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The coffee industry has been constantly developing, whether in terms of production methods or coffee varieties and so on. Only by constantly innovating and progressing can one keep a persistent presence in the ever-changing new social era and avoid being eliminated by society. Espresso, from its origins to its development up to now, has always been constantly innovating.

From the earliest espresso, to the Americano of World War II, and then to the later milk-based fancy coffee, Italian-style coffee has gone through so much along the way. Everyone knows Italian-style coffee, and many coffee enthusiasts are also very familiar with specialty coffee, but the niche SOE is not known to most people. A few years ago, SOE was not yet widely popular in the country, and its usage and usage rate in cafes were also on the low side, until in recent years, as specialty coffee culture continued to spread and with the strong promotion by many domestic coffee chain brands, SOE has gradually penetrated into coffee consumers' daily lives in the country.

What is SOE coffee? It sounds rather bougie. In this article, FrontStreet Coffee shares the story of SOE coffee with you!

What Is SOE Coffee?

SOE is an abbreviation; its full name is single origin espresso, meaning single origin espresso, a coffee made from coffee beans of a single origin and a single variety, capable of highlighting the regional flavors of the coffee's origin, such as Yirgacheffe highlighting acidity and Guatemala highlighting body.

SOE has been popular abroad for decades, and therefore has a broad audience. In fact, when the SOE method was introduced to China ten years ago, it did not spread the way it did abroad. One reason is that coffee is still a niche culture in China, and a cup of specialty coffee priced at 30 yuan is not something one can afford to drink every day. The second reason is that SOE coffee is very expensive, costing several tens of yuan more than ordinary single origin coffee, so even fewer people accepted it.

SOE Coffee Characteristics

When using single origin coffee to make espresso, few people taste just a small cup of espresso; instead, it is made into a milk coffee with milk. This makes it easy to drink while also allowing one to taste the regional flavors of the single origin coffee itself. As mentioned above, SOE coffee made from a single origin uses the espresso extraction method to greatly amplify the coffee's flavor profile; this applies not only to SOE coffee but also to traditional espresso, highlighting the flavor characteristics of coffee beans from the region.

Take Yirgacheffe as an example: the flavor profile of washed Yirgacheffe is soft fruit acidity and a jasmine-like aroma, and when made into an SOE it becomes an espresso with very prominent acidity, which for most people is hard to drink. But when used as a coffee base to make a milk coffee or an Americano, this dilutes the intensity of the acidity and gives you a cup of refreshing SOE coffee.

The same applies to coffee from other origins, except that the flavors and mouthfeel will differ, though the varied flavors and mouthfeel offer more choices! But the drawback is equally obvious: because SOE coffee comes in different batches, there will always be differences in flavor and mouthfeel, and consistency cannot be guaranteed. This is because the climate and environment are different every day, and even if this batch amazes you, the next one may not give you the same experience.

The Pros and Cons of SOE Coffee

Pros: It can highlight the flavor of a coffee's origin, letting you experience the different flavors and mouthfeels of different origins

Cons: It cannot guarantee coffee quality, and the price is artificially high

Why did SOE become popular?

FrontStreet Coffee would like to share a story about SOE coffee. At the 2007 World Barista Championship (WBC), James Hoffmann from the UK won that year's WBC world championship in the finals using an SOE as the base. This move stunned the whole audience and made SOE coffee famous, so SOE began to attract more people's attention and importance.

Then, after years of development, consumers abroad also began to make a habit of ordering an SOE to taste. That is where the story ends. SOE coffee can highlight origin flavor more than traditional espresso, so FrontStreet will use Yirgacheffe natural Red Cherry to make an SOE coffee and share it!

FrontStreet Coffee - Yirgacheffe Natural Red Cherry Coffee Beans

Region: Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia

Altitude: 2000m

Variety: Heirloom

Processing Method: Natural

FrontStreet SOE parameters: dose 20g, time 28s, espresso yield 40g, hot water 150ml

Red Cherry SOE espresso flavor: smooth mouthfeel, medium body, strong acidity, with delicate fruit acidity and caramel-like sweetness

Red Cherry SOE americano flavor: light floral aroma, soft fruit acidity, smooth on the palate, cocoa-like taste, refreshing and tasty, with a lasting sweet finish. Compared with a traditional americano, the acidity is softer, the body is slightly lower, and it is more refreshing and easy-drinking.

Best value everyday pour-over coffee beans: Qianjie Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Gudingding, Qianjie Panama Hacienda La Esmeralda Green Label Geisha coffee beans

Espresso coffee bean recommendations: Qianjie Classic Blend, Strawberry Candy Espresso Blend

You can now buy the above coffee beans at the Tmall "Qianjie Flagship Store", where you can also find 60 kinds of single-origin pour-over coffee beans and espresso coffee beans from around the world. Qianjie coffee beans are freshly roasted and shipped within 24 hours.

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