Blending involves curiosity, experimentation, and patience. The combinations are infinite, the proportions of each coffee are played with like an orchestra fine-tuning for the perfect symphony.
Then the roast profile is trialled again and again until it perfectly emphasises the desired flavours.
We love a balanced cup with a wonderful, rich flavour, boldness and complexity, combined with notes of toasted bread and intense dark chocolate.
Only a blend can achieve this, utilising the properties of carefully selected coffees from around the world.
WHAT INFLUENCES FLAVOUR?
Coffee beans get their character from a number of environmental influences including, soil, climate, altitude, growing processes and techniques. These factors vary from place-to-place and, collectively, are referred to as coffee terroir. The terroir of any given bean heavily influences its taste profile.
Coffees from Brazil have taste profiles boasting nutty and chocolatey flavours with a lower acidity for example. Whereas, Kenyan beans are typically fruity, sweet with a higher acidity. This is because Brazilian coffee grows faster at a lower altitude and with less shade than the cool mountain forests of Kenya.
Coffees across the world have their own unique taste profiles depending on the terroir in which they’re grown.
Devoted to seeking out the most progressive coffee farmers across Latin America, East Africa and Southeast Asian, our coffee masters truly understand the relationship between bean and environment.
This understanding enables us to meticulously combine coffees from around the world to compliment our meticulous roasting methods.
WHAT GOES INTO A BLEND?
Blends are created by combining a select few of these coffees from different places to create a balance of flavours and aromas not found in any individual single-origin coffee.
Think of it as an orchestra: the fruity florals of an Ethiopian coffee are the strings, a mellow Indonesian the percussion, a punchy Guatemalan the brass, a nutty Brazilian the woodwind.
Each element is good on its own, but its range is limited. When synthesized, however, they make something wonderful, and more than the sum of its parts. In this scenario, the roaster is the conductor, bringing everything together harmoniously.
A NEVER-ENDING PROCESS
The work isn’t over, however. Coffee beans are a natural product, and so every batch of beans we receive will be slightly different, as growing seasons vary from year-to-year. A flavour that was dominant in last year’s harvest might be muted this time around, throwing off the balance of the blend.
Added to this, beans are harvested at different times in different places, meaning that subtle adjustments need to be made to the blend’s composition depending on the time of year. Our Coffee Masters continuously fine-tune the recipe accordingly.
Their expertise, earned over decades of roasting remarkable coffee, ensures the quality and character of our blend is consistent, all year round.
Blending is hard work, but it’s worth every sip.
