The Art and Science of Coffee Blending

To create a well-rounded, balanced flavor and aroma of coffee, the blending of coffee was invented. Coffee blending is considered the art and science of combining multiple varietals of coffee all together. Proper blending is very essential; with more than 100 different varietals of coffee making the right blend will be important to create the best result.

The blending of coffee varietals should be done after the roasting of the coffee beans is done. This is because of the different roasting temperatures of every coffee varietals, every one of them coffee varietals has a particular temperature required in roasting to achieve best results. This resolves the ongoing debate on blending the coffee varietals before or after they are roasted.

When blending, one should know the characteristics of the coffee varietals to be combined to create good results. Although, the market is already full of multi-origin blends making it hard to specifically determine the characteristics of each. The way to go around this certain problem is to learn the single-origins of the coffee varietals. Learning about the single-origins of the coffee varietals will give you an idea of how to do the right blending by finding out their different types and flavor.

We are discussing general traits of these coffee varietals and it doesn’t necessarily mean that every coffee varietals found in one region to be the point of origin will have the same characteristics as well. Let’s find out some interesting facts about these single-origin coffee varietals.

In Columbia, coffee has a balanced acidity, smooth with a sweet flavor in it. Sumatra’s coffee is very full bodied with a slight indication of exotic earthy taste. Like the coffee from Sumatra, Sulawesi coffee is also full bodied but with a unique nutty flavor and woody kind of aroma making it a complex flavored coffee. The same thing with coffee coming from New Guinea, they are balanced, full bodied with complexity in their aromas. Guatemala has a medium bodied characteristic, lively acidity and very aromatic, it also has spice and chocolate overtones together with Ethiopian coffee, also medium bodied with pungent ness and a tangy liveliness that pronounces a strong floral aroma.

Coffee from Kona which is grown in the islands of Hawaii, enriched from the benefits of volcanic soil has a typical mildness and sweetness with a little hint of spiciness. In Costa Rica, their coffee has an excellent blend of acidity creating a bright wild taste with a slight indication of smoke flavor in it. The last but not the least for this coffee has been considered by coffee enthusiasts all over the world to be the best coffee ever created with its wonderful aroma and overtones of berries and fruits.

Now you have ideas about the different coffee varietals and the different characteristics of coffee that comes from a particular point of origin. Now we can go back to the blending stuff. Before ending this article, a little information about one of the world’s most famous coffee blends. It’s called the Arabian Mocha Java, although there are some controversial issues about its being the world’s most famous because of the claims that some of the original characteristics of this particular blend have been lost through the years. This blend of coffee comes from the countries of Indonesia and Yemen, which is known to have a rich, spicy taste with overtones of bittersweet chocolates.