Blending

It is believed that the best espresso shots are born from espresso blends / blends. Is that so? I suggest to consider such concept as blending and to place all points over “and”. Before deciding what to fill up in the bunker today, let’s plunge into history. Namely in the middle of the XX-th century. The quality of the cream with a long bitterness in the taste, which was then considered an indicator of strength.Before people began to mix coffee, the whole world consumed and brewed coffee beans in the original monosorts from around the world.But since the coffee roasting industry was not so advanced and developed, the taste characteristics of coffee were simply simply erased from each other, and the difference between coffee with the use of Robusta and without could be felt immediately.

Why create espresso blends?

Mixtures are created to obtain a balanced complex bouquet, in which the taste flaws of one variety of coffee beans are balanced and complemented by the advantages of others. Sweet complex taste with a subtle aftertaste – a sign of any quality blend. The taste of espresso should be not just balanced, but also multifaceted: so that none of the individual flavor components dominates over the others, while being reflected in the prepared cup by its geographical diversity.

As many write, espresso blending is a kind of art. The art of creating something clear and universal from the complex.

So! What makes an espresso blend with that blend? At the moment, about 72 combinations have been created, successfully launched and in demand, blends around the world. Including two or more components. For example: only a blend from Brazil and Ethiopia can be presented in more than 10 versions. From the percentage to the processing methods and even the variety of grain used. The maximum number of varieties used to create a blend is 14. How do you like such an entertaining fact?

If your espresso is made from a mixture. Then at least it should go well with milk, while showing its stability from cup to cup. This is the most popular way of thinking in the world of freshly roasted coffee, because most people make it using coffee machines.

Robusta in espresso, as a relic of the past?

No, not at all. After all, to this day there is a generation of coffee lovers who can not do without this characteristic taste. And blends with the addition of a certain percentage of robusta are still relevant. Do not listen to snobs, because now you can find Robusta quality no worse than our beloved Arabica. It adds more caffeine to the blend due to its genetic characteristics, which balances the cup, making it denser and richer. But there is a flip side to the coin: many people buy Arabica blend with Robusta just because of its cheapness.

How do you create espresso blends?

There are two ways to create an espresso blend:

Pre-blending. This is the way when coffee beans are mixed before roasting. There is a small complexity in this method and it is due to the fact that each grain has a different density, size and amount of sugars. However, when frying together, one of the participants in the blend will need a little more time to develop the structure. It’s like cooking pasta of a distinctive size from different varieties of wheat in one pan (something will cook faster, something can be undercooked at all).

Post-blending. This method is very simple, because you actually mix already roasted coffee beans in the ratio in which it is required. The process is less interesting, but involves more action at the stage of sampling and thorough mixing.

In the first method, we often get a smoother cup, the blend itself tastes as if we are trying a whole. The second option, not by hearsay, can be much more practical if you decide to create an espresso blend of 4 or more varieties of coffee.

If you are sure of the grain or blend that you want to use for espresso, then you can safely take it. If not – try it! After all, until you try – you will not know. How to approach the choice of beans and a small guide to mixing coffee will be described in the next article.