Creation of a Coffee Blend - What you Need to Know

The Case for Blending Beans

On this page…
1. Why Blend?
2. Unblended Coffee
3. Famous Blends
4. Drip/Filter Blends
5. Espresso Blends
6. When to Blend
7. Related Reading

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Blending is the art of combining various coffees from different origins. Although you would assume that the reason for blending beans is to produce a superior cup, most 100% Arabica beans will produce a superior cup if left unblended. So why blend? Here are some of the less obvious reasons why we blend:

1. Signature Blends - the idea here is to produce a blend of a consistent flavor to be sold exclusively by a particular chain store or cafe. Consumers visiting the cafe can always expect the same taste and quality. The ultimate goal is to have consumers return time and again to buy the famous signature blend. Some examples include Starbucks, Dome and Gloria Jean's. If you are looking to buy coffee online, Peet's Coffee and Tea has some wonderful signature blends to choose from. Peet's roasts their coffee to order. Click here to try Peet's coffee blends.
2. Consistency Blends - these blend a large number of bean varieties in order to maintain a consistent flavor should one or more of those varieties become unavailable at any time. An example is the powdered instant "Nescafe Blend 43", with 43 different beans in the blend. If one of these beans should become unavailable, it can be replaced without consumers noticing a large difference in the flavor of their favorite coffee.
3. Low Cost Blends - these are an attempt to blend cheaper Robusta beans with quality Arabica beans in order to maintain some of the Arabica flavor at a lower price.
4. Single-Origin Blends - whilst you may think that "single-origin" is unblended coffee, this is not always the case. What is labelled as single-origin can be a coffee blend of various varieties from a particular region. On the other hand, it may well be a true unblended single-origin coffee - see the "Unblended Coffee" section below. You should check with your distributor that the coffee is exactly what you are asking for.

Unblended Coffee

In the case of high quality Arabica beans, it is a shame to blend away the uniqueness that can be enjoyed in a coffee from a single-origin or Estate. Drinking an unblended coffee allows you examine the traits of a particular bean and enjoy a uniqueness of acidity, body, flavor and aroma that cannot be found in any other coffee. When you are out to try unblended styles, look for the following:

1. Single-Origin Coffee - coffee beans from a single origin possess a balance (mix of acidity, body, flavor and aroma) unique to that region. Coffees sold as single-origin are usually always 100% Arabica and can be very costly, especially when the bean is highly prized. Highly regarded single-origin coffees include "Kona" coffee from Hawaii and "Jamaican Blue Mountain". For more details on the traits of particular single-origin coffees, see our article on Coffee Beans By Region.
2. Estate Coffee - some Estate coffees are both highly prized and highly priced. They are usually very rare, grown and harvested in small amounts for a select market. An example is the Galapagos Island Estate Organic Coffee, which is touted as having a medium body, low acidity, and a very pleasant finish.
3. Gourmet Coffee - this term is often used to describe single-origin or Estate coffee. It can be confusing as some companies also use the word "gourmet" to describe a particular blend or flavoring, including decaffeinated and organic beans. Be careful when buying "Gourmet" and check that the coffee is 100% Arabica.
4. Specialty Coffee - like "Gourmet", the word "Specialty" is often used to describe single-origin or Estate coffee. It can be confusing as some companies also use the word "specialty" to describe a particular blend or flavoring, including decaffeinated and organic beans. Be careful when buying "Specialty" and check that the coffee is 100% Arabica.

Famous Blends

Even though most coffee aficionados would choose an unblended coffee over a coffee blend, there are some famous blends known around the world for their consistent mix of acidity, body, aroma and flavor. These coffees are reliable and satisfying:

1. Arabian Mocha Java - see the Mokha Java description below. This coffee blend contains coffees from Indonesia and Yemen and is a highly regarded favorite of many coffee drinkers.
2. If you are looking to buy coffee online, Peet's Coffee and Tea has some wonderful signature blends to choose from. Peet's roasts their coffee to order. Click here to try Peet's a coffee blend .

A Coffee Blend for Drip/Filter Brewing

When blending for drip or filter brewing, the aim is usually to improve the complexity of the cup by increasing all four of the acidity, body, flavor and aroma characteristics whilst maintaining a pleasing balance.

1. Melange - this coffee blend contains a mix of coffees that have each been individually roasted to a different degree - some light, some dark. This allows blenders to mix the robust flavor or a dark roast with the pleasant acidity of a light roast.
2. Mocha/Mokha Java - this famous coffee blend is a combination of Indonesian coffee, with either Yemeni, or Ethiopian coffee. This allows blenders to mix the fruity, floral acidity of Mocha coffee with the full-body of Java coffee.

A Coffee Blend for Espresso Brewing

The aim for an espresso blend is quite different to that of drip/filter blending. Instead of blending for complexity, which might prove overwhelming in the strong espresso extract, the aim is to blend for balance, and occasionally to highlight some varietal quality in a bean. For espresso, lower quality Robusta beans are sometimes blended with the Arabicas in order to boost crèma and caffeine content.

When To Blend

When creating a coffee blend, some coffees are roasted first, in single-origin batches and then blended.. Others are blended first before being roasted together. Each technique has it's own advantages and disadvantages, with coffee buffs arguing the point either way. Some argue that since each variety of bean has an optimum level of roast, they should be roasted first and blended later. Others say that blending should occur before the roast to allow full integration of bean flavors during roasting. For convenience sake, many large coffee roasting factories will blend before roasting.

Related reading …

Click for more about acidity, body, aroma and flavor.
Click for more about coffee beans by region.
Click for more about caffeine and decaffeination.
Click for more about coffee roasting.
Click for more about coffee cupping/tasting.