Recently, a post about 1 Dian Dian's navy salt salted milk green tea charging an extra 2 yuan for added salt sparked widespread discussion on social media. Some customers, following online guides, asked for extra salt, only to be told that one pump of salt costs 2 yuan, which was far from their expectations. Subsequently, 1 Dian Dian employees and official customer service explained that the "salt" is actually a relatively expensive navy salt rock sugar flavor syrup, and according to company policy, additional additions require payment. Although the store has apologized for the incorrect price quote, netizens have derived a new question: since adding sugar costs money, should customers who order less sugar or no sugar also get a refund for the corresponding syrup price difference? This debate about the pricing logic of tea drinks quickly became a topic of interest for coffee and tea enthusiasts. [more…]

Piccolo Latte is often called a "mini latte," but is it really just a scaled-down version of a hot latte? From the etymology of the Italian word "piccolo," to the practice accidentally invented by Australian baristas while dialing in their beans, to the production challenges hidden behind a 3-ounce small cup, this delicate milk coffee actually has its own unique origins and selling points. This article walks you through the origins of Piccolo Latte, its real differences from a latte, and how it has rediscovered its place on specialty coffee shop menus, along with relevant recommendations from Front Street Coffee. [more…]

As the weather turns cooler, a warm, sweetly fragrant hot latte becomes many people's go-to daily choice once again. But many friends always run into the same problems when recreating it at home: the latte they make either has bitterness that steals the show, or has such a heavy milk flavor that it overwhelms the coffee aroma, making it hard to achieve the balanced, rich, and sweet taste found in cafés. In fact, a delicious hot latte is not just a simple mix of espresso and milk—bean selection, milk choice, extraction, and ratio all directly affect the final flavor. This article will start from two dimensions—ingredient selection and the production process—to sort out the key ideas for making a balanced, rich hot latte at home, including the roast level and blending direction of coffee beans suitable for milk coffee, the logic of pairing milk with beans, reference formulas for espresso extraction, and methods for adjusting the ratio of milk to coffee, helping you find your own golden recipe at home. [more…]

Baristas often appear somewhat cool and mysterious in the public eye, attracting many young people to enter the profession. However, behind this glamorous impression, what are the real career requirements and income situations? This article breaks down the barista's growth path from three dimensions—attitude, knowledge, and skill—and focuses on Shanghai, a highly competitive market, to outline the salary ranges and advancement opportunities for coffee novices. The article also mentions product information from the Front Street brand, providing reference for readers interested in entering the industry. [more…]

As the soul ingredient of milk tea, the freshness of tapioca pearls is directly related to consumer health. Recently, a Yidian Dian store at Zhoushan Ruxin Plaza was fined 15,000 yuan by regulatory authorities for using expired tapioca pearls to make and sell Bubble Milk Tea and other drinks. An investigation showed that the store involved not only used ingredients beyond their shelf life, but also failed to establish purchase inspection records as required. This is not the first time Yidian Dian has been involved in a food safety controversy; previously, a Fuzhou store was reported to have had a bug found in its milk tea. As the peak season for summer beverage consumption arrives, food safety issues have once again sounded the alarm. [more…]

Even with black coffee, the roast level of the beans pushes sweetness in different directions. A light roast is more like fresh fruit, bright and lively on the palate, suited to those who enjoy a crisp taste; a medium roast brings out syrupy, ripe-fruit and tea notes, rounder overall; a medium-dark roast relies on cocoa, nut and caramel-like aromas to build body. To make a sweet americano, you can [more…]

The appeal of pour-over coffee lies in the fact that everyone can brew a flavor that is uniquely their own. This article is aimed at home enthusiasts and small coffee shops, and provides a systematic overview of all the equipment needed to get started with pour-over—from gooseneck kettles, drippers, and grinders to filter papers, digital scales, thermometers, and carafes—offering an analysis of the pros and cons of specific brand models along with purchasing advice, and including a complete eight-step brewing tutorial. Finally, it recommends several highly cost-effective Front Street single-origin coffee beans, at a cost of only about six yuan per cup, making them ideal for daily practice and home enjoyment. [more…]

If you're looking for a place to relax on the weekend, gather a few friends for coffee and some reading, a café is undoubtedly a great choice. These ten highly regarded themed cafés in Chongqing each have their own charm—some are tucked away in lush flower houses, some offer views of the Yuzhong Peninsula's night skyline, some take an industrial-meets-artsy-minimalist approach, and others create a fairyland atmosphere with seas of flowers and greenery. From Longhu Times Paradise Walk to Jiefangbei, Nanbin Road, and Beibin Road, these shops each have their own signature offerings in environment, drinks, and desserts. This article compiles each café's features, average per-person spending, and detailed addresses, making it easy for coffee lovers to explore them one by one. If you're used to brewing your own, Front Street Coffee's beans are also a great choice for recreating these flavors at home. [more…]

Recently, some consumers reported that when buying a cup of Yidiandian milk tea at a store, staff actually packed the drinks in thin transparent plastic bags or even black garbage bags, sparking heated discussion online. Behind this is not stinginess on the part of the store, but the fact that the paper bags promised by headquarters as replacements had still not arrived, leaving some stores in the awkward situation of "having no bags to use." Employees revealed that before the Chinese New Year, headquarters notified them that plastic bags would be replaced with paper bags, but there has still been no sign of them, and they were instead told they would have to wait until April. During this period, they went through the Chinese New Year and Valentine's Day consumption peaks, and many stores saw their packing bag inventories run critically low. At a time when many chain brands are launching co-branded paper bags, Yidiandian's insistence on plastic bag packaging has also sparked polarized discussion among fans. This article will walk you through the whole incident and the reactions from all sides. [more…]

Luckin Coffee recently partnered with "Little Blue and His Friends" to launch a scratch-card sticker game: consumers who buy two drinks receive a limited-edition sticker with a scratch-off area, giving them a chance to win a free coffee. However, after the campaign launched, employees at some stores used flashlights to see through the scratch-off area from the back and learn the winning results in advance, even "cheating" in front of customers, sparking consumer dissatisfaction. The article explores how this marketing campaign, while bringing small moments of joy, also caused frustration for some customers due to design flaws and execution problems, and reflects on how brand reward campaigns can balance fun and fairness. [more…]

In the fast-paced food and beverage service industry, baristas face repetitive work every day, yet they also encounter all kinds of customers—job-seeking graduates, out-of-town tourists, retired seniors... Small yet touching stories are always unfolding among them. Recently, a netizen writing a thesis shared: when their takeaway coffee spilled, a Manner barista actually took the initiative to remake it and personally delivered it by light rail, offering comfort all along the way. This thoughtfulness moved countless netizens. This article compiles these genuine heartwarming moments, as well as the little bits of warmth baristas bring to customers in their daily work. [more…]

Drip bag coffee has become a must-have for many coffee lovers thanks to its portability, but the flavor differences between these small packets are enormous. From coffee bean grade, freshness, grinder cleanliness to the filling process, every step directly affects the final performance of the drip bag. This article will address two common questions—is drip bag coffee just ground coffee powder? Does the drip bag need to be immersed in water during brewing? It also provides practical pour-over tips and recommends several Front Street Coffee drip bag products suited to different taste preferences, helping you enjoy a cup of full-aroma good coffee anytime, anywhere. [more…]

For more specialty coffee knowledge, please follow our WeChat official account: FrontStreet Coffee. As some high-performance espresso machines have become more compact, their home-oriented positioning has become increasingly obvious, and many friends have also fallen into the espresso rabbit hole. So FrontStreet is here to share how to make espresso at home. [more…]

Papua New Guinea coffee, because it was introduced from Jamaica Blue Mountain Typica and its growing environment is similar to Blue Mountain, is called "Little Blue Mountain" by many enthusiasts. Front Street Coffee has this year acquired a batch of Bird of Paradise coffee from Sigri Estate and conducted a complete set of tests from roasting and cupping to brewing. This article will walk you through Papua's coffee-growing model, its main producing regions, the history and ecological philosophy of Sigri Estate, and the origin of the name Bird of Paradise, and will also share this bean's washed-processing characteristics, roasting curve, and brewing parameters, helping you gain a more comprehensive understanding of the flavor profile of this rare producing region. [more…]

Coffee enthusiasts' passion for peripheral products is never limited to beans and equipment. This time, we got our hands on ten popular coffee machine and grinder building block models available on the market all at once, covering five series: Late Autumn in Sicily, Midsummer Green, Roman Holiday, Twilight Venice, and Early Spring in Milan, and it took us a week to complete the assembly. From basic models to patience-testing ones, the number of pieces, color schemes, and fidelity to the original machines vary. The article will introduce one by one the real coffee equipment parameters corresponding to each building block set, including Rocket R58, EK43, Slayer Steam EP, Mythos One, La Marzocco GS3, Ultra, Victoria Arduino VA388, LWW EG-1, Kees Speedster, and Mazzer Super Jolly, while also sharing the actual performance of domestic building blocks in terms of fit and structural support. If you also like coffee peripherals, why not take a look at these interesting little items together. [more…]

Vietnamese iced coffee, with its silky texture and rich milky aroma, has become a favored refreshing drink in summer. Vietnamese people do not brew coffee with a coffee machine; instead, they use a dedicated metal drip filter, letting hot water pass through the coffee grounds bit by bit and drip slowly. To make an authentic Vietnamese iced coffee, the grind size of the coffee grounds, the amount of condensed milk, the tightness of the press, and the control of water temperature are all crucial. This article breaks down in detail every step from preparation to the completion of dripping, and provides reference standards for time and flow rate, helping you reliably recreate a fragrant, smooth Vietnamese iced coffee at home. [more…]

Today, a daily cup of coffee has become a routine for many people. At the same time, more and more brick-and-mortar cafés are offering discounts to customers who bring their own cups, encouraging them to get their coffee in non-disposable cups. For consumers, bringing their own cup is both eco-friendly and saves a few bucks; for businesses, using a small discount to attract these customers can also boost repeat purchases—a win-win. Manner started offering a 5-yuan discount for bring-your-own-cup back in 2015, and Starbucks also holds a limited-time free coffee event for customers with their own cups every Earth Day. On Xiaohongshu, users have gotten even more creative, showing up with goblets, rice bowls, gourd ladles, thermoses, and even empty liquor bottles, putting on a quirky bring-your-own-cup contest. Faced with these bizarre containers, professional baristas still calmly serve the drinks. This article takes you through these amusing scenes and also discusses the environmental significance behind bringing your own cup. [more…]

As 2023 draws to a close, it's worth looking back and counting just how many cups of coffee and milk tea you drank this year—there's a simple, blunt way to do it: see how many drink packaging bags you've stockpiled at home. Some of these bags are nicely designed, some are sturdy and durable; throwing them away feels wasteful, but keeping them takes up space, and the more they pile up, the more they become a burden. So netizens have come up with creative ideas, transforming packaging bags into storage boxes, tissue covers, commuter bags, and even journals; now that winter has arrived, they've unlocked a new skill—using coffee paper bags to make handlebar covers for electric bikes, which are windproof and save money, and can be upgraded into thermal bags for waterproof warmth. This article compiles these practical DIY ideas and includes related recommendations from Front Street Coffee to help you turn "junk" into little joys in life. [more…]

The Starbucks secret menu once led baristas to learn how to make over 170,000 customized drinks, but the extremes of personalized orders are sparking controversy. An American barista was fired for exposing a customer's 13-request order on social media, then apologized in person and settled the matter. The incident reflects the complex ordering trend fueled by TikTok, where customers pay extra fees but turn baristas into "drink-making robots," and during peak hours, it slows down service even more. This article will walk you through the full story of this uproar and focus on the issues of privacy and respect between baristas and customers. [more…]

Starbucks launched the Flat White, translated into Chinese as "馥芮白" (Furui Bai), a name that leaves many people scratching their heads. Is it really the same coffee as Australian White or "醇艺白"? And how does its taste differ from a latte or cappuccino? Starting from actual tasting and incorporating the debate between Australia and New Zealand over the origins of the Flat White, this article sorts out the flavor characteristics and the naming chaos surrounding this coffee. The article also mentions that McDonald's in China has long had the Flat White on its menu, priced at around 10 yuan, while a cup at Starbucks costs 36 yuan. If you are looking for a rich, smooth cup of coffee, Front Street Coffee also has relevant bean recommendations — feel free to use the flavor descriptions in this article as a guide for choosing. [more…]