What are coffee bean blends?

The Toff

http://www.hasbean.co.uk/products/Has-Bean-Four-Bean-Blend.html

Will this be just a package containing four different beans? I can't figure out if the bean is altered somehow, or if it is just a combination of beans. Isn't there a chance that the ratios will be all out of sync each time you brew?

Swampy

Combination of beans. Great coffee.

The Toff

If there are four different separate beans in a package, and you measure out say 16 grams for a brew isn't there always a chance that you'll get lots of one kind of bean, and very little of the others?

aristotle25

Don't worry about it

On average you will probably get a good mix.

the beer revolu

The Toff wrote: »

If there are four different separate beans in a package, and you measure out say 16 grams for a brew isn't there always a chance that you'll get lots of one kind of bean, and very little of the others?

I've often wondered about this.
The coffee we use at home has, I'm told, 7 different beans in it
Always comes out fine, though:D

The Toff

the beer revolu wrote: »

I've often wondered about this.
The coffee we use at home has, I'm told, 7 different beans in it
Always comes out fine, though:D

Which coffee is it, just out of curiosity?

the beer revolu

The Toff wrote: »

Which coffee is it, just out of curiosity?

http://www.cafferiver.com/EN.noi.html

It's from these people in Italy - K80 blend

Dahtac

Consistency is a very small concern over coffee blends but nothing to worry about in general.

Overall Has Bean's blends are spectacular, generally blended with an end goal in mind, usually a certain taste profile or effect. Particularly striking are the Kicker and Jabberwocky blends, each changing slightly as the component coffees come in and out of season.

As regards to different treatment, roasting can change between blends or between roasters. Some blend together the greens and then roast, others will roast individually and then blend. It generally depends on what each bean in the blend requires in order to fulfil its purpose.

On another note, Has Bean use very small numbers of beans in their blends, I don't really recall seeing more than four in any one blend. Typically as you use more varieties you begin to lose the individuality of the different beans and become more uniformly 'coffee-ish'

The Toff

Great replies. Thank you all so much for your help.

Tom Ghostwood

I got that starter pack from hasbean last week. Ive got through the Jaberwocky, Blake, Jailbreak & kicker so far & Jaberwocky is easily my fave. Tastes really like the "Ambrosia Coffee of the Gods" I got from Philz coffee in San Francisco which was my fave cup of coffee ever.

Im ordering a kg of Jaberwocky today. Yum!

On a side note: I found the blake blend from the starter pack to give the least crema of the lot (almost none). I used the same grind setting as the others (7 on gaggia mdf) which gave really creamy shots on the Kicker, Jaberwocky & Jailbreak. Do I need to adjust the grind or do some blends give waaaay less crema than others?

Dahtac

Not an espresso buff myself, but Blake always had a lightly different profile than the others. Extra tweaking would probably be necessary. Jabberwocky is gunning though. Also makes a ridiculously good filter brew.

On that note, for something a bit different, Finca La Ilusion 2011-2012, looks to be an incredibly promising single origin espresso. Well worth a bash when you eventually run out of Jabberwocky

donnacha

Tom Ghostwood wrote: »

On a side note: I found the blake blend from the starter pack to give the least crema of the lot (almost none). I used the same grind setting as the others (7 on gaggia mdf) which gave really creamy shots on the Kicker, Jaberwocky & Jailbreak. Do I need to adjust the grind or do some blends give waaaay less crema than others?

Definitely every bag of beans will need some adjustment. You should really start with an extraction time - say 25 seconds for a double espresso, and then adjust to get the right weight/volume during this time. You'll fine this ultimately affects the level of crema also.

Different beans/roast profiles will also give off a different level of crema - so you will find some blends give more than others. From my experience over extraction/too fine a grind will lead to little/no crema.