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Permalink Reply by John P on June 18, 2012 at 3:48pm

As a roaster, and espresso lover, I would go for whatever is going to make a great shot of espresso. I've had blends that were simple and not overtly complex, and SO espresso that was layered and multi-dimensional. Every blend or SO should offer something different. The question is: Is it good? If the answer is YES, then both have their place. 

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Permalink Reply by Matt Swenson on June 19, 2012 at 11:12am

If you are asking as a sole espresso for a shop (or a roaster for that matter) I would go with a blend.  It is rare for a single origin coffee to be a slammin' espresso that displays all the desired characteristics harmoniously.  When it happens, its usually in small supply from a roaster or farm.  Definitely a seasonal product.  A blend can evolve over time to supply a desired taste profile year round even when certain "ingredients" need to be substituted, providing a more consistent product month to month.  Since consistency is the name of the retail game, I would always chose a blend first in a retail setting.  

All that being said, I have a Brazil Sertao Yellow Bourbon Peaberry SO espresso (Dallis Bros) in my hopper at home right now. 

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Permalink Reply by Paul G on June 20, 2012 at 2:19pm

Both is a great idea for shop environment.  You can have your reliable blend that your regulars like and know and then mix things up by offering a SO on the menu that you can change as often you like. 

In our shop we get different SO in every 3 weeks. We mostly see the same faces every day so they're happy to try something new, especially if they can tell its a SO that you're excited about. 

Not every SO will make cracking espresso, but some will.  The main thing is it spices things up for the regulars and really importantly keeps it interesting for you the barista.  Hard not to get excited everytime that new coffee arrives! :-)

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Permalink Reply by Dennis McQuoid on June 25, 2012 at 12:04am

Don't you mean single variety vs blend? A SO might be a blend. Lots of farms grow a mix of, say, typica with caturra and catuai. All three have different qualities. The trees are mixed together on the farm and the beans are thrown into one batch by the pickers. Single origin and single estate, yes. Single variety, no.

I like the complimentary flavors of a properly blended espresso. My espresso has three varieties of beans-all from the Big Island in Hawaii. Does that make it SO?  Even if the blended coffees all came from the same estate, it's still a blend, and a SO. 

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Permalink Reply by Emily Wiersma on June 26, 2012 at 8:45am

thank you for the clarification. 

Dennis McQuoid said:

Don't you mean single variety vs blend? A SO might be a blend. Lots of farms grow a mix of, say, typica with caturra and catuai. All three have different qualities. The trees are mixed together on the farm and the beans are thrown into one batch by the pickers. Single origin and single estate, yes. Single variety, no.

I like the complimentary flavors of a properly blended espresso. My espresso has three varieties of beans-all from the Big Island in Hawaii. Does that make it SO?  Even if the blended coffees all came from the same estate, it's still a blend, and a SO. 

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Permalink Reply by Emily Wiersma on June 29, 2012 at 7:38am

I suppose I should have explained more clearly- we have a traditional, dark Italian espresso and are currently looking for another espresso to fill the other grinder we have on our bar. We're not sure if we want to do another blend or a single origin of some kind. I thought I'd get some feedback while we are going through this selection. Thanks so much for your opinions! :) 

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Permalink Reply by Rigo Hernandez on June 29, 2012 at 10:29am

There are so many reasons to do all the above. Northern Italian, Southern Italian styles plus single origin. We at our cafe rotate seasonal single origin(currently Daterra's Org. Private Reserve) plus our Virtuoso espresso is always available. On request, we will reset our grinder for the Southern(darker) espresso. Why some ask? We enjoy cupping and tasting new coffees to share with our clients. We are fortunate to have staff that shares our passion and enjoys doing the same. Do what you can support and your market(clients) will support you... My two cents

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Permalink Reply by Daniel Williamson on July 1, 2012 at 5:43pm

We do a blend as our go to, and have a "guest espresso" listed on the menu.  It's either an SO that I roast or someone else's espresso.  Just got through Street Level by Verve and are waiting on Pillow Fight.  We change it up at least once every couple of weeks. Nice to have a variety and showcase other roasters' skills.

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Permalink Reply by Emily Wiersma on July 11, 2012 at 5:41am

I completely agree! We also have a guest espresso program to showcase different espressos- whether SO or blend- to educate our staff and customers. It's been a lot of fun to teach our staff/customers and watch THEIR excitement grow about good/new/different espressos. This program has definitely brought our store a long way, not only in quality, but also in knowledge of our craft.

Daniel Williamson said:

We do a blend as our go to, and have a "guest espresso" listed on the menu.  It's either an SO that I roast or someone else's espresso.  Just got through Street Level by Verve and are waiting on Pillow Fight.  We change it up at least once every couple of weeks. Nice to have a variety and showcase other roasters' skills.

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