Overheard a barista say single origin isn't always better for espresso

I was at a local shop in Portland last weekend waiting for my pour over and caught two baristas arguing about a new bean they got in. One said that single origin stuff can be finicky for espresso because it lacks the balance of a good blend. That got me thinking because I've been chasing single origins for months, thinking they were always the premium choice. I tried a blend the next day from a roaster called Heart and honestly it pulled smoother and tasted more rounded in my milk drinks. Anyone else find that blends work better for certain recipes or is it just my setup?

3 comments

3 Comments

jessica13012d ago

Oh man, I totally disagree with the barista who said single origin is always better. In my experience, blends are way more forgiving when you're dialing in your espresso. Single origins can be super picky about temperature and grind size, and if you're off by just a little, your shot can taste sour or bitter. Blends are designed to be balanced so they work well with milk or even straight up. I've had some killer single origin shots but they took me forever to dial in. Your mileage may vary but I think blends are the smart move for most home setups.

luna_wright12d ago

Actually blends being more forgiving is only really true for darker roasts. Lighter roasted blends can be just as finicky as single origins, sometimes even worse if they're mixing beans with different densities.

charles_mitchell11d ago

Yeah the part about "mixing beans with different densities" really hit home. I had a buddy who bought this light roast blend from a local roaster and it was a nightmare to dial in. He spent like two weeks messing with grind size and temperature and nothing worked right. Turned out they were mixing a washed Ethiopian with a natural processed Colombian and the densities were so different it just channeled every time. @jessica130 I get what you're saying about blends being more forgiving but that's kinda only if the roaster knows what they're doing. A badly put together blend can be way worse than a single origin that's at least consistent bean to bean.