As more people begin to appreciate great tasting coffee, people are beginning to take the time to educate themselves on the different types of coffee. As a speciality coffee roaster, we understand what it takes to make consistently great coffee, and want to share that knowledge with the rest of the world. So, what really makes a better cup, single origin or house blend coffee?
Speciality coffee
Speciality coffee takes any cup from good to great through factors that include sustainability, attitude, community and not to mention, taste. In its most basic form, it is recognised as high quality coffee that scores above 80 out of 100 by a certified SCA coffee taster. But we can go further to say that speciality coffee reflects the whole process of how coffee is made, from crop to cup. The upmost care is used at every stage of the supply chain, from the farmers who grew it at the perfect altitude, with the perfect care and attention, and picked at the perfect time, to the baristas who use special techniques to produce the very best cup of coffee, and everything else in between. As a coffee roaster, we make sure that we only use some of the very best coffee that the world has to offer. Developing a close relationship with each of the farmers who produce our coffee, we source the right coffee for our customers through a direct trade in order to support the coffee growing communities, which in turn ensures that every one of our coffee beans is 100% traceable.
Speciality coffee is the foundation for everything that we do. Using high quality, speciality coffee beans, we are able to create great tasting Single Origin coffees and House Blends.
Single Origins
Single origins are coffees that come from one country, region, crop or producer, which makes the beans much rarer than any a blend of coffee beans. Their flavour profile and acidity levels are influenced by where and how they’re grown, from soil type to altitude. Some will be light and fruity, others will be more chocolatey, nutty and rich, but you can guarantee than any single origin coffee has much more pronounced aromas and flavour notes than blends. When working with single origin beans, it’s paramount for any roastery to be extremely careful with these beans so not to disrupt their flavours, so they’re usually more of a lighter roast than a blend, to make sure they taste exactly as nature intended.
According to SCAE’s Andra Vlaicu, single origin coffee is “the acknowledgment that the coffee is from a particular farm located in a unique setting, whilst its flavour depicts its origin, possessing characteristics of that specific area where the particular coffee was grown.”
House Blends
House blend coffees are coffee beans from a mixture of origins, which are sourced, paired to make sure each bean complements the other, and blended in the roastery to create a unique blend of coffee that has never been done before. These blends give you the best of both worlds when it comes to coffee, as there will be a mix of origins from all over the world to give you a flavour of combined features. This results in a balanced and delicious coffee, which is normally full bodied and when done right, can be a complex flavour. Compared to single origins, a house blend usually has a more consistent flavour profile, which is great for those who want to continually taste the same great flavours.
The final verdict, which is better?
As a coffee roaster, we make sure that each of our coffees, single origin or house blends, are roasted using the highest quality beans available to produce great coffee time and time again. As a result, there is no real answer as to which is better, other than it coming solely down to personal preference and taste. Whilst a House Blend can provide consistently great coffee for any type of drink time and time again, a Single Origin will give any coffee lover that exotic flavour profile they’ve been looking for.
If you’re wondering which coffee could be best for your business, please get in touch with us at coffee@bridgecoffeeroasters.com or call us on 0800 092 8992 for more information. Additionally, please feel free to request a sample to start exploring our collection.