you what you like.

Still, the only way to properly learn about different coffees from around the world is to enjoy them as SO.

#6: Post by **brianl** » November 3rd, 2015, 10:44 am

We are very snobby. it's my opinion that a well thought out espresso blend can be better than a single origin most of the time. Of course, there are exceptions both ways. Some blends are just old beans tossed together and Ethiopia SO natural processed coffees make the best espresso IMO.

#7: Post by **NightFlight** » November 3rd, 2015, 11:35 am

That is funny Brian; I am currently on a four bean blend that I enjoy and at some point today, I will roast a pound or two of a nice Ethiopian natural I have to enjoy for the next week or so. The four bean is a Colombian, Guat, Yemen and Kenyan. The Yemen is killer as an SOE also.

#8: Post by **brianl** » November 3rd, 2015, 12:44 pm

good luck with the natural. I have a hard time roasting them as you need to use much less heat than you'd think. haha

#9: Post by **cmin** » November 3rd, 2015, 12:54 pm

I definitely gravitate towards blends for shots and milk drinks. There are some S.O. that I love by themselves though, like Jeffs Sweet Blue Daterra which is incredible, and I like a good Ethiopian etc, but sometimes I get annoyed trying to dial in S.O.s

#10: Post by **Marshall** » November 3rd, 2015, 1:10 pm

RyanJE wrote:Am I wasting my time drinking espresso blends rather than SO as espresso?

Definitely not. Most of the world's best espresso are blends. The espresso brewing process exaggerates flavors and usually requires a blend for a balanced cup. It takes a particular bean and great skill of the roaster to produce a good S.O. espresso. Enjoy both.