A Sip of Adda

Blends vs. Single Origin Beans and How to Choose What’s Right for You!

What's the difference and what are the best beans for you?

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Coffee is coffee, right? Well, maybe it’s a bit more complicated…

December 23, 2020

When it comes to specialty coffee, it’s as much of a treat as it is a challenge. On the other hand, it’s as experiential as wine. On the other hand, the process to that experience is much trickier. So many factors go into that perfect cup, starting with what beans you choose to brew.

That Perfect Combo

Our Adda Brand Blends, the Conversation and Highland Ave, are great choices for a classic every day cup. Verve’s Holiday Blend can be found on drip at all of our locations this winter!

When you shop for specialty coffee, you’ll be faced with an array of blends and single origin beans, each with their own unique flavor profile. When you buy a blend, you are choosing a combination of two or more different beans from different origins. This blend is specially crafted to utilize the best part of each bean. For a blend using two beans, you could have one that is light with more acidity complemented by another bean that is more mellow to balance out the body. Roasters produce blends with the purpose of mass distribution and consistency, which is why they are most commonly used commercially as drip coffee and espresso. Think of our Adda x Verve coffees, the Highland Avenue and Conversation Blends. Our Highland Avenue Blend, with notes of red apple, marmalade, and pecans, is used for our daily espresso. The Conversation Blend, with the candied taste of earl grey and allspice, is what can usually be found on drip at our shops, unless you’re visiting at the time of this article, when we’re serving up the Verve Holiday Blend!


Blends are able to cater to the majority of coffee drinkers and enthusiasts alike with a full-bodied and well-rounded brew. Single Origin beans allow you to dive into a more enriching coffee experience.


One Place, One Bean, One Dang Good Cup

We always have an assortment of Single Origin coffees from Verve available, like these beans from Costa Rica and Ethiopia.


Single origins come from one specific region in any of the countries along the coffee belt. These consistently warm countries close to the equator include Rwanda, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Costa Rica, just to name a few. With notably sharper and more acidic flavor profiles, Single Origin coffees can have a taste range from vibrant and fruity to robust and caramelly depending on their roast profile. Especially at Adda, Single Origin is treated with great care to ensure everything that is meant to be experienced gets to be experienced. Since Single Origin beans rotate throughout the year on different harvest schedules, the flavor notes year to year are subject to change. Therefore, it is beneficial to focus on one way to perfect the brew and stick to it in order to highlight everything great about that unique bean. These are coffees that you brew to experience and appreciate, rather than loading them up with milk and sugar to cover up the tasting notes. Single Origin is always a good choice for the true enthusiast that wants to explore the world through coffee.

So how do you know which coffee is right for you?


Well firstly, think of how you would describe yourself as a coffee drinker. Experienced? Novice? Straightforward? Intricate? 

How you make your favorite cup is key! If you like adding cream and sugar, a coffee blend may be better suited for you. Since blends are generally roasted darker, they pair better with any added sweetness or milk; all the roasted, nutty, chocolate notes and the bitterness and bite that comes with them balance really well with cream and sugar. If you are a black coffee drinker, you may be used to drinking coffee that is full of flavor, bitter and with a full body, but thanks to research and new brewing methods, coffee can balance sweetness and acidity by itself. A new or improved experience of drinking black coffee can come from buying single origin beans or playing around with different brewing methods, like a pour over. Single Origin coffee can lead you to developing a preference for beans from a specific continent, then country, then even a favorite coffee farm or lot and it can all begin with making a simple pour over.


Whatever your preference, coffee is meant to have fun with and experiment. Switch it up every time you buy! And never be afraid to ask us questions, we’re always happy to help. Send us an email or start a conversation on your next visit to one of our shops. Let us help you experience coffee as it should be experienced: joyfully.

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