The Art and Business of Coffee Blends: Pushing Boundaries For Coffee Worth Remembering

 

In nearly every creative field, we love to mix things up and break away from the ordinary—it's just in our nature. Musicians mash up genres for fresh sounds, winemakers blend grapes to craft intricate Bordeaux, and street artists fuse graffiti with contemporary design. For us at Coffee Equipment Pros, this boundary-pushing approach raises the question: why should specialty coffee blends be any different?

While nailing that single-origin roast has been the gold standard in specialty coffee, coffee blends of different origins have been part of the coffee culture from the get-go. Take the Mokha-Java blend, for instance—it's one of the oldest coffee blends around, mixing rich Yemeni coffee with earthy Indonesian beans.

These days, coffee blends often bring to mind mass-produced coffees from big chains that focus more on cost containment than quality, fostering a perception that blends are inferior to single origins. But here's the thing: as a roaster, you bridge the gap between coffee producers and consumers. Part of your job is to hone your craft, explore new horizons, highlight the best beans, and educate your customers. Offering high-quality signature specialty coffee blends (and busting some stereotypes along the way) is a great way to achieve this.

So, we invite you to give blended coffee a second look. We’ll explore what specialty coffee blends are, why you should consider adding them to your lineup, and how to create memorable signature blends that keep customers coming back. Pardon the pun, but embracing standout coffee blends might just be the secret to making sure you don't blend in.

What is A Specialty Coffee Blend?

A coffee can earn the title of specialty coffee if it scores 80 points or higher on the Specialty Coffee Association’s 100-point scale and has no more than five secondary defects in a 300g sample. So, if every coffee in your blend hits that 80-point mark, congratulations—you've got yourself a specialty coffee blend.

But creating a top-notch coffee blend is about more than just mixing different origins. Roasters have the freedom to combine various coffee varieties, processing methods, or even different micro-lots from the same farm to craft something special.

For something extra distinctive, enter the melange method—French for "mixture" or "blend." This technique refers to combining beans (or even the same bean) roasted at different levels or profiles. It's perfect for enhancing the complexity of a coffee, allowing you to bring out more roast flavor without losing the bright notes of a lighter roast—or even boost the acidity in a decaf. The goal is to mix and balance flavors to create something truly unique that highlights your brand and serves up a memorable cup for your customers. 

Why Consider Specialty Coffee Blends?

As this article's title states, offering specialty coffee blends calls upon a blend of art and business. Let’s briefly consider each:

Specialty Coffee Blends As Art

Coffee blending is all about letting your creativity shine as a roaster. It's your chance to explore all the amazing qualities of your favorite coffees, expanding them into a vibrant range of flavors, profiles, and aromas. Think of it like a juicy, ripe tomato: while it's fantastic on its own, combine it with other varieties and watch it transform into a delicious, multifaceted sauce.

Crafting a coffee blend requires a bit of artistry, as you'll want the coffees to complement each other and showcase their best traits. Plus, you've got to keep in mind the solubility of each coffee. Uneven extraction can throw off the whole balance.

Blending also gives baristas a fun platform to express their creativity and fine-tune coffee profiles. Just look at Matteo D'Ottavio, who snagged the 2021 UK Brewers Cup Championships with his winning blend of Geisha and Sudan Rume. And let's not forget barista Matt Winton, who took home first place in the World Brewers Cup that same year with his own coffee blend.

Specialty Coffee Blends As Business

Beyond the creative aspects, coffee blending has a more pragmatic side. In today's post-COVID world, where coffee C prices are climbing, shipping and operational costs are on the rise, and supply chains face disruptions, offering coffee blends can be a smart strategy.

SCA-certified Q-grader Crystal Glaspie puts it simply: “By combining premium coffees with more affordable options that add body or robust flavors, roasters can meet consumer preferences while managing costs. It’s just a fact of life in today’s specialty coffee economy.”

Another major perk of blending is consistency. Single-origin coffees, while lovely in all their purist glory, can vary wildly from crop to crop and season to season, making it tough to deliver that dependable flavor experience, especially on a larger scale. Blending helps you create a stable flavor profile that customers can always count on. Plus, coffee blends are versatile—they work great for both espresso and filter drinks.

Many roasteries and coffee brands also see coffee blends as a marketing tool. They let you connect to your brand story and create a sense of community with your niche customer base. Just look to Starbucks' Pike Place Roast, a popular Latin American blend named after the iconic Seattle landmark near the home of the mega-brand's flagship store. This approach can foster long-term relationships with your customers—and isn’t that the lifeblood of the coffee roasting business? It’s not about pushing single origins aside; it's about matching the right coffee to the right customer and making the most of what you have.

It's also crucial to understand the business impact on the entire coffee supply chain, starting with the producers. Embracing coffee blends can significantly benefit coffee producers by providing greater market stability and opportunities for profit. And here's another consideration: by incorporating blends into your lineup, you can use high-quality nano-lots throughout the year, not just for seasonal offerings. This also helps provide more consistent revenue for those at origin.

Just remember to offer traceability back to the farms and producers. Providing this level of transparency builds trust, supports sustainability, and educates your consumers. 

When to Blend Coffee: Pre-Roast vs. Post-Roast

If you're a commercial roaster ready to dive into coffee blends, you've got two choices: blend your green beans before roasting or mix them up after. The timing of your blend can really shape the final product, so let's break it down. (Spoiler: Like Scott Rao, we lean more toward the post-roast camp.)

Pre-Roast Coffee Blends

Blending before roasting lets you craft specific flavor profiles right from the start. SCA-certified Q-grader Crystal Glaspie highlights a few of the pros and cons:

The Pros

1. Flavor Control: You can create a unique flavor profile by combining beans that complement each other, allowing their flavors to meld beautifully during roasting.
   

2. Consistency: Blending pre-roast helps achieve a uniform flavor across batches, building brand loyalty as customers come to expect that signature taste.
   

3. Tailored Roasts: You can adjust roast profiles for the blended beans, optimizing extraction and flavor balance.

The Cons

1. Complex Roasting: Different beans may need different roasting profiles, complicating the process and potentially compromising quality if not balanced correctly.
   

2. Flavor Imbalance: If the beans don't harmonize well, some flavors might overpower others, leading to inconsistency and requiring extra tasting and adjustments.
   

3. Grinding Issues: Beans with different densities or hardness can result in an uneven grind, affecting the extraction quality. (This is why most melange blends come pre-ground—so customers don't have to worry about uneven grinds from their home grinders.)

Post-Roast Coffee Blends

Blending after roasting offers a different set of advantages and considerations. Glaspie offers more insight:

Advantages

1. Quick Adjustments: You can tweak your coffee blend based on customer feedback or trends, making it easy to cater to popular flavors without overhauling your roasting process.
   

2. Creative Experimentation: This method lets you mix different combinations in real time, sparking creativity and the chance to discover new winning coffee blends.
   

3. Less Waste: If a coffee blend doesn't hit the mark, you can easily mix it with another roasted coffee, reducing waste from unsold batches.

Considerations

1. Inconsistent Flavor: Achieving a consistent taste can be trickier when blending post-roast, as variations in beans can lead to differences in flavor.
   

2. Lack of Cohesion: The flavors may not interact as well since the beans haven't had the chance to meld during roasting, resulting in a less harmonious cup.
   

3. Mixing Challenges: Whether you’re manually mixing the beans in a bin or relying on the roaster's cooling tray with agitators to blend them, there’s a chance for inconsistency. If the beans aren’t mixed thoroughly, some bags might have more of one flavor than another, leading to uneven results in your final blend. (To help combat this, you can invest in a commercial mixer.)

A Note On Blending Post-Brewing (Yes, It’s A Thing!)

Glaspie also encourages us not to overlook post-brewing blending. This approach allows roasters and baristas to mix brewed coffees from different origins on the spot, creating unique flavor experiences. Imagine blending a bright Ethiopian brew with a rich Sumatran coffee right in the cup. Customers get the best of both worlds. This flexibility not only enhances the coffee experience but also invites creativity in crafting seasonal offerings or limited-time blends.

How To Create A Good Coffee Blend

Crafting a fantastic coffee blend is a delightful mix of art and science, just like roasting. This four-step guide is packed with tips and charts to kickstart your coffee-blending adventure.

Step 1: Choose And Roast Your Beans

Keep it simple with two to three types of beans for a balanced coffee blend. This way, you'll have at least 20% of each bean, ensuring their unique flavors and nuances shine through. When selecting your beans, consider the following:

Origin

Different beans bring their own flair, and that can really shape your coffee blend. For instance, Glaspie points out that Brazilian beans are a popular base for their smooth, chocolatey notes, while Ethiopian, Colombian, and Kenyan beans add vibrant acidity, fruitiness, and depth.

The chart below outlines some of the more common origins used in coffee blends, highlighting their characteristics and role in the final product.

Processing Method

How coffee beans are processed after harvesting is key to shaping their flavor and overall vibe. Each method can add a unique twist to your coffee blends, so it's worth considering what each one brings to the table. You've got the clean and bright notes from washed or aerobic methods, the sweet and fruity punch from natural processing, and the vibrant complexity of anaerobic processing.

Check out the chart below for some common processing methods and what they can contribute to your coffee blends. 

Roast Level

Light, medium, and dark roasts each bring their own unique flavors to the table. Mixing different roast levels can add an exciting depth and complexity to your coffee blends. It's all about finding that perfect balance to create a coffee experience that keeps your taste buds dancing. (See our comments on melange earlier in this article.)

Roaster

The type of roaster you use—whether it's a drum or air roaster, or fueled by gas or electricity—can influence the final flavor of your blends. Drum roasters can produce those traditional deeper flavors, while air roasters like the Air-Motion Roaster can often create a brighter, cleaner taste due to quicker roasting times and more efficient heat transfer. Each method brings its own unique characteristics to the table.

Step 2: Blend Coffee Beans

Once you’ve picked out two or three beans and roasted and de-gassed them to perfection, it’s time to start blending. Start with simple ratios—maybe a 50/50 mix—and tweak them based on your taste as you cup and sample them in Step 3. 

Now, let’s check out some standard bean origin percentage splits for two- and three-bean coffee blends designed to showcase different flavor profiles. Think of these charts as your springboard for creating fun and new coffee combinations. (And, we'll leave it to you to explore blending formulas for different processing methods. Get creative!)

Coffee Blends Using Two Bean Origin Types

Coffee Blends Using Three Bean Origin Types

Step 3: Cupping

Cupping is a key part of the blending process that lets you explore the unique qualities of each coffee bean. Start by grinding your beans to a consistent medium-coarse size—think granulated sugar—and use about 8-10 grams of each for a fair comparison. 

Next, place the grounds in cupping vessels and pour hot water (around 200°F or 93°C) over them, letting them steep for about four minutes to fully develop those flavors. 

Once steeped, break the crust of coffee grounds with a spoon and take a deep whiff of that delicious aroma—this part is crucial. Now, slurp the coffee to coat your palate, taking notes on flavors, acidity, body, and aftertaste.

Finally, compare your notes to identify complementary qualities that will help you craft a balanced coffee blend.

Step 4: Taste In All Forms

Now it's time to taste your coffee blend in every way your customers might enjoy it. Glaspie highlights the importance of brewing your coffee using different methods—try it as espresso, pour-over, French press, cold brew, or even in a coffee cocktail. This will give you a complete picture of how versatile your blend really is.

Bonus: Experiment With Additives

Want to take your blending in an entirely different direction? Consider adding spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, or even a hint of cayenne. (Who doesn't love pumpkin spice?) These natural flavors can enhance your coffee blend without resorting to artificial flavorings.

The Future of Coffee Blends—And Its Impact on Single Origins

So, what's next for coffee blending? Glaspie points out that the future looks bright, with both coffee blends and single-origin coffees playing important roles in the specialty coffee scene. She notes, "It's not a competition. As specialty coffee becomes more popular, consumer interest in blends will keep growing too."

Roasters who create unique signature coffee blends with interesting stories and top-notch ingredients will stand out in this competitive market. And don't forget to engage your customers. Glaspie adds, "By sharing the origins and flavors of each blend, you'll boost their appreciation and loyalty—ensuring that both your signature blends and single-origin coffees can thrive together."