# What to blend with brazil santos



## Robbo

Hi, i have around 6kg of green brazil santos hanging around that i initially liked on its own but now find a little boring. Can anyone reccomend any good combinations to blend it with? Never tried blending before so not sure about ratios.

The greens I already have are sumatran, colombian, papua new guinea and el salvador. All of which i love as a single origin.

I am mainly using filter or moka pot these days.


----------



## DavecUK

all except the Colombian will blend...best will be el salvador.


----------



## Coffeejon

I used a Costa Rica & a Yirgacheffe. Choc base (Brazil) with smooth caramel (Costa) with some yummy fruit (Yir). Yum







33%/33%/33% (p.s Don't over do the Santos, I find it has a funny flavor if you roast it to far)


----------



## Robbo

Thanks, i would like to try a blend with the Yirgacheffe when i get hold of some.

Today i have made 3 blends using what i already have. All 50/50 ratio, blended pre roast.

Santos and PNG

Santos and Sumatra blue bianca

Santos and El salvador

I will give them a couple of days rest and try each one in both the Brazen filter and stove top over the course of next week.


----------



## Robbo

Ive been testing these out all week using moka pot and brazen filter so ill add some notes for each blend;

Santos/PNG - Both roasted well together and colour was similar between the two. the only indication was the larger beans of the png. taste was really good. Distinctive notes of hazelnut, smooth finish.

Santos/Sumatra- Sumatran went darker than the brazil during roast but colour evened out towards the end. i could taste dark chocolate and cinnamon spice, Smooth with heavier body and lasting aftertaste.

Santos/El salvador - Both beans roasted evenly in terms of colour although brazil opened up more i think due to being lower altitude and less dense. the El salvador flavour really came through, quite fragrant but the brazil added a roasty chocolaty taste.

I loved all 3 in a different way. I couldnt say which i liked best but each one had different characteristics that appealed to me. I think the El salvador stood out as different due to the fragrance/aroma but the mrs loved the Png blend and actually prefers all of them as a blend rather than single origin.

I have just done a Brazil vale do sol / png / el salvador blend for this week. Thanks to the Bella Barista bulk buy!


----------



## jefferson17

A Brazilian is usually a good 1/3 or 1/2 of a blend. Bottom line is the "best blend" will be what appeals to your taste, not ours. Roast up a small amount of all the varieties to your taste. I prefer around the "start of 2C", your mileage will vary. Then apply the recommendations at http://www.scaa.org/?page=resources&d=cupping-protocols.

Then mix % of different coffees by volume - and find what you like. Usually, you'll end up something along a percentage mix of 25/25/50, 33,33,33, etc. I usually don't blend different beans too much anymore and like my single-origin shots. But ... when I do blend it's generally around 25% Sumatra with the remainder split between Kenya and something like Panama / Guatemala.


----------



## SmithStCoffeeRoasters

Blend after not before roasting would be my tip & maybe take the santos a minute or a minute & a half longer than the singles which I'd aim for lightest roast possible with full development then blend away boss


----------



## Robbo

Thanks for the replies,

I have had some fairly good results from blending the santos. Initially it was to use up the few KGs i had which i found a bit boring on its own. It works well for espresso as it can add body and smoothness to the single origins. but mainly drinking filter these days which i dont always prefer to blend as it can make them all taste a bit samey and moves away from the S.O experience.

Ive just ordered a Ethiopian Sidamo which is a new one for me. I will try it first as SO then see if i can add anything to it by blending.


----------

