"Hello, could I get an Americano, please?"

"Sure, would you like to switch to SOE coffee beans?"

"What's the difference?"

"SOE tastes better!"

"Then let's go with SOE coffee beans!"

"Switching to SOE costs an extra 5 yuan, thank you!"

Many coffee shops nowadays offer a variety of espresso coffee beans for customers to choose from. The default is usually a basic blend, and you can switch to SOE coffee beans, but you need to pay an extra 3-10 yuan on top of the original price (it varies by shop).

SOE did not just appear in recent years!

Many people simply want to drink a cup of coffee, so naturally they will not deliberately try to learn more about the stories behind coffee. When they hear about SOE coffee beans, and that switching to them costs extra, they assume it must be something premium.

In fact, SOE is simply the abbreviation of "Single Origin Espresso." Literally, it is meant to distinguish it from blended coffee beans.

SOE is nothing new; it appeared earlier than blended coffee (only the term SOE came later). Here Best Coffee needs to clarify the logic behind the emergence of blended coffee beans. Before blended coffee beans appeared, the world was already using single-origin coffee beans - coffee from Mocha, coffee from Brazil, coffee from Java. Single origin was not emphasized back then because it was a matter of course and needed no special explanation.

Until the consumer market reached a certain scale (mainly the European market at the time), and combined with the risk of unstable yields and quality of coffee beans from various origins, someone blended coffee beans from different origins together to counter that risk. From then on, blended coffee became the mainstream of the time, using coffee beans from different origins to complement each other and stabilize the taste of the coffee. Even if a certain origin had a crop failure the following year, the blend recipe could be adjusted to compensate.

In recent years, SOE coffee has risen again, mainly due to the influence of the broader environment. Single-origin coffee has gradually taken root in people's minds. In pour-over coffee, single-origin coffee is mostly used, and the flavors brewed are excellent, which has also created the subconscious notion that "single-origin coffee is good coffee."

In fact, the rise of single-origin coffee has to start with the concept of specialty coffee. In summary, a group of coffee industry leaders solved the problem of inconsistent coffee quality at the root, and through a series of measures - setting standards, teaching coffee farmers scientific cultivation, and purchasing high-quality coffee at high prices - they incentivized farmers in coffee origins to farm meticulously. In this way, the quality of coffee beans improved, so the brewed flavor was naturally better.

In the past, our impression of the taste of espresso was balance - a bitter black coffee that only tasted good with milk added. This was not a problem with the extraction method, but with the coffee beans used. Espresso cannot be priced too high and is used in large quantities, so in terms of bean requirements, cost came first, then stability, and flavor last.

Blending was the safest approach. The beans used as blending ingredients had to have large yields and stable supply, so the ingredients could basically only be chosen from the top ten coffee-producing countries. As for flavor, it was basically fixed among caramel, nuts, cream and cocoa, because to accommodate the flavor and mouthfeel compatibility of various coffee beans, roasting all the beans dark was the most worry-free method (of course, market taste demand was also a leading reason). Traceability at that time was relatively poor, so consumers could only identify which roaster or coffee shop made good coffee.

Single-origin coffee, on the other hand, emphasizes the flavor of the coffee's region and the story of its traceability. Having found success with extraction methods such as pour-over and siphon, it gradually made its way into espresso as well, becoming what is known as "SOE."

Why do you have to pay extra when you choose SOE coffee?

Since SOE coffee is not, by definition, superior to blended coffee, why can SOE sell for a higher price? The reason is simple: the raw materials, the SOE coffee beans the merchant uses, cost more.

Logically speaking, using coffee beans from a single region in Brazil to make espresso could also be called "SOE." But such an approach is rarely seen on the market. That is because the espresso extracted this way may not necessarily match blended coffee beans in flavor and mouthfeel! Therefore, coffee beans marketed under the "SOE" banner must have a flavor that sets them apart from those traditional blends, a flavor that catches consumers' eyes and makes them willing to pay. That is why many coffee beans from small Ethiopian regions are used as SOE, because Ethiopia is dominated by citrus and floral flavors, and combined with a bolder (slightly lighter) roast, it lets people taste a different kind of espresso flavor.

Later, more and more specially processed coffee beans appeared, with increasingly distinctive (recognizable) flavors, and they were quickly applied to SOE as well. The rise in the cost of coffee beans naturally shows up as an extra charge. Therefore, many coffee shops keep at least one regular blended bean and one SOE coffee bean on hand, satisfying both budget-conscious customers and customers in pursuit of flavor.

SOE? Or a blend?

As Qianjie said before, there is no question of one being better or worse between SOE coffee beans and blended coffee beans; the only difference is the user's purpose. For example, Qianjie Classic Espresso Blend is a recipe combining three origins, Brazil, Indonesia and Vietnam, and uses a dark roast, which maximizes the coffee's rich aroma and also lets everyone easily extract a rich, dense crema. Whether you are making an Americano diluted with water or a latte paired with milk, it is very suitable, and you can place an order at the Qianjie Taobao store or the Qianjie Tmall flagship store.

For historical reasons, the word "blend" has become a stereotype in many people's minds, and this is also why many merchants avoid high-quality blends. The term "SOE" forms a sharp contrast in impression against blends (blends correspond to single origin, a bad impression versus a good impression).

Finally, when SOE coffee beans become a trend, many are bound to follow the crowd. This also gives rise to SOE that is not made with flavor as its main goal, but rather SOE made for the sake of SOE.

Recommended affordable everyday light-roast pour-over floral coffee beans: Qianjie Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Gudingding, Qianjie Panama Hacienda La Esmeralda Green Label Geisha Coffee Beans, Qianjie Panama Butterfly Coffee Beans

Recommended rich and balanced dark-roast coffee beans: Qianjie Golden Mandheling Coffee Beans, Qianjie Blue Mountain Coffee Beans, Qianjie Queen's Estate Coffee Beans

Recommended espresso and latte coffee beans: Qianjie Classic Blend, Qianjie Strawberry Candy Italian Blend

The above coffee beans can now be purchased online at Tmall "Qianjie Flagship Store". Qianjie Coffee has dozens of selected single-origin pour-over coffee beans and espresso coffee beans from around the world. Qianjie coffee beans are freshly roasted with high cost-performance and excellent quality, shipped within 24 hours. Qianjie Coffee is the recommended choice of many coffee lovers and platforms.

Tmall Qianjie Flagship Store link: https://qianjieshipin.tmall.com

Or you can search "Qianjie Flagship Store" directly on Taobao

Qianjie Coffee store address: No. 315 Donghuadong Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou