Espressos: Single Origin Vs. Blended

The practice of roasting a coffee from a single farm or cooperative for espresso brewing is an tactic that appears to be carrying the day at the higher end of the North American specialty coffee world. The old argument against single-origin espressos and in favor of blends ran: Put a single, unblended coffee under the magnifying intensity of espresso brewing and the coffee is liable to come out sharp, shallow or imbalanced; one needs to combine several coffees to achieve balance and completeness in espresso. 

 

Admittedly there are unusual issues at play in evaluating espressos. Coffee generally is a fragile beverage that is in a continual state of re-creation. In particular, there is an intimate interplay between the espresso coffee and the extraordinarily complex act of brewing it on expensive, sophisticated pieces of machinery. 

 Such is the case with our Espresso, we opt for  a blend using Central and South American coffees. Though we do support single farms such as our Guatemalan Huehuetenango El Injerto Estate or the Nicaragua Pulped Natural Placeres Estate , roasting experience has proven that blending beans are ideal for our brand of espresso.