A lot of people are unsure what coffee beans to buy for espresso. “Gray, What beans do you recommend?” is a question I get asked at least 50 times a day! It’s a good question but one which raises another question from me immediately afterwards. “How will you be making your coffee at home? “ I respond. “Oh, you know, I’ve got one of those machines (built in Sage) machine…I’ve got one that uses pods (Nespresso or some such thing)… that goes on the stove (moka pot)…one of those plunger thingies (cafetiere or Aeropress).
Well, what I want to do here is to give something of an overview of our blended coffees and what would be most suitable for your preferred method at home so you know what beans to order. But firstly, it is important to note, that all of our coffees can be prepared in any way you bloomin’ well like, I’m not here to teach you right and wrong. That’s one of the beautiful things about coffee – people perceive different things from different beans.
So, in this section, let’s look at the 3 blends for sale which we use in the roastery and on brick lane which have been part of our range for ages because they are bloody delicious mate.
50% El Salvador
Coffee beans
30% Colombia
20% El Salvador
40% Rwanda
20% Colombia
Why chose a city roast?
We traditionally roast our blends to a full city roast level to bring out some of the sweeter, caramelised tones from the Brazil coffee whilst allowing some of the fruitiness from the high grown beans to hold their own. It’s ideal for a balanced espresso, great for a flat white (oh my god they make a brilliant flat white) and leaves a good rich flavour in a latte.
Why are Brazilian Beans in each blend?
Well, Brazils tend to be lower grown beans anyway which tend to not have the bright, fruity acidity that is found in higher grown coffee beans and so roasting these light tends to leave them a little flat and uninteresting. I’ve tried and tried to roast Brazils lightly but I’ve never found a gentle roast that quite hit the spot for these beans. Get them further along that maillard reaction (amino acids reacting to reducing sugar) however, and the richness and carameliness shines through. This makes an excellent base for a blend. The body and richness that they get form being slightly darker roasted is a real benefit for espresso based drinks.
Can I use blends for other types of coffee makers?
Yes, of course you can. You really can do whatever you like. Part of the fun of coffee is the experimenting. But, if you really want to know, I use the Brick Lane blend for a cafetiere at home and it creates a delicious cup of coffee. But I follow these instructions for making a cafetiere carefully to get a good brew ratio. It works for a filter, a moka pot, and V60 but, if you are looking to have real notes of bright acidity for your pour over, fruity tones or floral elements, you’re probably better looking at one of our single origin coffees, roasted a little lighter, which make for interesting and lighter coffee flavours.