Blending Coffee Beans

Blending coffee beans is done for a variety of reasons. One reason is to boost the quality of a coffee that is less expensive. This allows you to reap the benefits of a high quality coffee but pay a price that is not top tier.

Blending for Costs

For example, Arabica coffee is a highly desired coffee with its clean coffee flavor, delicious coffee aroma and ultra smooth aftertaste, but it carries a hefty price tag.

However, blending Arabica coffee beans with other coffees that are less expensive, the coffee carries many of the desirable qualities of the Arabica coffee, but the price tag is considerably lower.

Blending for Consistency

Blending is also done in an effort to create consistency across coffee crops. One coffee genus can have noticeable taste variances depending on the conditions in which it is grown.

Factors such as differences in soil, climate, altitude and other elements combine to alter tastes in coffee even though the genus is the same. To avoid this, a common practice involves blending coffee beans which helps to attain a coffee taste that is consistent regardless of the conditions in which it was grown.

Blending to Create Branding

Yet another reason for blending coffee beans is to create coffee flavors that are unique. These special flavors can become branded as specialty coffees. Many coffee houses create their own signature coffee flavors, blending coffee beans to create a coffee flavor that is unique to their company or brand.

These specialty coffees may have special flavors, but can also have particularly high caffeine content as well. It all depends upon how the coffee beans are blended and the types of coffee beans that are used. This can require as many as five different types of coffee.

Specialty coffee design requires certain expertise because it is necessary to fully understand characteristics that each type of coffee offers. It is also necessary to understand how the different characteristics in each coffee work with the other coffees so that the end product is achieved as desired.

The Melange Method

When blending for coffee makers that feature the drip brewing method, you have some room for play. Called the Melange which means mixture, this particular blending of coffee beans is used specifically for filter drip brewing methods.

It is the process of combining several different coffees. Each different coffee is roasted to different degrees. Because of this, coffees in a melange must be roasted individually.

Each Melange is created for a particular aromatic or taste experience. For instance, blending coffee beans at the percentages of 40% Colombian Tuluni roasted Full City, 30% Mexican Tres Flechas roasted French and 30% Kenya Estate roasted City will produce a coffee with dark roast flavors, good body and an acidy snap.

A Melange that offers a good balance, acidity and body involves blending two different roasts of the same coffee. In this case, 60% Colombian Tulunmi roasted Full City, combined with 40% Colombian Tulumi roasted City fits the bill.

The Mocha-Java Method

One such coffee blend for drip brewing methods is the Mocha-Java coffee blend. Also known as Mok-Java or Mocca-Java, it is the world's oldest coffee blend. At one time, the Mocha-Java coffee blend was a combination of Yemeni Mocha coffee and Indonesian Java coffee.

Modern Mocha-Java coffee blends, though, involve blending coffee beans such as Indonesian coffee and another coffee such as Yemeni coffee or Ethiopian coffee at a 50/50 blending rate.

For the most part, the commercial process of blending coffee beans is done in an effort to improve upon coffee that is uninspiring, soft or possibly even defective. It is done to perk up the cup quality of the coffee.

This method is literally as old as the production of domesticated coffee. Blending coffee beans allows people to achieve a certain taste or aromatic experience, whether they want an increased acidy snap, more of the bittersweet flavor or good body in their coffee. This is often done for coffees that are prepared using the drip brewing method.

The combinations of coffee flavors and types is endless. You can blend coffee beans for espresso and even decaffeinated coffee. It is up to you what type of coffee flavor experience that you want to create.

To begin blending beans on your own, all you have to do is determine the characteristics in the various coffees that appeal to you. Then you choose the coffees and the roasts that best contain those characteristics. Experiment, learn and bring your very personal, improved "cup quality" to your coffee cup.