One need only imagine the scene from “Young Frankenstein.” The body parts are selected and assembled, missing only the brain. Each part chosen with care for highest quality.
Then because of a minor slip you get the brain of “Abbey Normal” and not the brain of an Einstein. All the other hard work is for nought as the new part corrupts the whole body.
Welcome to the world of the roastmaster. The master chefs of the gourmet coffee world who blend different gourmet coffees into delectable taste treats for us.
The reasons for blending coffee are multiple.
While Single Origin gourmet coffees can and do stand on their own, they can also have minor flaws. Blending several together can sometimes cancel out or diminish the bitter aftertaste of a coffee. The net result is a more satisfying coffee overall.
Gourmet coffee is a crop. Once picked it has a shelf life. The quality and quantity of any crop of any given coffee will vary. Blended coffees allow coffees of varying qualities to be blended together in a product that is greater than the sum of its parts. Since it is not possible to just buy all the beans you need for a whole year at a time, blending allows the variances in the different crops to be accounted for while still maintaining the general overall quality of the gourmet coffee year round.
Great chefs like to experiment. So do roastmasters. They’re looking for that combination that produces a taste sensation never experienced before.
Bottom line, the goal is to produce a coffee that is better or different than its component parts.
So next time you enjoy that fine French Roast Coffee think of the roastmaster whose expertise made it possible. His fine palate and understanding of the potential in those gourmet coffee beans should be toasted.
Tags: blended ooffee, coffee roasters, coffee roasting, Gourmet Coffee, roasted coffee, single origin coffee