Coffee experiments · Home blending
You do not need a roasting lab to learn how blends work. Two bags, a scale, and a tasting notebook will tell you more than guessing which “exotic” origin must go into the mix.
Start with coffees you like individually
Choose two fresh roasted coffees, perhaps one chocolatey and one fruity. If either tastes stale or unpleasant alone, blending is unlikely to fix it.
Home baristas should start by mixing roasted coffees, not attempting to roast two very different green coffees with one profile. Different beans can need different roast development.
An easy three-ratio experiment
Make three test blends by weight: 70:30, 50:50, and 30:70. For a 20 g sample, 70:30 means 14 g of coffee A and 6 g of coffee B.
Brew each at the same ratio and temperature. Write down sweetness, aroma, body, acidity, and finish. The best blend is the one you enjoy—not necessarily the one with the most complicated ingredient list.
Blend ratios at a glance
| A : B | For 20 g total | What to notice |
|---|---|---|
| 70 : 30 | 14 g A + 6 g B | Mostly A, with a small accent |
| 50 : 50 | 10 g A + 10 g B | Equal influence, if flavors cooperate |
| 30 : 70 | 6 g A + 14 g B | Mostly B, with a small accent |
Then try it as espresso
If you enjoy the blend in a cupping bowl, try it in your espresso machine. You may need to dial in again: mixing beans changes how they grind and extract.
Compare notes with our guide to why roasters blend coffee and the single-origin vs. blend discussion.
