Coffee Blending

10/05/2020 12:06

Have you ever realized that regarding the supermarket shelves nearly all of what you can buy are coffee blends? If single-origin estate coffees are so fabulous, why would you want a blend?

There are lots of known reasons for creating blends, nevertheless the two main ones are to create a blend that tastes better than any of its parts individually (the entire is more than the sum of the the parts) or for large roasters to save cash by “watering down” the expensive coffee with cheaper, inferior beans. Assuming you are the coffee connoisseur this is certainly to locate excellence in quality, i'd like to give an explanation for art of blending through the use of a perfume analogy.

When perfumers (affectionately called a "Nez" or Nose) design a fragrance, they often think of the scent as having three notes, a high, middle, and low. The high note consists of fragrances which are the initial impression. They are bright and assertive scents, like citrus and ginger, but evaporate quickly.

Then the middle notes shine, which tend to be more mellow and produce the “heart” associated with perfume, such as rose or lavender. Lastly, whilst the middle gradually fades, the lower notes show through, like musk or plant resin. They are what bring depth and solidness towards the perfume and work as fixatives resulting in the whole fragrance to last for a longer time.

Exactly like perfume, coffee has different notes that may be combined to produce a good overall experience. I discussed the way the qualities of this coffee are defined, such as aroma, taste, body, acidity, and aftertaste.

One coffee may be too assertive in a category to be looked at great on it's own, but could be that perfect highlight in a blend. Also, the different coffees when you look at the blend could be roasted to different degrees allowing the most effective qualities of each one to shine.

The high notes in coffee will be the bright, acidic, floral, citrus, or cinnamon type flavors and aromas. Some forms of coffee are strong during these high notes by themselves and overpowering but work great in a blend. What exactly is great about blending your personal coffee is that the possibilities are endless; experiment to obtain the coffee flavors which you prefer.

For an excellent quality Central American (Guatemala, Panama), Mexican, Yemeni, or Ethiopian coffee, use 25% for the blend. The middle note, or even the body, should make up 50% associated with blend. Your body may be the oil content of the coffee based on its mouthfeel. Good ones to try will be Brazil or Colombian. Lastly, the low note is the musky, chocolate, nutty, earthy, caramel, or ashy type flavors that define the remaining 25% regarding the blend.

To get more body and sweetness, use an Indonesian like a Sulawesi or reasonably limited Sumatra. For a musty, earthy flavor try a Monsooned Malabar from India. An aged Sumatra may also provide a unique flavor. Again, the possibilities are endless!

Back in the supermarket, you might also notice ones like breakfast blends, that are made up of a greater percentage of bright, acidic coffees, or Italian roast blends, that are consists of a dark roasted body with earthy notes and extremely little brightness. Also, you can easily squeeze the coffee bag gently additionally the scent should tell you whether it's a dark roast or a bright, floral blend.