Many friends have asked FrontStreet Coffee's baristas what SOE coffee is, and why so many specialty coffee shops now offer SOE coffee while FrontStreet Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) has not put SOE coffee on its menu. The reason FrontStreet Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) has not put SOE coffee on the menu is that SOE coffee is espresso extracted from single-origin coffee beans, and coffee beans are affected by weather, cultivation, roasting and other factors, which can cause flavor differences between different batches of the same bean, so it cannot guarantee a stable flavor in every cup of espresso.

What isSOE coffee?
Single-origin espresso is also called single-origin espresso - SOE, full name "Single Origin Espresso". Although SOE stands for single-origin espresso, it does not necessarily equal specialty coffee. If a single-origin coffee bean with easily recognizable flavor is selected as SOE, it can produce an espresso with a unique and typical flavor. For example, FrontStreet Yirgacheffe's citrus flavor, FrontStreet Kenya's cherry tomato flavor, etc. In addition, under the high pressure of an espresso machine, espresso will amplify the taste of the coffee, so the flavor performance will be more prominent compared with pour-over.
 

What should be noted when making SOE?

SOE single-origin espresso: in order to highlight the flavor of the origin, the coffee beans selected are generally not roasted too dark. Compared with traditional darker-roasted espresso beans, the flavor is harder to extract. FrontStreet believes that on the one hand, extraction parameters need to be adjusted to increase the extraction yield. For example, lengthen the extraction time, make the grind finer, increase the dose, etc.
 

On the other hand, when serving espresso drinks based on SOE coffee beans, the ratio of espresso to milk or water needs to be adjusted. Reduce the milk or water to highlight the taste of the coffee, so that the coffee does not become too weak. Finally, there are also very strict requirements when choosing coffee beans for making SOE. Although SOE coffee performs prominently, because it comes from a single origin, its shortcomings are also relatively easy to magnify, so factors such as roasting and particle size will affect the flavor.
 

How does Qianjie extract an SOE using Qianjie Brazil Queen's Estate Yellow Bourbon coffee beans?

Coffee grounds 20g 

Coffee liquid yield 40ml 

Extraction time 27 seconds 

Grind size Galileo Q18 setting 2.0
SOE flavor description: chocolate, cream, nutty aroma, syrupy, medium bitterness, medium-high acidity.

So why is an SOE often more expensive than a blend?

When you order a coffee made with a blend, the barista will not say much about it, but if single-origin beans are used instead, they will emphasize that it is an "SOE", mainly to distinguish it from a blend. Traditionally, single-origin coffee beans are usually used for filter coffee, such as pour-over. Pressurized espresso uses blends as its raw material, and producers combine coffee beans from different origins, using a dark roast to highlight a rich, full-bodied, bitterness-forward taste, with the flavor profile basically fixed on caramel, dark chocolate, nut and cocoa notes.

An SOE that emphasizes a single origin uses a lighter roast, presenting a light body that is different from the traditional bitter profile, such as Ethiopian beans with a flavor dominated by citrus and floral notes. The higher distinctiveness makes it easier for consumers to remember the characteristics of an SOE, but in terms of cost, higher-quality single-origin beans are of course more expensive, so paying extra is only reasonable.

Which coffee beans are suitable for making SOE?

The first requirement for a delicious cup of coffee is good-quality coffee beans, and the beans chosen for SOE should also be higher-quality single-origin coffee beans. Qianjie's roasting philosophy is "freshly roasted good coffee," hoping that every customer gets to drink freshly roasted coffee beans full of aroma; all shipped coffee beans are freshly roasted within 5 days. Taking the coffees on Qianjie's bean list below as examples, here is an introduction to which coffee beans are suitable for making SOE.

1. Qianjie Yirgacheffe Natural Red Cherry Coffee Beans

This Qianjie Yirga Natural Red Cherry coffee, originally brewed as pour-over drip coffee, shows very high sweetness and a strong fruity aroma. When used to extract espresso (grind size needs to be dialed in), the crema on the surface is fine and tends toward a pale yellow color, smelling of sweet berry notes, with sweet-and-sour berries and caramel, and a clean mouthfeel. Added to steamed milk, it presents the sweetness of honey.

2. FrontStreet Coffee · Ethiopia Sidamo Huakui Coffee Beans

Region: Guji Hambela
Altitude: 2300 m
Variety: local heirloom
Processing method: natural process

Flavor: tropical fruit, strawberry, citrus, floral

The Sidamo region is located in southern Ethiopia, extending east to the Arsi and Bale administrative zones and west to the Gamogofa administrative zone, and Sidamo coffee is cultivated at altitudes between 1400m and 2000m. Most of the Sidamo region uses the natural process for green coffee beans, and FrontStreet believes that the natural process gives the coffee beans of the Sidamo region a rich fruity aroma and a smooth mouthfeel.

3. FrontStreet Costa Rica Musician Series Mozart Coffee Beans

Anaerobic honey processing keeps the mucilage layer on the coffee beans for sealed fermentation before drying, maximizing the sweetness of the beans; this FrontStreet Costa Rica Mozart presents a rich rose floral aroma and the high sweetness of raisins when brewed as pour-over. Extracted as an SOE, it shows intense tropical fruit as well as fermented flavor notes.

4. Qianjie Colombia La Divisa Estate Xizhua Coffee Beans

We recommend Qianjie Colombia Xizhua coffee, which you can order directly through the Qianjie Taobao store or the Qianjie Tmall flagship store. This coffee comes from La Divisa Estate in the Huila region, grows at an altitude of 1700 m, uses a double anaerobic natural process, and has very intense grape, passion fruit and citrus flavors. Made into an SOE Xizhua Americano, it has a crisp and clear grape juice character, refreshing and pleasant.

Recommended everyday pour-over coffee beans for good value: Qianjie Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Gudingding, Qianjie Panama Hacienda La Esmeralda Green Label Geisha Coffee Beans

Espresso coffee bean recommendations: Qianjie Classic Blend, Qianjie 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