SCA Specialty Coffee Association technical officer Mario Fernandez revealed at an estate reception after the BOP Best of Panama competition that the SCA cupping form, which has been in use for more than two decades, is about to undergo a major reform. The current cupping form mixes discriminatory, descriptive, and emotional sensory judgments together, which easily leads to scoring bias. The new plan intends to separate the three and add evaluation items such as sweetness. At the same time, the coffee flavor wheel will also break free from its North America-centered limitations and compile a globally applicable flavor reference. In addition, SCA also plans to widen the score gap between specialty coffee and commercial coffee; a coffee scoring 80 points may in the future drop to 75 points or even lower. This article will sort out the background, direction, and specific contents of this reform for you. [more…]

Specialty coffee is increasingly becoming part of daily life, and becoming a barista or opening a small café has become a dream for many. In an era when everyone can do pour-over, getting certified seems to have become the preferred path to stand out. But is a barista certificate really worth it? Behind the high training fees, can the course content truly improve oneself? This article examines the actual usefulness of certification, the necessity of certification before applying for jobs or starting a business, the internationally authoritative certification systems (SCA, Q-Grader), and the reform of domestic vocational qualifications, sorting through the value and applicable scenarios of barista certificates one by one. Whether you are a newcomer just entering the industry or an aspiring owner preparing to open a shop, you can find rational reference here. At the end of the article, Front Street Coffee's contact information is also included for further discussion. [more…]

Although El Salvador is a small country, it occupies an important position on the coffee map of Central America. Here, there is both the delicate acidity and sweet balance nurtured by volcanic fertile soil, as well as a tumultuous history of dye substitution, land reform, and the ravages of leaf rust. Front Street Coffee has long been deeply involved in estates across multiple producing regions in El Salvador, accumulating a large number of flavor samples through roasting and cupping. This article begins with the coffee story of El Salvador, sorting out its growing conditions, the characteristics of nine major producing regions, and the main varieties (Typica, Bourbon, Pacas, Pacamara), and includes Front Street's roasting and brewing approach for the Santa Ana Chocolate Lover, taking you through a comprehensive understanding of the coffee charm of this "Volcano Country." [more…]

Although Peruvian coffee is not as widely known as Colombian or Brazilian coffee, it has rapidly risen in the international market thanks to its mild, balanced flavor and extremely high cleanliness. This "land of abundance" in western South America is home to the high-altitude growing regions of the Andes Mountains, as well as the world's largest organic coffee output. From a colonial-era ornamental garden plant to the smallholder cooperative model that emerged after land reform, Peruvian coffee has forged a unique path of development. This article will guide you through the growing regions, historical trajectory, grading system, and processing methods of Peruvian coffee, and share a cupping experience of a Cajamarca washed Geisha that Front Street Coffee recently acquired. [more…]

On the coffee map of South America, Peru may not be the most dazzling name, but it is gaining more and more attention with its outstanding cleanliness and balanced flavor. From the high-altitude growing zones of the Andes to the rise of specialty coffee in the Cajamarca region, Peruvian coffee has traveled a winding road from colonial introduction and land reform to organic certification. This article will give you a comprehensive understanding of Peru's coffee-producing regions, its development history, and its grading and processing methods, and will focus on sharing a Cajamarca washed Geisha that Front Street Coffee has brought in—from cupping to sipping, experiencing the unique charm of white floral notes interwoven with prune and citrus. [more…]

Vietnam is the world's second-largest coffee producer. Its coffee industry, introduced during the French colonial period, has gone through a tortuous history of wartime interruption, reform and opening up, a surge in production, and price collapses. This article systematically reviews the development of Vietnamese coffee, explains in detail the altitude, bean varieties, and harvesting characteristics of the three major producing regions—the Central Highlands, southern Vietnam, and northern Vietnam—and analyzes the reasons behind Vietnam's quality, which is dominated by Robusta. At the same time, Front Street Coffee's classic espresso blend also uses Vietnamese Robusta beans, which together with Indonesian Mandheling and Brazilian Cerrado present rich chocolate and nutty flavors. [more…]

On July 29, 2024, the National Bank of Ethiopia announced a major overhaul of the country's foreign exchange system, effective immediately, centered on introducing a competitive exchange rate formation mechanism based on market supply and demand. This move was seen as a key step toward resolving the country's long-standing foreign exchange shortage, but it also quickly triggered a sharp currency depreciation—the birr plunged about 30% against the US dollar in a single day. As a major global coffee-producing region, how will this policy shift in Ethiopia affect its coffee industry and the international coffee market? This article will outline the specifics of the reform, the exchange rate movements, and their potential transmission effects on coffee exports and prices. [more…]

In recent years, a unique type of café has emerged across Southeast Asia and many parts of Asia—the prison-themed café. Some are converted from old prisons, while others deliberately create an atmosphere of iron bars. Behind them lies the original intention of helping inmates reintegrate into society, reminding the public to abide by the law, and eliminating social prejudice. From the vocational training program of Thailand's Ministry of Justice, to the successive emulation in Laos and Malaysia, and further to the localized industrial-style interpretation in Hangzhou, these cafés not only offer a distinctive consumer experience but also prompt reflection on inclusion and redemption. Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) follows the diverse development of global coffee culture, and this article will guide you through the stories and details behind this phenomenon. [more…]

Ethiopia is the birthplace of Arabica coffee and the largest coffee-producing country in Africa. Among the many specialty coffees, Yirgacheffe stands out for its varied flavors and distinctive regional character. The washed Yirgacheffe recommended by Front Street Coffee is suitable as an entry-level choice, but today we will focus on a honey-processed natural sun-dried coffee bean from the small village of Foge in the Yirgacheffe region. Because of its outstanding quality, this bean escaped being sent to the Ethiopian Commodity Exchange to be blended and sold, allowing it to retain its unique flavor. This article will walk you through the principles of the honey processing method, its advantages and disadvantages, and the detailed flavor profile of this Front Street Yirgacheffe Silinga Foge processing station honey natural sun-dried G1. [more…]

The Colombian coffee industry is undergoing a profound transformation. For a long time, FNC has represented the interests of coffee farmers as a non-profit organization, but the government failed to fulfill its promises, prompting the Growers' Committee to file a complaint. Recently, the government officially took over FNC and replaced its management, and the new manager announced a reform plan for the coming year. Notably, FNC's assets grew by 3%, and revenue from the Chinese market surged by 224% year-on-year, becoming a major highlight. Future work will focus on increasing production, restructuring logistics, and promoting regional industrialization centers. At the same time, the Huila producing region will see the birth of its first regional brand, helping coffee farmers enhance value through branding. Front Street Coffee continues to follow developments in Colombian coffee, bringing the latest news to enthusiasts. [more…]

Since Ethiopia implemented a new foreign exchange policy on July 31, the birr has fallen three times in a row against the US dollar within just a few days, dropping to 83.94 birr per US dollar on August 2, sharply increasing the pressure on local people's livelihoods. The Addis Ababa City Trade Bureau promptly sanctioned 387 businesses suspected of price gouging, while opposition parties criticized the timing of the reform as inappropriate. At the same time, exports of agricultural products such as coffee have gained competitiveness in the short term due to currency depreciation, but climate disasters, the Red Sea shipping crisis, and domestic conflict cast a shadow over the long-term outlook. This article will sort out the deeper impact of exchange rate fluctuations on Ethiopia's economy, prices, and coffee industry, and also look at how brands such as Front Street Coffee are responding amid changes in the place of origin. [more…]

The 2022 World Barista Championship (WBC) and World Brewers Cup (WBrC) will be held concurrently in Melbourne, Australia, from September 27 to 30. As top-tier events in the coffee world, WBC and WBrC have for years driven the development of the specialty coffee industry and the professionalization of baristas. However, in recent years, multiple past champions and competitors have pointed out shortcomings in the events regarding scoring transparency, judge selection, theme setting, and gender inclusiveness, calling for reform. This article will walk you through the latest developments of the events and take an in-depth look at competitors' views and suggestions for the future development of WBC. [more…]

The Huakui coffee from the Sidamo region has become a star among Ethiopian natural beans, thanks to its rich floral and fruity aromas and honeyed sweetness. This article begins with Ethiopia's coffee grading standards, sorting through the two systems of cupping scores and green bean defect rates, and explaining the differences between G1 and G3 grades as well as the impact of ECX reform on the grading of natural beans. It then focuses on Hambela in the Guji region, introducing Huakui's origin terroir, farm background, traditional natural processing, and the origin of its name from winning TOH. Finally, it includes Front Street Coffee's light roasting approach for Huakui and V60 three-stage brewing parameters, helping readers fully understand the flavor sources and extraction key points of this bean. [more…]

Starbucks has recently implemented a major syrup reform, splitting flavors and syrups into two independent ingredients. This adjustment gives customers who love DIY greater freedom to customize, allowing them to freely increase or decrease flavor concentrates according to personal preference without worrying about excessive sugar. However, when these experimental customized orders reach the stores, employees find themselves struggling with the densely packed label text. Some people collect all the official flavor syrups, while others repeatedly modify the milk base and cream ratios. The label font gets smaller and smaller, and baristas joke that they have to do reading comprehension on the job. What kind of store anecdotes has this battle over taste customization brought about? [more…]

The connection between Yunnan and coffee can be traced back a century, when the first coffee tree was introduced by French missionaries. Since then, the coffee industry on this land has undergone a succession of varieties from Typica and Bourbon to Catimor, and has also witnessed a transformation from commercial bulk raw material to specialty coffee. This article sorts out the historical threads and development milestones of Yunnan small-bean coffee, explains the varietal meaning of the term "small bean," and takes a deeper look at the differences between Typica and Catimor in disease resistance, yield, and flavor. At the same time, Front Street will share the cultivation practices, natural processing methods, and medium-roast approach for Yunnan Typica coffee beans, along with suggested pour-over parameters, to help coffee lovers gain a comprehensive understanding of the flavor characteristics and brewing key points of Yunnan coffee. [more…]

Neumann Kaffee Gruppe (NKG), the number one player in the global green coffee trade, recently announced the termination of its factory operations in Kenya, directly due to its failure to obtain an operating license from the government. This incident occurred after Kenya implemented the 2019 Coffee Regulations and the 2020 Capital Markets (Coffee Exchange) Regulations, both aimed at enhancing transparency in coffee trading, introducing digital management, and reshaping the regulatory framework. However, delays in license issuance during the implementation of these reforms have already led several companies into operational difficulties—local producer Eaagads saw its sales revenue plummet by 99% within half a year, with a net loss of 33.1 million shillings. Industry insiders worry that if the licensing issues continue to escalate, more traders will choose to exit because they cannot conduct business normally. [more…]

Although El Salvador is a small country in terms of land area, it occupies an important place in the specialty coffee landscape of Central and South America thanks to its volcanic-rich soil and mild climate. Starting from its historical development, this article traces how coffee replaced indigo as the country's economic pillar, and details the impact and reconstruction of the industry brought by events such as the civil war, land reform, and leaf rust. It also systematically introduces the three-tier elevation grading system of SHG, HG, and CS, the flavor differences among the nine major producing regions, and the characteristics of the four major varieties: Typica, Bourbon, Pacas, and Pacamara. Front Street Coffee further uses two beans, Lemus Estate and Chocolate Lover Estate, as examples to share roasting approaches and V60 brewing parameters, helping readers gain a comprehensive understanding of the unique charm of Salvadoran coffee. [more…]

Ethiopia, as the birthplace of coffee, has its Yirgacheffe region's natural-process coffees consistently capturing the attention of the specialty coffee world. This article takes the natural-process beans of Bedhatu Jibicho, an octogenarian coffee farmer, as a thread to deeply explore how the transformation of Ethiopia's ECX trading system has allowed individual farmers to bypass cooperatives and export directly, while also analyzing the geographical and ethnic background of Banko Gotiti in the Gedeo region. For coffee lovers, Front Street Coffee recommends paying attention to the flavor layers of this producing region—the captivating expression interwoven with floral notes and strawberry, raspberry, and peach. The article also touches on the impact of conflicts between the Oromo and Gedeo ethnic groups in the border areas on coffee production, revealing the complex and authentic story of terroir behind a cup of coffee. [more…]

Starbucks has released its first quarterly report for fiscal year 2026, showing a strong rebound in same-store sales, with global growth of 4%, and growth of 4% and 7% in the U.S. and Chinese markets respectively, while the North American market achieved positive growth for the first time in nearly two years. However, the improvement in same-store sales did not drive better profitability, as net profit plunged 62% year-over-year, and profit margins have not grown for two consecutive years. Meanwhile, Starbucks' stock price fell 7.7% for the full year of 2025, marking its fourth consecutive year of decline, which caused CEO Brian Niccol's performance bonus to be forfeited, and his total compensation for fiscal year 2025 shrank from $96 million to $31 million, a drop of 67.7%. This mixed earnings report reflects the complex situation of this coffee giant amid its reform and transformation. [more…]

Ethiopia's coffee bean grading system combines dual standards of cupping quality and green bean defect rate. Among them, natural-process beans saw the G1 grade appear for the first time after the ECX reform, and Huakui is precisely a representative of this grade. This article systematically sorts out the logic of Ethiopian coffee grading, analyzes the meaning of the Hambella 7063 batch code, and takes an in-depth look at Huakui coffee's origin background, processing method, and the origin of its name. At the same time, it shares Front Street Coffee's light-roast approach for Huakui and V60 three-stage brewing parameters, helping coffee enthusiasts fully understand this champion bean's complete profile from producing region to cup. [more…]