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needed while keeping the ofering sheets consistent, rather than having to follow the seasonal shifs or limited supplies of individual cofees that might appear as a single-origin product. Espresso Sticklers One of the biggest limitations with traditional blends, however, is that they have almost always dictated the cofee's use: "Espresso" blends are strictly for making espresso, and who doesn't feel silly drinking "Breakfast" blend with dinner? While there might not be cofee police roaming around arresting people for dumping ground "espresso beans" into a Chemex, there has long been some implied rule-breaking associated with thinking outside the label—and brewing outside the blend. For instance, we know espresso is a brewing method, just like French press and pour-over are brewing methods. I would no more buy a cofee bag labeled "French press" than I would a can of Folgers, so why should I let the packaging tell me how to brew the stuf? Recommendations are one thing—most roasters ofer gentle, helpful suggestions of how they think their cofees taste best—but espresso edicts have long rubbed me the wrong way. It might not be easy, and it might not even be particularly intuitive, but I fully believe that with a bit of care and commitment, most cofees can taste delicious brewed any which way. "Any roaster worth their salt loves working with single origins because they promise the sensory capture of 'place,' of terroir, because the circumstances of each cofee are unique and compelling, because the visceral experience of standing amidst cofee trees, of seeing a mill at peak harvest follows us to the cupping table," says Equator's Brooke. "I, like other cofee enthusiasts, can rhapsodize about the efects of a producer's milling and varietal usage on cup character…and lament that not everyone appreciates the 'sweet' spot, the full fowering of cofee character that happens at a lighter roast. "But this fact remains: Our most widely requested roast style continues to be a medium-dark roast for both espresso and drip cofee," Brooke continues. "As a wholesale roaster, success has come from the ability to serve more than one audience, to design a cofee program that meets diferent sensibilities and taste preferences, certifcation and price point needs." Blends & Baristas From a competitor's standpoint, blends have fallen relatively far out of favor in the past few years: Te last United States Barista Championship (USBC) that was won using a more traditionally blended espresso was by Klatch Cofee's Heather Perry in 2007; she designed her own blend with the classic combination of beans from Brazil, Sumatra, and a natural Ethiopian. Te following year, Kyle Glanville took the title with a single-origin cofee from El Salvador, Finca Matalapa; since then, SOEs have been the top prizewinners on the competition stage. "It doesn't surprise me that people use more SO's as they are easier to work with from a competition standpoint," Heather says. "People think the judges need to hear about the exact piece of land that the cofee came from, and how long it was on the tree before it was picked, and it's hard to www.baristamagazine.com 75