Why Would You Blend Coffee Beans?

Coffee blends are a staple in coffee shops

What is a Coffee Blend?

Specialty coffees are divided into two categories: coffee blends and single-origin. Coffee blends are a blend of different single-origin coffee beans, carefully selected to create the optimum flavour profile. They are coffee beans sourced from different regions containing properties that balance each other out and complement each other.

What Makes Them Desirable?

Reliability: Consumers want a coffee that delivers in flavour, which they can rely on year-round. Single-origin coffees fail on this front because they’re limited to the specific seasons of the growing region. Unlike single-origin coffee beans, coffee blends are repeatable and consistent outside of a specific time window.

Customer Demand: These specialty coffee blends create unique flavour combinations. Coffee roasters can deliver the perfect taste potential for a specific customer preference. Complex flavours that otherwise did not exist on their own can be created through a variety of coffee bean combinations.

What Are Their Benefits?

The biggest benefit of coffee blends is that they create more dynamic flavour profiles than a single coffee can do on its own. To successfully create coffee blends, the combination of flavours should be better than the coffee beans individually. 

By adding the coffees together, balance and complexity are achieved. The best notes of each coffee can be highlighted or enhanced. In turn, the coffee becomes greater than the sum of its parts. Arabica coffee is by far the most popular type of coffee and is also frequently used in blends, usually combined with Robusta beans to create a signature blend.

Another benefit is on the part of the roasters. Roasters who want to meet a certain price point without sacrificing flavour turn to coffee blends. This may also be done to meet specific quantity requirements for their production more efficiently.

However, don't assume roasters only use blends to use up leftover or past-crop coffees, trying to mask low-quality flavours with others. While this could happen with specific coffee roasters, the most common incentive to produce coffee blends is consumer demand.

Blends for Espresso

The difference between espresso and filter coffee is the way it's prepared, there is no difference within the actual roasted beans. Espresso generally requires the use of a fine grind dark roasted coffee and is brewed using high pressure to produce a highly concentrated shot of coffee. This can be achieved with espresso machines, Moka Pots, Aeropress, or French Presses.

When producing espresso blends, one has to account for not only the balance of flavours but how they'll work together in a milk-based coffee drink. The strong flavour this coffee produces is most commonly enjoyed in the form of a latte or some other variation of milk and espresso. The flavours of the blend should be able to stand on their own and complement the addition of milk.

Filter Coffee Blends

Filter coffee is a method of brewing coffee that requires pouring hot water onto ground coffee beans. Single-origin coffees are more often recommended for filter coffee because single-origin coffees are best consumed black and filter coffees are most often consumed by coffee aficionados who prefer their coffee black.

This allows for the detection of subtle hints of flavours and other nuances present in the body or acidity of the coffee. However, there is no written rule prohibiting the use of filter coffee blends, so that’s ultimately up to you. 

Breeze Valley Coffee Blends

Here at Breeze Valley, we offer three different specialty coffee blends. All are medium roast but contain strikingly different flavour profiles and are different varietals.

Breeze Aroma Blend Specialty Coffee Bean:

• The varietal contains Brazilian, Colombian, and Central American coffee beans
• Washed processing method
• Contains sweet flavours of caramel, cacao, toasted pecan, and brown sugar
• Our best selling blend

Zephyr Plum Blend Specialty Coffee Bean:

• The varietal contains African and Central American coffee beans
• This coffee combines beans that were processed naturally as well as washed
• Contains more acidic flavours such as plum, white jasmine, dark cherry, and orange

Hurricane Berry Blend Specialty Coffee Bean:

• This is an Ethiopian coffee varietal
• Combines beans that were processed naturally and washed
• Contains flavours of strawberry jam, vanilla, red wine, and malted milk
• Award-winning blend

Conclusion

While some coffee aficionados with refined tastes may always prefer single-origin coffees which produce a much more distinct flavour and are ideal as black coffees, blends are much more accessible to the broad population of coffee drinkers.

We can compensate for weaknesses in coffee flavour profiles, body, or acidity. For example, we blend coffee beans from Honduras, Brazil, and other places. The Honduras coffee beans have a sweeter taste, while the Brazilian coffee beans are stronger. 

After altering the proportions, we're able to produce the most consistent and desirable taste. Browse our speciality coffee blends available online or try them in one of our cafes in Sydney or NSW.