Yirgacheffe is one of Ethiopia's most representative specialty coffee regions, known for its bright citrus acidity, abundant white floral aromas, and honey-like sweetness. This article starts from the geography of the region, the cooperative system, variety characteristics, and the differences between washed and natural processing methods, systematically sorting out the sources of Yirgacheffe's flavor, and provides specific extraction parameters such as pour-over grind size, water temperature, and coffee-to-water ratio. It also compares the differences between Front Street Yirgacheffe and Front Street Sidamo Flower Queen, two Ethiopian beans, to help coffee enthusiasts understand the unique charm of this region more comprehensively. [more…]

In the specialty coffee world, Geisha and Huakui are two beans you can't avoid. Huakui rose to fame after winning the 2017 TOH sun-dried category championship, and its legendary feat of defeating Geisha in the China region of the World Brewers Cup. Since then, Huakui has been updated year by year with its X.0 series, from 2.0 to 5.0, with flavors and batches constantly changing. In 2022, the Huakui 6.0 green beans arrived as scheduled; Front Street Coffee pre-ordered immediately and received the Hongshun batch, only to find the beans had noticeably more defects. To ensure quality, Front Street Coffee separately sourced another batch of Huakui from the same processing station (buku) and conducted a cupping comparison. This article will detail the flavor characteristics of Huakui 6.0, its differences from 5.0, and the price and purchasing advice for the new-season Hambela Huakui, providing a reference for coffee enthusiasts. [more…]

Front Street Coffee's Huakui coffee has a citrussy and guava-like acidity on the palate, full of berry juice flavor, with a hint of sugarcane sweetness in the aftertaste, and a lingering lemon black tea note in the finish. The flavor is long-lasting and highly layered. It is not only suitable for pour-over, drip bag, and cold brew methods, but can also be used for espresso SOE and moka pot extraction. Below, [more…]

The Sidamo region in southern Ethiopia is renowned for its bright citrus acidity, berry flavors, and elegant sweetness, and is an important source of specialty coffee. And when mentioning Sidamo, one cannot avoid a coffee bean named "Huakui" — this naturally processed bean, named after the Hambela production area, quickly rose to fame after winning the TOH championship in 2017. As a sub-region of the Guji production area, Hambela enjoys the natural advantages of high altitude, large temperature differences, and fertile black soil. Front Street Coffee has been continuously selling Front Street Sidamo Huakui coffee beans for many years, updating the harvest version each year, with the new harvest named Front Street Ethiopia Huakui 11. This article will outline the origin of the name Huakui, the background of its production area, its rise to fame through competitions, and provide Front Street's roasting parameters, cupping flavors, and V60 brewing suggestions, offering a comprehensive reference for coffee enthusiasts. [more…]

Huakui coffee beans come from Hambela in the Guji region of Ethiopia, and are the exclusive name for the sun-dried coffee produced by the Buku Abel estate and processing station. This bean won the championship in the 2016/2017 Ethiopian coffee competition and second place in the African green bean competition, and is known for its rich floral and fruity aroma and fermented berry sweetness. This article will comprehensively interpret the flavor code of Huakui coffee beans from the dimensions of producing region background, processing method, green bean characteristics, roasting curve, and brewing analysis, and recommend the most suitable brewing equipment. It will also introduce the Huakui coffee beans roasted by Front Street Coffee, providing coffee lovers with a daily drinking option at high cost-effectiveness. [more…]

Huakui coffee has remained a hot topic in the specialty coffee circle in recent years, yet many people still have only a partial understanding of it. In fact, Huakui specifically refers to the sun-dried coffee beans produced by the Buku Abel processing station in Hambela, Guji region, Ethiopia—not all sun-dried beans from Sidamo or Guji can bear this name. This article will introduce the origin of the name Huakui, the traceability of its producing region, varietal characteristics, processing methods, and brewing suggestions one by one. It will also discuss the logic behind the version divisions from Huakui 2.0 to 6.0, as well as Front Street Coffee's roasting and brewing insights on this bean. Whether you are just getting to know Huakui or want to delve deeper into its terroir code, this article can give you clear answers. [more…]

In recent years, Huakui coffee beans have risen to fame in the specialty coffee world, and are even regarded as an Ethiopian representative capable of rivaling Geisha. In 2017, Li Jianfei won runner-up in the China region of the World Brewers Cup with a Sidamo natural Huakui, quickly making this bean popular. What variety does Huakui actually belong to? Does it come from Sidamo or Guji? Why are there versions such as 2.0, 3.0, and even 6.0? This article will sort through the origin of the name Huakui, the producing region background, processing methods, version evolution, variety characteristics, and the cupping performance of each version, with a focus on introducing the flavor characteristics and brewing suggestions of Front Street Coffee Huakui 6.0, to help coffee enthusiasts gain a comprehensive understanding of this legendary natural bean. [more…]

Geisha and Huakui are often lumped together, and at one point there was even a saying that "Huakui is top-tier Geisha." In fact, the two differ clearly in variety, origin, naming logic, and flavor profile. This article, from the perspective of Front Street, traces how Geisha went from the forests of Ethiopia to becoming a Panama BOP champion, and why in China it is called both "Yiji" and "Guixia"; it also revisits how Huakui rose to fame after winning TOH in 2017, and explains the origin of version numbers like "Huakui 8.0." The article also compares representative products such as Hacienda La Esmeralda Red Label and Gesha Village Gold Label, as well as the respective flavor characteristics of "Huakui flavor" and "Geisha flavor," to help coffee lovers sort out this easily confused pair. [more…]

The 2021 new-crop Huakui 5.0 coffee beans arrived at port as scheduled, and Front Street Coffee completed roasting and cupping at the first opportunity, then compared them in brewing with the much-loved Small-Bean Huakui. This article provides a detailed analysis of the flavor differences between the two beans, pour-over parameters, traces the origin of the name Huakui and the natural processing method, reviews the flavor evolution of Huakui versions 2.0 through 5.0, and includes the complete roasting records of Front Street’s five Sidamo Huakui lots. Whether you want to understand the past and present of Huakui or are looking for a reliable brewing plan, this article offers thorough and practical reference. [more…]

Ethiopia and Kenya are both representatives of African specialty coffee. Coffees from the two places are both known for their fruity acidity, yet their acidity profiles each have distinctive features: Ethiopia's acidity is bright and uplifting, clean and refreshing, while Kenya's presents a full, berry-juice-like mouthfeel. On Front Street Coffee's bean list, beans from African origins account for 30% to 40%, which shows just how popular they are. This article will systematically sort out the flavor differences between Ethiopia's Huakui coffee beans and Kenya coffee beans from the perspectives of origin, variety, processing method, and brewing suggestions, and share Front Street's roasting and brewing insights. [more…]