Last month, we ran a very successful webinar on how to create a flavour profile at home.
Since then, we’ve loved hearing the positive feedback from everyone who attended and then wowed themselves and their families with their very own home blends.
So, we thought we’d share some of the main takeaways from the webinar to help you get started on your own personal coffee journey too.
Understanding Flavour Characteristics
First up, just like when cooking any recipe and you need to understand the different flavours of the ingredients to get it right, the same goes for coffee beans.
You can do this through cupping, which is a valuation and scoring process. Once you understand the characteristics – flavour, aroma, aftertaste, acidity, body and balance – you’ll understand what coffees mix well to create a flavour.
For instance, if we think geographically:
- African beans tend to offer a fruitier, citrusy coffee with an intense sweetness.
- Central American beans tend to be smooth and elegant with a mild acidity.
- South American beans produce a full-bodied, full-flavoured coffee with flavours of chocolate and nuts.
- And beans from Papua New Guinea offer an all-rounder kind of coffee that can create several different combinations.
Which Beans Go Together?
There’s no right or wrong answer to this!
What you think of as a good blend will depend solely on your personal preferences.
Our blends usually combine three to four different beans: We tend to combine Central and South American Coffees with African Coffees.
All coffees complement each other, so most often it’s more about the ratios you use.
If you want a smooth, all-rounder, I recommend using more of the PNG coffee with some Costa Rican Coffee.
For a more citrusy flavour, I’d combine African (Ethiopian, Kenyan) with Costa Rican coffee.
So, depending on the flavour you want, use beans that correspond with it as your ‘base’.
Ultimately, it’s all very subjective, so if you need some initial inspiration, have a look at our carefully curated coffee blends.
We recommend trying out the full flavour of a coffee before combining it, so try our single origins.
And because filter coffee enhances the flavour of a single origin, if you make your coffee this way, single-origin is your best bet.
Once you’ve created your own blend, let us know as we would love to hear about all the amazing blends you come up with!
