SOE coffee is actually espresso made from single-origin coffee. After the 2007 WBC champion used single-origin coffee beans to make espresso and beat all the competitors using blended coffee beans, SOE had already been popular abroad for over a decade and had developed very maturely. In China, however, it has only become popular in recent years. One reason is that specialty coffee culture was not yet widely popularized in China at the time, and another is that consumers had not yet formed the habit of coffee consumption.

Nowadays, more and more cafes use single-origin coffee beans to extract espresso. One reason is that using single-origin coffee beans for extraction can highlight the distinctive flavors of the region as well as richer tastes, which meets the public's pursuit of specialty coffee. Another is that many domestic coffee chain brands use SOE as a promotional point to showcase the unique charm of specialty coffee.

Is SOE coffee necessarily specialty coffee?

Not necessarily. Single-origin coffee is not the same as specialty coffee, and blended coffee beans can also be specialty coffee. FrontStreet Coffee believes this proposition is actually a false one, because there is no unified standard to prove that SOE really tastes better than espresso. That is because many factors determine whether it tastes good, including coffee variety, quality, roasting, the production process and personal taste.

Does espresso made with single-origin coffee beans taste better than espresso made with blended coffee beans?

Not necessarily. That is because keeping the quality of every cup of SOE espresso consistent is a very difficult thing. Coffee beans are an agricultural crop and are affected by factors such as season and climate, which causes differences in stability. Espresso made with single-origin coffee beans is not necessarily really better than espresso made with blended beans.

Everything above concerns the characteristics and quality that ultimately show up in a cup of coffee. Because so many factors are involved, it is wrong to think that an espresso made with SOE tastes better than one made with a blend, even if the SOE costs more.

If it is a coffee shop's offerings, it is not advisable to go all-in on SOE; it is still necessary to keep blended coffee beans as an option. Not every consumer can appreciate the acidity of coffee, and in most people's minds coffee is rich and full-bodied.

Choosing SOE coffee beans

Coffee made with SOE is mainly about highlighting flavor, with high distinctiveness, so it is best to choose single-origin beans with prominent flavor and mouthfeel. Imagine this: someone who loves milk coffee gets to taste something with such a special flavor, mouthfeel and distinctiveness that they cannot forget it after drinking it. Will they not come back next time? If an expensive SOE choice turns out to have ordinary flavor, it would be more worthwhile to choose the usual commercial blend.

So when choosing SOE coffee beans, FrontStreet Coffee recommends using coffee beans with prominent flavor and a roast level of medium or darker. Under pressurized extraction, light-roasted coffee beans easily show a sharp, thin mouthfeel.

FrontStreet Coffee has not released coffee beans specifically for SOE, but in the spirit of experimentation, FrontStreet Coffee has tried extracting SOE from every merchant's coffee beans, and the single-origin beans all perform well when used to make espresso.

"FrontStreet Honduras Sherry Coffee Beans", this medium-roast coffee bean, when extracted as SOE, shows a rich fermented wine aroma, vanilla-cream smoothness and a caramel finish.

"FrontStreet Costa Rica Strawberry Candy Coffee Beans", this medium-roast coffee bean, when extracted as SOE, shows the sweetness of dried fruit, red floral notes and a berry-like sweet-tartness.

"FrontStreet Brazil Queen's Estate Coffee Beans", this medium-dark roast coffee bean, when extracted as SOE, shows the aroma of roasted peanuts and roasted nuts, along with a dark-chocolate-like body and a caramel finish.

How do you know whether a shop's SOE is successful?

This can be looked at in two parts. One part is enthusiasts who know the concept of SOE, or who came to this shop because of SOE, being satisfied with this cup of coffee and continuing to think about it; the other part is making friends who have no concept of SOE feel that this cup of coffee tastes better than ordinary coffee.

Recommended budget-friendly everyday light-roast pour-over floral coffee beans: Qianjie Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Gotingding, Qianjie Panama Hacienda La Esmeralda Green Label Geisha coffee beans, Qianjie Panama Butterfly coffee beans

Recommended full-bodied, 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 Espresso Blend

You can now buy the coffee beans above online at the Tmall "Qianjie Flagship Store." Qianjie Coffee has dozens of selected single-origin pour-over coffee beans and espresso coffee beans from all over the world. Qianjie coffee beans are freshly roasted, cost-effective, of excellent quality, and 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