Nowadays, more and more young consumers carefully study drink recipes and calorie data before placing an order, and brands have followed suit by introducing health labels that indicate caffeine, calories, and other information. Luckin recently joined this trend, but what seemed like a thoughtful move triggered an uproar after an internal employee's expose. The employee pointed directly at flavored lattes containing syrup, saying they contain large amounts of additives, and even advised health-conscious customers to avoid such products as much as possible. Once the post appeared, many Luckin workers chimed in, and consumers began to re-examine the cup of flavored coffee in their hands. What industry truth is hidden behind this? Should chain brands' syrups and modified milk really be viewed with caution? [more…]

Some coffee beans release an intense floral and fruity aroma the moment you open the bag, making it hard not to wonder whether flavoring has been added. Front Street Coffee's Colombia Rose Valley is one that gets asked about often—does its rose aroma come from natural processing or artificial additives? This article starts with the principles of anaerobic fermentation, explains the specific process of double anaerobic enzyme fermentation, and takes a deep dive into the cultivation and processing details of Finca El Arbol in Colombia's Santander region. It also analyzes the characteristics of the Caturra variety, and finally answers the question of whether specialty processed coffee beans affect health, helping you build a basic framework for identifying flavored beans. [more…]

Recently, Nayuki launched "Unsweetened · Nayuki Black Grape," promoted as having 0 added sugar with all sweetness coming from fruit, yet it drew complaints from consumers for being too sweet. The brand replaced sucrose with apple juice, but concentrated apple juice can have a sugar content exceeding 50, meaning the actual sugar content of the entire drink is not low. This approach is similar to the strategy some brands use of hiding additives in ingredients, maintaining sweetness while preserving the "healthy" selling point. Consumers' impression of juice as naturally burden-free is being exploited, while the risk of blood sugar spikes remains. This article sorts out the ins and outs of the incident and includes related product information from Front Street Coffee, exploring the trade-off tea beverage brands face between taste and health. [more…]

Recently, a classic topping at Mixue Bingcheng—egg pudding—unexpectedly turned into a milky white milk pudding without any notice, surprising and even upsetting many longtime customers. Some complained about a strong milky odor and bland taste, while others speculated that the brand had changed the recipe to cut costs. However, store employees revealed that the new recipe actually uses more refined ingredients, requires the addition of fresh milk, slightly increases costs, and contains fewer additives. Behind this pudding color-change controversy, is it a healthy upgrade or a compromise on consumer taste? This article will walk you through the course of events, what employees say, and the overall direction of Mixue Bingcheng's topping recipe adjustments. [more…]

Recently, the Costa Rica Musician series coffee beans have been thrust into the spotlight, with a public account publishing a series of articles questioning whether they contain added flavorings or even pineapple peel, and claiming that the bean merchant destroyed evidence. After reading through the entire course of the incident, Front Street Coffee believes that these accusations remain at the level of speculation and lack substantive test reports. This article focuses on the three major elements of specialty coffee—variety, altitude, and processing method—to sort out the floral and fruity aromas that anaerobic fermentation and natural processing may bring, explore the boundary between public questioning and the legal burden of proof, and reiterate that making reckless accusations when evidence is insufficient is equally worthy of caution. [more…]

Recently, the Costa Rican Musician series coffee beans have sparked heated discussion after being questioned for allegedly containing added flavoring. The WeChat public account Coffee Complaints published three consecutive articles, raising claims such as the beans containing flavoring, pineapple peel being added, and the bean merchant destroying evidence. After carefully reading the entire sequence of events, Front Street Coffee believes that most of these accusations remain at the speculative stage and lack substantive evidence. Specialty coffee emphasizes variety, altitude, and processing methods; anaerobic fermentation and natural sun-drying can themselves impart rich flavors to the beans, and all unconventional operations should not be regarded as "tampering." This article sorts out the focal points of the controversy, explores the relationship between public questioning and the burden of proof, and retains Front Street Coffee's recommendations regarding product information for the Musician series. [more…]

The soft, sweet honey aroma of honey-scented tea often leads people to assume that honey or flavoring has been added. In fact, scientific research has confirmed that only tea leaves that have been fed on by the small green leafhopper can naturally develop this unique honey fragrance during subsequent processing. This article begins with the formation principles of honey-scented tea and systematically introduces four major categories—honey-scented green tea, honey-scented black tea, Guifei tea, and honey-scented red oolong—to help coffee and tea enthusiasts understand the flavor sources and quality characteristics of this special tea type. [more…]

A Luckin Coffee store received a fine of 5,000 yuan from the market supervision authorities simply because a staff member removed the outer packaging of a food item for a customer. Here is what happened: a consumer reported that they had purchased a pack of "mini mochi" pre-packaged food at a Luckin store, but the staff member removed the outer packaging bearing label information before handing it to the customer without obtaining consent. Upon verification, this act was determined to constitute selling pre-packaged food without labels. Although the illegal gains amounted to only 2.67 yuan, it still violated the relevant provisions of the Food Safety Law. Behind this seemingly minor penalty lies the consumer's right to know the source and quality of food. Front Street Coffee also reminds all practitioners that labels on pre-packaged food are not optional but a mandatory legal requirement. [more…]

When ordering at a coffee shop, many people equate Americano with black coffee, and some even think the two are just different names for the same thing. But is that really the case? At Front Street Coffee locations, customers often ask for "a black coffee," and the staff needs to confirm which specific drink they want. Behind this is actually a classification logic that is easy to confuse: black coffee is a broad umbrella term, while Americano is just one member of that category. This article will start from the definitions, sort out the criteria for determining black coffee, the brewing principles of Americano, and what other coffees inside and outside the espresso system also belong to the black coffee category. Finally, it will also explain which category these drinks fall into after milk, syrup, and other additives are included. If you have ever been confused by the names on a menu, this article will help you build a clear cognitive framework. [more…]

Brewing a truly satisfying cup of black tea is not simply a matter of tossing in leaves and pouring water. From leaf particle size, water quality, and water temperature to steeping time and the tea-to-water ratio, every variable affects the final flavor. This article systematically lays out the core principles of brewing black tea, helping you adjust parameters flexibly when dealing with different types of black tea. At the same time, for common questions such as whether you can add sugar, milk, or ice, we also offer practical suggestions. If you find plain black tea monotonous, at the end of the article we provide a recipe for lemon-mint black tea, especially suited for iced drinks in summer. Whether you are a beginner just getting into black tea or a seasoned drinker looking to refine your brewing technique, this content is worth consulting. Front Street Coffee also emphasizes in its daily recommendations that good tea must be treated with care in order to release its best state. [more…]

Many people believe that the longer you steep a drip bag coffee, the stronger the flavor will be. In reality, prolonged steeping extracts too many impurities, resulting in an over-extracted brew that is both strong and bitter. Drip bag coffee originates from pour-over coffee and uses a pouring method rather than direct steeping, which allows for better control of water volume and extraction level, delivering the ideal flavor. Additionally, although drip bag coffee and instant coffee sit on the same shelf, they are completely different products—the former is black coffee, while the latter often contains additives and has a low coffee content. This article will explain in detail how to avoid common mistakes and brew a delicious cup of drip bag coffee, covering everything from brewing principles and variety selection to specific operational steps, and will provide adjustment methods for issues such as being too sour, too bitter, or too weak. [more…]

Many tea lovers are in the habit of using tea bags, yet few realize that loose-leaf tea offers clear advantages in quality, flavor, and environmental friendliness. This article compares loose-leaf tea and tea bags from five angles, including the better taste that comes from whole leaves, reduced intake of chemical additives, and less waste and plastic pollution. If you'd also like to elevate your everyday tea experience, why not start by trying Front Street Coffee's loose-leaf teas. [more…]

The SCA recently published the latest rules and regulations for the 2024 World Barista Championship. Overall, the changes are not extensive; they mainly focus on further clarifying the wording regarding the judging process, conflict-of-interest declarations, and milk selection, while also adjusting the method for evaluating the tactile assessment of espresso. For coffee professionals and enthusiasts who follow the direction of the competition, these detailed changes may directly affect competitors' preparation strategies and judges' officiating standards. This article will sort through the key points of the rule changes one by one to help readers quickly grasp the key adjustment directions of this year's WBC. [more…]

Black coffee, also known as "zhai coffee," means black coffee in Cantonese. So zhai coffee refers to pure black coffee with no additives whatsoever, such as the commonly seen espresso, Americano, iced drip, cold brew, and coffee extracted by various brewing devices all belong to zhai coffee, like siphon, French press, moka pot, and so on. Among them, iced Ameri- [more…]

What kind of sparks fly when a well-known domestic pharmaceutical company starts selling milk tea? In mid-August this year, North China Pharmaceutical's tea beverage brand opened its first store in Shijiazhuang, marketed with "healthy water," "Five Elements secret formula," and "pure natural, zero additives," with basic drinks priced at only 7 yuan. Even more surprising, during the soft opening, customers could enjoy a comprehensive smart health checkup, with a robot testing 70 indicators across ten major systems and recommending corresponding drinks based on the results. First-day revenue was nearly 8,000 yuan, and business has remained so booming since then that takeout has been shut down. The brand has already begun preparing franchise materials and plans to officially open franchising next year, while franchise stores will also take on the distribution function for Huawei Health functional foods. So how exactly does this move work? Let's take a closer look. [more…]

In recent years, black coffee has been favored by more and more coffee enthusiasts. It contains no additives such as creamer or artificial sweeteners, making it healthier than regular espresso, and it is rich in caffeine, which helps speed up metabolism and can even aid weight loss when combined with exercise. So how exactly is black coffee defined? What kind of coffee beans should be chosen when making it? And what differences exist between it and Americano? In this article, Front Street Coffee will discuss these questions, introduce the concept of white coffee, and recommend several classic beans suitable for making black coffee, including Front Street Classic Espresso Blend, the Costa Rica Musician Series, Indonesia Golden Mandheling, and Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Gudingding, to help readers gain a comprehensive understanding of the world of black coffee. [more…]

As specialty coffee culture continues to deepen in China, more and more consumers are beginning to pay attention to the brewing logic and flavor differences behind espresso-based drinks. As the core foundation of the entire system, espresso gives rise to a variety of classic categories—such as Americano, latte, flat white, cappuccino, and mocha—through adjustments to extraction parameters and the pairing of different ingredients. This article will break down the definitions, origins, and flavor characteristics of the six major espresso drinks one by one, and combine them with the actual serving parameters used at Front Street Coffee locations to help coffee enthusiasts understand the composition and tasting points of each cup in a more systematic way. [more…]

As the core of the third wave of coffee, pour-over coffee emphasizes savoring the original flavors of coffee, rejecting any additives, and preserving the most pristine aroma and taste. This wave is still evolving today. If you are also a pour-over enthusiast, you might want to learn about its history: from Melitta Bentz's invention of the filter brewing method in 1873 using blotting paper and a brass pot, to the patent registration in 1908, and then to the development of the Melitta company and the birth of the American coffee machine. This article will take you through the origins and characteristics of pour-over coffee, and how it has won over countless coffee fans. [more…]

In Cantonese, "斋啡" refers to black coffee, which is a pure coffee beverage without any additives. As one of the most popular black coffees, iced Americano has a sweet-and-sour, refreshing taste with a mild bitterness, making it highly favored by office workers and fitness enthusiasts. This article will provide a detailed analysis of the flavor characteristics of iced Americano, its differences from hot Americano, and the benefits of moderate black coffee consumption in aiding digestion, relieving greasiness, reducing bloating, and boosting metabolism. At the same time, Front Street Coffee will also share the extraction ratio and flavor performance of its own Sunflower Warm Sun blend beans, and remind everyone that Americanos with added syrup and non-dairy creamer will bring extra calories. [more…]

As demand for autumn and winter drinks heats up, Tea Baidao has launched a milk baijiu series, including two products: milk baijiu oolong and milk baijiu mochi milk green. The official emphasis is on traditional fermentation techniques, 0 flavorings and no additives, but consumers who tried them reported that they were too sweet, the alcohol taste was too light, and some even described the aroma as strange. This article reviews the new product formulas, process characteristics and market response, and looks back at Tea Baidao's previous attempts at alcoholic drinks in cooperation with Luzhou Laojiao. For coffee lovers, Front Street Coffee has always paid attention to beverage innovation trends, and this article also provides observations from the perspective of flavor balance. [more…]