A coffee blend is created when two or more types of coffee beans are put together. By combining different types of beans a coffee professional can give coffee a more complex or balanced taste.

The taste of a coffee bean, whether Arabica or Robusta, can really vary depending on the region where it is grown. Some beans may have a good level of acidity but lack aroma, body or colour.

Roasting is also part of blending, as beans can be dark roasted to have a more intense flavour or lightly roasted for a milder or acidic taste.

Coffee cuppers are coffee professionals who source and blend coffee beans to create various great quality coffee blends.

Cuppers are well versed in the types of green coffee beans from around the world and have developed palates that can distinguish the different coffee characteristics such as acidity, fermented, flavour, body, aroma and aftertaste amongst others.

To evaluate their blends, cuppers use the coffee cupping method also known as coffee tasting. This is a sophisticated process which includes testing both green and roasted samples during and after the brewing process.  The time when the coffee is hottest is the best time to test the aroma. As the temperature of a coffee changes, certain attributes can become more or less accentuated.

Because coffee tastes around the world are so varied, it only makes sense that NESCAFÉ blends vary from country to country. We pride ourselves in catering to local tastes which can differ widely by region. In the Philippines, for instance, NESCAFÉ launched the Brown 'N Creamy variant, which contains muscovado (brown sugar) to cater to the Filipino palate. In Vietnam, NESCAFÉ Café Viet has the strong and bold taste that Vietnamese love. In Mexico, NESCAFÉ Caffe de Olla is a unique coffee mix with cinnamon and piloncillo (panela). And South Africans adore the fresh percolated taste and rich aroma of NESCAFÉ Ricoffy which is made from coffee beans, chicory and glucose.

So next time you are visiting another part of the world, check out the unique coffee blends that NESCAFÉ offers in that area.