Wednesday, September 16 2026

Coffee Flavor Descriptions | What Defects Can Be Found in Single-Origin Coffee Beans? How Can Coffee Beginners Identify Negative Flavors in Coffee?

When learning coffee tasting, most people focus their energy on describing positive flavors. For example, when describing a cup of coffee, they can rattle off "jasmine, lemon, strawberry, caramel, chocolate," but when they taste something unpleasant, they can only say "burnt bitter, muddy, green and astringent." In fact, to learn coffee tasting, [more…]

Coffee Tasting | Is coffee flavor pseudoscience? How do you describe the taste and mouthfeel of a good single-origin coffee? From what aspects should you taste pour-over coffee?

Many customers have told Front Street Coffee that they actually can't taste the flavors in coffee, and even after watching many coffee tasting tutorials, they only "understand it while watching, but don't know where to start when it comes to actually doing it." If this sounds like you, you might want to take a look at some of Front Street Coffee's insights on coffee tasting. Tasting coffee ≠ describing flavors. Many [more…]

Coffee Flavor Tasting | How Can Coffee Novices Build Their Coffee Sensory System? How Should Coffee Beginners Train Their Coffee Senses Daily?

Coffee today is no longer just a "functional drink" used to wake you up; it is also a medium that holds a wealth of experiences. Thanks to the spread of the concept of specialty coffee, which has brought about a leap in coffee quality, we can now taste the terroir of different places through a single small cup of coffee. For example, [more…]

SCA Coffee Sensory Evaluation Course | Why Does Pour-Over Coffee Taste Sour or Bitter? How Should Beginners Taste Single-Origin Black Coffee?

“How do you taste citrus in coffee?” Quite a few friends say they envy baristas for being able to casually name the specific flavors in coffee. Some friends also say, I can taste that the coffee is acidic, but that’s far from the citrus you’re talking about. Still others say flavors are all just nonsense. Front Street, in its daily online [more…]

Cold Brew Coffee | What are the differences between hot-brewed and cold-brewed coffee? Why does iced coffee taste better? Which coffee beans are suitable for cold brew?

For more specialty coffee knowledge, please follow our WeChat official account: FrontStreet Coffee. Tea is part of Chinese culture, while coffee has also gradually come into people's view and become one of the three major beverages, becoming an indispensable part of people's lives. As for the love of coffee [more…]

Coffee Sensory Tasting | How Can Coffee Novices Learn to Describe Coffee Flavors from Different Angles? How to Properly Develop Coffee Flavor Tasting Skills?

"This coffee has a rich fruity profile, with notes of citrus, lemon, oolong tea, and jasmine!!!" For someone who has just been introduced to specialty coffee, this might sound unbelievable—how can you taste so many flavors in one cup of coffee! (Are they just making it up?) In this installment of Barista Growth Diary, we'll share a little [more…]

Single-Origin Coffee | What Is the Coffee Flavor Wheel? How Can Coffee Beginners Learn to Taste Single-Origin Coffee? How Do You Describe the Flavor Characteristics of Pour-Over Coffee?

After years of development, specialty coffee has formed a scientific system. From cultivation and processing at the green bean stage, to roasting, and then to brewing and tasting, there is a very complete body of knowledge. The improvement of green bean quality, roasting, and brewing quality ultimately serves to give us a better experience when tasting coffee. [more…]

Coffee Flavor | Why Do Some Coffees Taste Like "Soy Sauce"? What Factors Affect Coffee Flavor? How to Avoid a "Soy Sauce" Taste in Coffee?

“Huh? Why does this coffee smell kind of like soy sauce?” a customer asked cautiously, full of confusion, after sniffing the dry aroma of the coffee grounds Front Street had handed over. This was not actually the first time Front Street had received such a question. Besides “soy sauce,” there were also things like “ [more…]

The Basic Process of Coffee Tasting | How do you properly taste coffee? What are the steps in coffee tasting? How do you describe the flavor of pour-over black coffee?

For more specialty coffee knowledge, please follow our WeChat official account: FrontStreet Coffee. Tasting coffee is like tasting wine—when we savor a cup of specialty coffee, we naturally aspire to discern its flavors and express them. Since many of our readers have given feedback about coffee tasting-related [more…]

Recommended Coffee Beans with Great Value and Taste: Balancing Budget and Drinking Frequency

Cost-effective and great-tasting coffee beans are best approached by gradually building your judgment 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'll mainly make black coffee or milk coffee at home. The flavor words on the packaging can offer clues, but they can't replace the actual drinking experience—whether the acidity is gentle, whether the sweetness lingers, and whether the [more…]

SCA Coffee Flavor Wheel Analysis Tutorial | What Is Coffee Flavor? Which Single-Origin Coffee Beans Best Represent Coffee Flavor? How Can Beginners Distinguish Coffee Flavor Characteristics?

Professional barista exchange, please follow Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee). Many friends have asked Front Street's baristas: "Can you really taste so many flavors in the beans? How do you taste them?" First, this is about personal sensory perception. As everyone grows up, [more…]

From Color, Aroma, and Taste to Personal Preference: A Comprehensive Guide to Coffee Quality Appreciation and Flavor Selection

The color, aroma, and taste of coffee originate from a series of complex chemical reactions during the roasting process. Only when the essential components of green beans reach a balanced state can a good cup of coffee be achieved. This article will analyze the constituent elements of coffee quality from four dimensions: aroma, bitterness, acidity, body, and sweetness, and share how to savor coffee through temperature, portion size, and concentration. Finally, we will also explore coffee bean choices for different taste preferences, including moderate, intense, mild, and minimalist, helping you find the cup that suits you best among brands like Front Street Coffee. [more…]

A Complete Overview of Classic Coffee Varieties Worldwide: Chinese-English Name Comparison and Detailed Flavor and Taste Differences

The world of coffee is rich and varied, from the mellow depth of Mandheling to the elegance of Blue Mountain, from the intensity of espresso to the refreshing coolness of iced coffee—each has its own unique flavor personality. This article systematically compiles the Chinese and English names of dozens of classic coffees from around the world, and analyzes their taste characteristics and drinking methods one by one. Whether you are a beginner just starting out or a seasoned connoisseur looking for new flavors, this guide can help you quickly find the cup you love. The article also specially preserves Front Street Coffee's brand recommendations and product information for enthusiasts to refer to when making purchases. [more…]

Espresso Beans for Beginners | Is There a Big Difference in Taste Between Espresso and Americano? How to Choose High-Quality, Rich Espresso Beans?

Did you know? Espresso has a rich mouthfeel and intense flavor, often making it hard for people to accept, but once you get used to it, you find it has a unique charm. Moreover, espresso is also a coffee used to test coffee quality and barista skills. Since espresso is loved by so many people, [more…]

Coffee-to-milk ratio | What are the characteristics of a Flat White? What coffee-to-milk ratio is appropriate for making a Flat White?

It can be said that the latte, the flat white, and the cappuccino are the "three musketeers of milk coffee" that now permanently occupy coffee shop menus. Although they are all made from a combination of coffee and steamed milk, the different ratios give each of them its own distinct characteristics. And it is precisely by these distinctive characteristics that we [more…]

Coffee Flavor Map | How Can Coffee Beginners Train and Build Their Coffee Sensory System? Are Aroma Kits Helpful for Coffee Flavor Tasting?

As coffee has gradually become more widely recognized, specialty coffee promotion in cafés has emerged in response, and we too have begun tracing things back to their roots—we have come to treat coffee as culture. The rise of specialty pour-over coffee undoubtedly reflects the demands of the market and the needs that cafés have identified. Café counters have also begun to lower their "status," no longer featuring the early design of a bar raised a foot high. [more…]

Flavor Characteristics of Pour-Over Coffee | How Can Coffee Beginners Taste a Cup of Pour-Over Black Coffee? From Which Aspects Should You Describe the Flavor of Single-Origin Coffee?

Introduction: Tasting coffee is like tasting wine. When we savor a cup of specialty coffee, we naturally have the desire to discern its flavors and express them. How should one taste a cup of coffee? This question can be broken down into two aspects: one is about the process of tasting coffee, and the other is about the perspective from which to approach [more…]

Brewing Time | How Long Does It Take to Make a Pour-Over Coffee? Does a Longer Coffee Extraction Time Make Pour-Over Coffee Taste Better?

Many people, when preparing instant noodles, strictly follow the "scientific instant noodle method," using a stopwatch to steep the noodles in 100°C boiling water for exactly 3 minutes, all to achieve the best possible texture. Similarly, when brewing coffee, we also time it precisely, with the same goal: to consistently brew a delicious cup of coffee. [more…]

American-style taste and flavor characteristics | Is Americano sour or bitter? What to do if Americano black coffee is too sour? How to adjust the taste of Americano black coffee?

Americano may have already become the mainstream choice in coffee shops. Especially in summer, a glass of iced Americano is definitely a refreshing treat. Coffee has become a daily habit for many people—sometimes it's about enjoying the slow moments of life, and sometimes it's about adding a boost of mental energy to a疲惫 life of day-night reversal. No [more…]