A Taste of vietnam
Creating Your Own Coffee Blend
Coffee blends are extremely important for coffee brands that want provide consistent offerings whole year. In this article we will tell you how to create profitable coffee blends that have consistent flavor profiles.
Challenges of creating coffee blend
Creating a balanced coffee blend is an art and a science. It takes a lot of practice, experience, and expertise. It requires understanding of which coffee combinations, mix ratios, and roast levels create the particular flavor notes.
Before choosing beans for your blend, the first challenge is to determine the flavor base. If you don’t sure how to start, consider the following coffee blend types to understand how different combinations make different tastes.
Black and tan. Named for the contrasting tones of the roasted beans, this blend mixes dark-roast and light-roast coffee for a medium flavor.
Mocha Java. It is the oldest coffee blend. Blending beans from Yemen and Indonesia creates a smooth and rich coffee full-bodied cocoa notes.
Melange. A melange blend mixes several coffees at different roast levels. The acidity of light roasts mixes with the bitterness of dark roasts results in a complex flavor.
Before choosing beans for your blend, the first challenge is to determine the flavor base. If you don’t sure how to start, consider the following coffee blend types to understand how different combinations make different tastes.
Black and tan. Named for the contrasting tones of the roasted beans, this blend mixes dark-roast and light-roast coffee for a medium flavor.
Mocha Java. It is the oldest coffee blend. Blending beans from Yemen and Indonesia creates a smooth and rich coffee full-bodied cocoa notes.
Melange. A melange blend mixes several coffees at different roast levels. The acidity of light roasts mixes with the bitterness of dark roasts results in a complex flavor.
Suggestions for your coffee blend
If you’re not sure how to start crafting a good blend, we have several advices for you. Hone 3 factors – bean ratio, roasting style, and flavor profile – and see how customers come back for your coffee blend.
1.Coffee bean ratio
It’s up to you to decide how much you want one bean and its taste to be brighter. For example, you can complement chocolate and nutty coffee beans with fruity undertones.
Use balanced amounts of sweet base and mid-palate beans. High notes can easily take over flavor profile, so it’s better to make a strong, sweet base and mid-palate foundation, and after that add high notes.
You can start with the following blend ratio: 40% sweet base notes; 40% mid-palate; 20% high notes.
Keep in mind that this is your blend, so the precise ratios are up to you. There will be back-and-forth changes and coffee waste at this stage of coffee blending, that’s normal. This ratio stage is extremely important, so take the time to test your blend.
Experiment with different ratios and compare the resulting blends. Use the 40:40:20 ratio first, but then try to decrease high note intensity with 45:45:10, up the citric punch with 30:30:40, or with a 60:20:20 mix.
1.Coffee bean ratio
It’s up to you to decide how much you want one bean and its taste to be brighter. For example, you can complement chocolate and nutty coffee beans with fruity undertones.
Use balanced amounts of sweet base and mid-palate beans. High notes can easily take over flavor profile, so it’s better to make a strong, sweet base and mid-palate foundation, and after that add high notes.
You can start with the following blend ratio: 40% sweet base notes; 40% mid-palate; 20% high notes.
Keep in mind that this is your blend, so the precise ratios are up to you. There will be back-and-forth changes and coffee waste at this stage of coffee blending, that’s normal. This ratio stage is extremely important, so take the time to test your blend.
Experiment with different ratios and compare the resulting blends. Use the 40:40:20 ratio first, but then try to decrease high note intensity with 45:45:10, up the citric punch with 30:30:40, or with a 60:20:20 mix.
2.Roasting
Pre-blending before roasting. Pre-blending is combining different coffee components into one batch when the beans are green, then roasting the pre-blended beans together simultaneously. The most important advantage of pre-blending is guarantee of consistent batch size, which creates consistency in roast. The main challenge of blending before roasting is a lowered level of refinement.
Post-blending after roasting. Post-blending is about roasting each component as a separate batch, then mixing the roasted beans to create a blend. Post-blending considers more control over the roasting process of each bean type, so you can calibrate the roast level. It also allows more diverse roasting combinations like a blend of light-roast and dark-roast beans. Post-blending is a best choice if you know you’ll have varying batch sizes for each type of coffee.
Split roasting. This technique involves separating coffee beans into different sections based on density or size, not origin. After roasting each section separately, blend all the roasted beans. It requires a skilled master. By roasting each density or size as a separate batch, beans can roast evenly to develop full roasting potential.
Pre-blending before roasting. Pre-blending is combining different coffee components into one batch when the beans are green, then roasting the pre-blended beans together simultaneously. The most important advantage of pre-blending is guarantee of consistent batch size, which creates consistency in roast. The main challenge of blending before roasting is a lowered level of refinement.
Post-blending after roasting. Post-blending is about roasting each component as a separate batch, then mixing the roasted beans to create a blend. Post-blending considers more control over the roasting process of each bean type, so you can calibrate the roast level. It also allows more diverse roasting combinations like a blend of light-roast and dark-roast beans. Post-blending is a best choice if you know you’ll have varying batch sizes for each type of coffee.
Split roasting. This technique involves separating coffee beans into different sections based on density or size, not origin. After roasting each section separately, blend all the roasted beans. It requires a skilled master. By roasting each density or size as a separate batch, beans can roast evenly to develop full roasting potential.
How to find reliable coffee supplier in Vietnam
Every flavor profile has 3 high-level points that influence final taste.
Sweet base notes. When temperature gets 150-200 degrees Celsius during the roasting, a chemical reaction occurs between the amino acids and natural sugars (the Maillard reaction). It develops toasty, nutty, or caramel base notes.
Mid-palate. The mid-palate is the overall flavor takeaway between the first sip and the final swallow.
High notes. Floral aromas or citric acidity show a blend’s high notes in many light-roast blends.
The trick to crafting a high-quality coffee blend is mix these three elements. Particularly, it is about finding sweet base, getting through mid-palate journey, and adding the right high note.
Sweet base notes. When temperature gets 150-200 degrees Celsius during the roasting, a chemical reaction occurs between the amino acids and natural sugars (the Maillard reaction). It develops toasty, nutty, or caramel base notes.
Mid-palate. The mid-palate is the overall flavor takeaway between the first sip and the final swallow.
High notes. Floral aromas or citric acidity show a blend’s high notes in many light-roast blends.
The trick to crafting a high-quality coffee blend is mix these three elements. Particularly, it is about finding sweet base, getting through mid-palate journey, and adding the right high note.
Vietnam Coffee & Tea Co.
Vietnam Coffee and Tea Company is private-label coffee and tea producer based in Vietnam. We can help with all aspects of the necessary processes: branding, taste development, blending, coffee roasting, and packing. We have team of professionals and years of experience in this sphere, so you can completely trust us.
Join us to start coffee business in Vietnam with reliable coffee supplier!
Join us to start coffee business in Vietnam with reliable coffee supplier!