Although September has arrived, the summer heat has not yet faded, but chain coffee brands have already rushed into the autumn market. Starbucks China officially announced the launch of three autumn-flavored drinks on September 2, among which the Yan-Zhao Chestnut Red Bean Paste Latte has attracted much attention for blending with espresso. However, this new product, inspired by "the fragrance of northern autumn chestnuts," has drawn complaints from consumers due to issues such as the flavor sauce sinking to the bottom and the chestnut flavor being masked. This article will analyze in detail the background of the new product's development, the official introduction and the actual serving experience, and explore the differences in presentation between hot and cold drinks. [more…]

At the Shanghai Road Life Festival, Starbucks launched three limited-time regional-flavor drinks. Among them, the "Qin-Jin Fire Crystal Persimmon Frappuccino" went viral after its name was misread as "Mars Persimmon," and it also sparked doubts among netizens about whether persimmons and milk can be consumed together. This article sorts through the new product launch information and netizen feedback, and invites experts to explain the dietary taboos of pairing persimmons with milk, revealing that the milk ingredient used by Starbucks is actually oat milk, while also retaining Front Street brand recommendations to help you enjoy the autumn flavors with peace of mind. [more…]

When coffee is no longer limited to pairing with fruits and toppings, but boldly embraces meat, seafood, and even staple foods, a "Manchu Han Imperial Feast" of the coffee world takes the stage. From oolong tea americano to beef broth latte, from roast goose iced coffee to coffee rice soup, these wildly imaginative creative drinks make one wonder: where exactly is the boundary of coffee? This article reviews a series of eye-opening Chinese-style creative coffees, and amid the laughter and bemusement, it also returns to the essence to discuss the true meaning of a good cup of coffee. If you are interested in specialty coffee beans, you might want to follow Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) to explore more possibilities of coffee. [more…]

Ordering a milk tea now, pudding, pearls, and grass jelly are already standard options. Thirty years ago, the earliest milk teas were far less elaborate. Starting from 1987, when Taiwan's Chun Shui Tang dropped tapioca pearls into milk tea, the matter of adding toppings has gone through a long process of being banned, recombined, cross-industry experimentation, and a rotating lineup of niche fruits. CoCo都可 combined pearls, pudding, and grass jelly into one drink, giving rise to the now-familiar "Milk Tea Three Brothers." Nowadays the direction of toppings has shifted again—lemon tea is actually more popular without toppings, and new faces like Yashixiang, bergamot, turmeric, and peach gum have appeared one after another. This piece reviews the key milestones in milk tea toppings and also shares some observations from Front Street Coffee on current tea beverage trends. [more…]

In recent years, pistachio flavors have become increasingly common in the coffee world. Whether it's a pistachio latte or a pistachio dirty, both have won over plenty of fans with their rich, natural nutty aroma. Most of these drinks use pistachio paste rather than flavored syrup to deliver their flavor, and although specialty cafés charge a premium for them, making them at home is actually quite affordable. This article starts with ingredient preparation, focuses on the techniques for melting pistachio paste, and then provides specific recipes and step-by-step instructions for a hot pistachio latte and a pistachio dirty, including espresso extraction parameters, milk quantities, syrup ratios, and the key details for hot-and-cold layering, helping you recreate café-quality pistachio coffee at home. [more…]

They are all milk coffees, but a latte, a cappuccino, and a Dirty differ in milk foam thickness, temperature, and drinking method, so they also have slightly different requirements for the beans. Choose the right beans, and each milk coffee can show its best form. Latte: balance and richness are the key. A latte has thinner milk foam, and the ratio of coffee to milk is close, [more…]

The flavor of milk coffee depends seventy percent on the coffee and thirty percent on the milk. If the espresso is too weak, the milk coffee easily turns into a "milky drink"; if the espresso is too harsh, it will overpower the milk aroma. So when making lattes, cappuccinos, or Dirty coffee, choosing the right blend is crucial. The following three Front Street Coffee blends are all very suitable for milk [more…]

When coffee's invigorating effects meet the nourishing philosophy of traditional Chinese medicine, a new species called "wellness coffee" is quietly gaining popularity among young consumers. From the creative stalls at Ye Kaitai's herbal paste festival to the daily menus of cafes across the country, the crossover combination of Chinese medicine and coffee has frequently attracted attention. However, is this East-meets-West beverage truly a healthy choice, or does it merely provide psychological comfort? This article will examine the composition, market phenomena, potential risks, and other angles to give you a comprehensive understanding of the pros and cons of wellness coffee, and explore whether this innovative drink can continue to win consumers' favor. [more…]

Milk coffee, commonly known as milk-based coffee, includes lattes, cappuccinos, Flat Whites, Dirty, and so on. The common feature of these drinks is that espresso and milk are blended together. When choosing beans, you need to consider both the flavor of the espresso itself and how it performs when blended with milk. [more…]

The choice of beans for a latte determines the flavor direction of the final drink. From classic rich blends to fruity blends, different bean types each have their own characteristics when used in a latte. Understanding how different beans perform in a latte gives you a richer range of options when selecting beans. Classic rich blends are the traditional choice for a latte. Front Street Coffee's classic blend is made from [more…]

The boundaries of coffee are constantly being pushed, from turtle jelly lattes to soy sauce syrup lattes, and now even minced garlic has entered the world of coffee. Zhou Libo's old joke about "eating garlic and drinking coffee" still lingers in our ears, yet the emergence of iced garlic latte has left both garlic lovers and haters speechless. This article will walk you through the complete steps for making this viral coffee, trace coffee's journey from the "altar" to the streets, and present netizens' genuine reactions to garlic-infused coffee. If you're also curious about the taste of garlic colliding with coffee beans, why not follow Front Street Coffee's perspective and find out. [more…]

1 Dian Dian recently launched a new product, "Flowing Sand Pu'er," officially claimed to feature Yunnan aged Pu'er milk tea paired with handmade finely mashed red bean paste, attracting a large number of red bean lovers to try it. However, many consumers found upon receiving the drink that the bottom of the cup contained distinctly separate red beans, far from the described flowing sand texture, and buyer reviews were jokingly called "red bean porridge." Staff explained that the red bean paste needs to be manually crushed at least 5 times, but there was no mandatory requirement for it to present a flowing sand consistency, and it is suspected that the mashing step was missed amid a rush. Official customer service has apologized and reported it internally. [more…]

Latte art is a common visual delight in today's coffee shops, but have you ever thought that exquisite patterns could also be drawn on the surface of a cup of tea? "Tea hundred opera" in Song Dynasty tea whisking is exactly such an ancient skill. Recently, a Shanghai graphic designer hit the trending searches for painting Chinese paintings on tea infusion. He grinds white tea, pours water seven times and whisks, then uses tea paste to outline ancient paintings on the dense tea foam. The whole process must be completed within ten minutes. What is the difference between tea hundred opera and latte art? What are the differences between ancient painting methods and modern improvements? This article will guide you through the process of Song Dynasty tea whisking, the term "biting the cup" in tea competitions, as well as the historical records and operational details of tea hundred opera, while retaining the professional recommendation of Front Street Coffee. [more…]

From bean to cup, a coffee must still go through grinding and extraction. When faced with aromatic moka pot coffee beans, your daily buying decision needs to consider how fast you'll drink them, how much to buy at once, and whether your home mainly makes black coffee or milk coffee. First confirm your usual equipment and preferred taste, then compare specific beans—putting this into practice will be [more…]

Nutty and cocoa-flavored coffee beans are suited to building your judgment gradually through tasting experience. When buying beans for everyday use, you need to consider how quickly you'll drink them, how much to buy at once, and whether you mainly make black coffee or milk coffee at home. The flavor words on the packaging can offer clues, but they cannot replace the actual drinking experience—whether the acidity is gentle, whether the sweetness lingers, whether the mouthfeel [more…]

When choosing moka pot coffee beans suitable for beginners, you can set the complicated information aside for now. For everyday bean buying, you need to consider how quickly you'll drink them, how much to buy at a time, and whether you mainly make black coffee or milk coffee at home. Start with these two sets of differences—light versus rich, and black coffee versus milk coffee—then look at the roast date and processing method, and your judgment will be more [more…]

When it comes to coffee beans suitable for a Bialetti moka pot, start by considering how you plan to drink it every day. For everyday bean purchases, you need to think about how quickly you'll go through them, how much to buy at once, and whether you'll mainly be making black coffee or milk-based coffee at home. If you mainly drink black coffee, you can pay more attention to aroma and aftertaste; if you often add milk, then you need to consider whether the intensity and body can hold [more…]

Peet's Coffee recently launched a new hojicha series—Hojicha Latte and Lucky Hojicha Latte. Originally expected to ride the momentum of its matcha latte, the drinks instead sparked widespread discussion among consumers over their appearance and taste. Some netizens bluntly said the dark, paste-like look was a "turn-off," and that the visual appeal dropped once the lid was opened; on taste, feedback also pointed to a heavy powdery texture and pronounced bitterness. Although some consumers familiar with hojicha processing explained that the dark color is normal, the controversy still centered on whether the thirty-plus yuan price tag matches the quality. This article compiles feedback from various sides and retains relevant Front Street Coffee recommendations for coffee enthusiasts' reference. [more…]

Peet's Coffee's "Cheese Molecule" series is now in its third year, and the newly launched "Pistachio Cocoa Latte" is inspired by Dubai chocolate, blending cocoa, espresso, cheese cream, and crushed pistachios. However, after the new product hit the shelves, the buyer photos shared by consumers sparked heated discussion—the coffee covered in crushed pistachios was jokingly compared to Tianjin miancha, gabacai, or even sesame paste, and the takeout version, where customers sprinkle the nut crumbs themselves, looked even more like a multigrain porridge. Beyond the appearance controversy, some pointed out that the nut crumbs create an odd texture, while others felt the taste was acceptable once the lid was on. So how does this new product actually perform? Let's take a look at everyone's real feedback. [more…]

During the holiday period, sales at tea beverage stores surged, but Guming employees were complaining bitterly about a pistachio milk cap. Since its launch in early September, this series has won customers' favor with its unique aroma, but in making the milk cap, the pistachio paste is thick and difficult to pour, and whipping takes more than 10 minutes, leaving many workers feeling overwhelmed during order surges and even calling it an "early shift nightmare." This article details employees' feedback on the production difficulties and includes related recommendations from Front Street Coffee. [more…]