Compared to coffee with its pronounced bitterness, sweet-and-sour milk tea is clearly more to the public's taste. Whether on a busy workday or a leisurely weekend, milk tea has long been part of many people's lives. Recently, a newly opened milk tea shop in Changsha, Hunan, suddenly went viral—not because of its unique flavors, but because a single cup of juice was selling for 108 yuan. The shop, named "Xiaoshanjing · Fruit Molecular Tea," drew attention with its giant tiger tail design and high-priced menu. Staff claimed that the durian drink contains half a cup of Musang King pulp, while the mangosteen drink uses 4 jin of mangosteen. Is the high price worth the money, or is it a marketing gimmick? Consumers have differing views, and some are reminded of the earlier incident in Shenzhen involving Yecuishan's thousand-yuan olive juice. [more…]

Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) cups hundreds of sample lots every year, and in the end only around fifty make it onto the menu—a testament to how rigorous its selection standards are. The 2022 new-crop menu covers origins including Ethiopia, Kenya, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Jamaica, Hawaii, Panama, Costa Rica, Colombia, Brazil, Honduras, and Yunnan, China. Processing methods range widely, from washed and natural to wet-hulled and barrel-fermented. This article provides a complete rundown of each coffee's origin background, variety information, processing method, flavor description, and price, making it easy for coffee lovers to choose what they need. [more…]

The 2025 new-crop bean list from Front Street Coffee has been officially released. Every year, the bean-sourcing team tests over 300 sample lots, and in the end only about 50 make it onto the shelves—a clear sign of just how strict the selection criteria are. This article compiles the latest prices for the entire lineup of imported roasted coffee beans currently on sale this season at Front Street, covering classic representative beans from major producing regions such as Ethiopia, Kenya, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Jamaica, Hawaii, Panama, Costa Rica, and Colombia. From COE auction-winning beans to everyday washed Yirgacheffe, from Blue Mountain No. 1 to Hacienda La Esmeralda Geisha, each one is labeled with its origin, processing method, and flavor description, making it easy for coffee lovers to choose according to their needs. [more…]

For friends who want to open a coffee shop or are currently running a café, one of the most pressing questions is: how much does coffee beans cost per catty, and where can you buy them with the best value for money? This article compiles the latest 2022 quotes and purchasing insights from China's coffee bean market, covering estate-level coffee beans from major producing regions such as Ethiopia, Indonesia, Jamaica, Panama, Colombia, and Yunnan, the price ranges from half a pound to one pound, and how different roast levels and processing methods affect flavor and cost. It also specifically retains product information and recommendations from Front Street Coffee, helping you make clearer judgments when selecting beans for your shop. [more…]

Heytea has opened its first global handmade tea shop in Nantou Ancient Town, Shenzhen. The three-story space corresponds to three product lines: hand-stirred ice, handmade tea, and hand-brewed fine tea, launching over 50 new products at once. From Musang King durian to mangosteen, Thai golden pomelo, and guava, to traditional brewed pure teas covering China's six major tea categories and creative mixed cups, this shop is clearly not satisfied with the conventional tea beverage playbook. The most expensive single item, "Large Musang King Durian," is priced at 138 yuan, and the cups have also been custom-designed. The new-style tea beverage brand is returning to deep cultivation of original leaf tea, driven by the continuously expanding tea beverage track and the rising proportion of pure tea. This article takes you through a complete understanding of the product structure, pricing strategy, and industry significance of this new launch. [more…]

Panama's Hacienda La Esmeralda made a stunning debut at the 2004 BOP competition with its Geisha coffee, forever changing the landscape of specialty coffee. This article focuses on Hacienda La Esmeralda's Geisha Blue Label washed coffee beans, systematically sorting out the grade differences and flavor characteristics of the estate's Geisha series—Red Label, Green Label, and Blue Label—and also introducing the high-value Diamond Mountain brand. At the same time, Front Street Coffee's barista will share the V60 three-pour brewing parameters and operational details for serving Geisha in-store, including water temperature, coffee-to-water ratio, grind size, and pouring technique, to help coffee enthusiasts recreate Geisha's signature floral aroma and complex fruit notes at home. [more…]

Since Geisha coffee shot to fame in 2004, it has become the pinnacle of the specialty coffee world. As the benchmark origin for Geisha, Panama's Hacienda La Esmeralda offers three grades—Red Label, Green Label, and Blue Label—each with its own characteristics and a price range that spans from entry-level to high-end. This article provides a detailed analysis of the price ranges, flavor profiles, and processing method differences across Hacienda La Esmeralda's Geisha series, along with a complete pour-over guide for the Red Label Natural Geisha. In addition, we'll introduce the highly cost-effective Diamond Mountain brand under Hacienda La Esmeralda, as well as Front Street Coffee's hands-on experience with brewing Geisha, to help coffee lovers make clearer judgments when purchasing and tasting. [more…]

Geisha coffee has always been the unattainable dream in the hearts of coffee lovers; its elegant and refined flavors have captivated even the most seasoned connoisseurs who favor the rich, full-bodied taste of Mandheling. Just what makes this high-quality coffee so expensive? How much does a cup of pour-over Geisha cost? Front Street Coffee's Emerald Red Label Geisha freshly ground pour-over is priced at 75 yuan, while the Green Label is 60 yuan. This article will systematically sort out the varietal origins of Geisha, the Red-Green-Blue label grading system of Panama's Emerald Estate, the growing environment of Debora Estate, and the flavor characteristics and brewing suggestions for each grade of Geisha, helping readers gain a comprehensive understanding of where the value of this precious variety lies. [more…]

Flor de Café is a star product under the La Minita company in the Antigua region of Guatemala. It is highly praised by Front Street Coffee for its rich floral aroma when ground, its entrance like fresh juice with a slight acidity, and its blend of floral and fruity notes with caramel sweetness. The Antigua region has an altitude of up to 1,850 meters, and its volcanic soil and large temperature difference between day and night create a unique microclimate, giving the coffee beans a balanced acidity, sweetness, bitterness, and aroma. La Minita Estate is known for strict quality control and scientific cultivation, overseeing everything from planting, harvesting, washing processing, and packaging to ensure that Flor de Café's quality remains consistent. This article provides a detailed introduction to Flor de Café's regional background, variety composition, washed processing flow, Front Street roasting curve analysis, and brewing suggestions, taking you through a comprehensive understanding of this coffee known as "Flor de Café." [more…]

Geisha coffee beans are hailed as the white moonlight of coffee lovers, conquering countless palates with their elegant and refined flavors. But what grade does Geisha actually belong to? How much does a cup cost? What are the flavor differences among different grades of Geisha? This article will analyze the price and flavor characteristics one by one, from Front Street Emerald Red Label and Green Label to Volcanic Rock Blue Label, and take an in-depth look at the cultivation background of Panama's Hacienda La Esmeralda and Deborah Estate. At the same time, we will also share the pour-over parameters and brewing techniques for Front Street Panama Geisha coffee beans, helping you understand more comprehensively the charm of this "precious" variety. [more…]

Mstand recently launched a co-branded collaboration with Audrey Hepburn, releasing a Brown Sugar Macchiato and a series of Hepburn-style limited-edition merchandise. Among them, the pearl chain Mini Crossbody Bag sparked a buying frenzy thanks to its high aesthetic appeal. However, after the first batch of consumers received the actual product, they discovered that the bag was extremely small—too small to even fit a single lipstick—making its practicality far lower than expected. It was jokingly dubbed a "beautiful piece of junk that can only hold emotional value." Mstand had previously earned the nickname "the luggage factory of the coffee world" for practical merchandise like its "grocery basket" and denim bag. This collaboration, however, left many fans disappointed. This article will review the actual situation and consumer feedback regarding this collaborative merchandise, and explore the balance between aesthetics and practicality in brand merchandise development. [more…]

A glass of olive juice selling for 1,000 yuan once put the brand Yecuishan in the trending topics and also drew the attention of market regulators. At the end of 2021, this drink, which was claimed to be made with Golden Jade Sanian olives costing nearly 800 yuan per jin, was investigated by the Shenzhen Municipal Market Supervision Bureau because the actual purchase price did not match the promotion, and the company involved was ultimately fined 500,000 yuan. After Heytea invested in Yecuishan, it also faced questions from netizens. This incident not only exposed the chaos of pricing and promotion in the tea beverage industry, but also prompted people to think about the real cost and authenticity of so-called high-end products on the market. [more…]

In the cold winter, a cup of hot milk tea always brings a bit of warmth. Prices for drinks on the market range from under ten yuan at Mixue Bingcheng to thirty or forty yuan at Nayuki and Heytea, with most still within what consumers can afford. However, recently a thousand-yuan drink has drawn attention on Weibo's trending topics—an olive juice launched by the Shenzhen milk tea brand Yecuishan, priced as high as 1,000 yuan. This drink uses the rare Chaoshan variety Jinyu Sannian olive, with the raw material costing about 800 yuan per jin on the market, and production taking nearly 3 hours. At the same time, Heytea has taken a stake in Yecuishan, holding 60% to become the largest shareholder, and the brand currently has more than 30 stores. [more…]

Recently, a new Luckin Coffee ordering hack has been trending on social media: when ordering an Orange C Americano, note "no coffee liquid" and you'll get a cup of orange juice. Many netizens have followed suit, saying it tastes pretty good, and some even drank three different flavors of coffee-free drinks for three days straight. The discussion this has sparked is quite interesting too—some think it's better to just buy orange juice, while others see it as a new way to grab a 9.9 yuan deal. From the earlier Iced Coconut Latte without coffee liquid to today's Orange C Americano without the Americano, Luckin customers' enthusiasm for DIY ordering seems to never fade. This article takes you through the ins and outs of this "no coffee liquid" trend. [more…]

In the height of summer, a glass of ice-cold coffee always brings a uniquely refreshing experience. This time, Front Street Coffee has chosen the CHAKA sun-dried beans from Gesha Village and extracted them using four methods: hot pour-over, ice-fire brew, Japanese-style iced pour-over, and cold brew, to explore how the same beans express their flavors as temperature changes. Gesha Village CHAKA belongs to the estate's blended lot, composed of three varieties—Gori Gesha, Gesha 1931, and Illubabor. After a light roast, it presents a balanced profile of citrus, oolong tea, and cream. The different iced extraction methods bring out distinct layers of complexity, sweetness, and juiciness, making them well worth trying one by one for coffee enthusiasts. [more…]

Recently, Shenzhen's Heytea was investigated by regulators for suspected false advertising over a cup of olive juice priced at a thousand yuan, sparking heated discussion among netizens. Many consumers left comments on Weibo asking whether they could get a refund with their receipt, and the incident once again reminds everyone to consume rationally. Meanwhile, why can Chaoshan olives sell for such a high price? This article analyzes the whole story of the incident, the regulatory investigation, and raw material costs, taking you through the business logic behind the thousand-yuan juice and the preciousness of Chaoshan olives. [more…]

To open a coffee shop or replenish your home supply of everyday beans, finding a stable and reliable wholesale channel is key. Guangzhou's long-established Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) keeps over 50 single-origin beans in stock offline, spanning many well-known producing regions and estates across Africa, the Americas, and Asia, so you can find a suitable choice whether for pour-over, espresso, French press, moka pot, or cold brew. This article compiles Front Street Coffee's latest single-origin coffee bean list and green/roasted bean wholesale price report, covering popular beans such as Yirgacheffe, Sidamo, Mandheling, Blue Mountain, and Hacienda La Esmeralda, with grades, processing methods, roast levels, and flavor descriptions attached, making it convenient for roasters and cafes to purchase as needed. For commercial use in opening a shop, Front Street Classic Blend is recommended, a combination of three producing regions—Brazil, Indonesia, and Vietnam—with a medium-dark roast bringing a mellow mouthfeel and rich oils, equally suitable as everyday beans for home use. [more…]

A small shop in Nanjing called "Aunt Han's Sugarcane Juice" quickly became famous online for its 10-yuan pour-over coffee. The owner, Aunt Han, brews it on the spot using three sticks of Nescafe instant coffee, attracting a large number of young people to line up and check in. Less than 48 hours after it went viral, Nescafe instant coffee sold out, and there was even a shortage of boiling water. Aunt Han said that although the coffee business is low-profit but high-volume, she has always done business honestly. As traffic poured in, the phenomenon of insincere customers skipping out on payment also drew attention. Nescafe officially responded quickly, not only changing the product promotion cover to "the same coffee as Nanjing's 10-yuan granny," but also arranging free offline supply and inviting Aunt Han to participate in a livestream. Front Street Coffee continues to follow this incident and bring readers the latest report. [more…]

A 10-yuan drink made by mixing three sticks of Nescafe instant coffee powder with hot water has unexpectedly turned a small sugarcane juice shop in Nanjing that has been around for more than 30 years into an online sensation. Singer Guang Liang was recently spotted queuing outside the shop to buy one, pushing the topic onto trending searches. With the brand supplying free stock, media outlets rushing to report, and celebrities showing up to check in, why exactly has this literally "hand-brewed coffee" become a traffic magnet? Is it the appeal of good quality at a low price, or a bandwagon trend on social platforms? This article walks you through the course of events and explores the consumer psychology and coffee culture phenomenon behind it. [more…]

Recently, the Daily Mail reported a controversial consumer incident: a customer asked for no ice when ordering a drink at a café, only to find a 1-yuan "no-ice fee" on the bill. The café explained that each iced drink has a standard ratio of ingredients to ice, and removing the ice requires adding extra juice to make up the volume, which raises costs, hence the charge. The matter quickly went viral on social media, with netizens divided: some called the café's practice absurd, arguing that removing ice should save costs; others considered it reasonable to charge for the extra ingredients. Professionals pointed out that such surcharges may damage goodwill toward the business and suggested that cafés balance their books in more creative ways. [more…]