Blending 101: Roastmaster Dave On Mocha Java and the Art of Blending
One of the oldest, and possibly one of the most famous coffee blends, Mocha Java is well known among coffee enthusiasts. Its unique and notable flavor profile is a result of the blending of two high quality coffees from different origins. In this article, we sat down and spoke with Fresh Roasted Coffee's Roastmaster, Dave, to discuss Mocha Java and the art of blending.
Mocha Java: A Legendary Beginning
Mocha Java was a happy accident - one of those rare moments when something seemingly inconsequential leads to something extraordinary, at least to the world of coffee. Sometime in the 17th century, European merchants were introduced to beans in Yemen, where coffee had been grown for centuries. In their travels, in and around the busy trading port of Mokha, these high quality beans were mixed with coffee beans from the Indonesian island of Java.
The resulting cup perfectly married the bright and fruity notes of African coffees with the rich and earthy flavors of the Indonesian beans. Thus, Mocha Java was born, and the art of coffee blending truly began.
Recreating An Ancient Blend
"Mocha Java is a classic coffee blend, possibly one of the oldest. Traditionally, the blend included an Arabica component from Yemen's Mokha region and an Indonesian Robusta and/or Arabica from the island of Java. Our Mocha Java blend is a little different; we use an Arabica from Java and an Ethiopian coffee." - Roastmaster Dave
Its not uncommon for the Mocha Java blends of today to vary slightly to the ancient blend of 400 years ago. True Mocha Java beans are fairly rare, and very expensive. Many coffee producers use more affordable and readily accessible beans, such as Sumatran or Ethiopian, to recreate the flavor profile of the original Mocha Java.
Q: How long did it take you to nail down the Mocha Java Blend?
Roastmaster Dave: "Not long. I mean, it has seen a few iterations - between origins, blend percentages, and roast profile - to find the blend and roast that pops."
Q: When developing blends, how do you go about finding the right coffees to complement each other?
Roastmaster Dave: "Honestly, by trial and error. Not to say there isn't some consideration involved. Complementary flavor notes and the meshing of qualities that each origin may lack - those tend to be what is called 'harmonious blends'. Tension blends - think 'opposites attracting' - are coffees that somehow work well together, without much in the way of complementary notes. Our Mocha Java is definitely a tension blend."
Roastmaster Dave Talks Coffee Blends
Harmonious blends, tension blends, complementary notes - there are so many things to consider when creating unique and flavorful coffee blends. In the mid 2010s, the coffee world entered its fourth wave, emerging as a response to growing demand for transparency, sustainability and ethical processes within the industry, as well as a new appreciation for coffee as a craft, similar to wine and beer. As a result, the popularity of home-roasting, blending and brewing has grown substantially, giving consumers the ability to experiment and experience the true art behind the cup from the comfort of their own home.
Roastmaster Dave answered some burning questions about producing quality coffee blends and offered some tips of the trade to novice home-roasters and blenders.
Q: You've been creating unique coffee blends for awhile. What do you look for in a quality blend?
Roastmaster Dave: "A high quality, unique cup! I also love creating and drinking blends that are crafted for a specific brewing method in mind - auto drip brew, pour-over, french press, espresso, cold brew, and an omni-brew - like our Roastmaster's Blend"
Q: Do you blend before or after roasting?
Roastmaster Dave: " That depends on how you want to present the coffees. At home and with small batch roasting, I do post-roast blending. That way, you get the unique qualities of each origin by roasting each coffee to their respective 'sweet spots'. (aka: a point of balance which is often not the same for differing origins). For production roasting, most blends are done pre-roast."
Q: What advice would you give a novice roaster regarding the creation of their own blends?
Roastmaster Dave: "One - Use only good scoring coffees! Good in, good out!"
"Two - Cup the coffees you'd like to blend to find the common notes and to see where each might lack or benefit from blending."
Dave's Recommended Starter Blends
Proprietary coffee blend recipes are sacred, and often coveted by those who spent countless hours experimenting and developing their unique flavor profiles. While Fresh Roasted Coffee isn't about to share the recipes behind their popular blends, Roastmaster Dave was happy to share some perfect starter blends for home roasters to experiment with.
For a sweet, mild base: Brazil, Peru, and Mexico at 40%
For a mid-palate crowd pleaser: Costa Rica, Guatamalan, and Colombian at 40%
For a high note: Ethiopia, Kenya, and Burundi at 20%
Final Thoughts
The creation of Mocha Java may have happened almost thoughtlessly, but it sparked the birth of an art form. Today, artisan blends represent millions of hours of experimenting, cupping, and roasting. Successful blends marry the nuances of each origin, flaunting unique flavors and memorable profiles, but few join the ranks of Mocha Java in notoriety. Roastmaster Dave is confident that Fresh Roasted Coffee's retake on the ancient Mocha Java will leave coffee enthusiasts satisfied.
Leave a comment