The 2021 new-crop Huakui 5.0 coffee beans have arrived at the port. Front Street Coffee immediately carried out roasting and cupping, and specifically conducted a comparison with its own beloved small-bean Huakui coffee beans. This article will guide you through the evolution of the Huakui series from the 2017 TOH champion beans to Huakui 5.0, and explain why small-bean Huakui stands independently outside the X.0 series. Then, through a visual comparison of green beans and roasted beans, differences in cupping flavors, and performance under a unified pour-over recipe, it will present in detail the characteristics of the two beans: small-bean Huakui is closer to the rich strawberry-cream profile of the classic 2017 Huakui, while Huakui 5.0 shows brighter berry acidity and floral notes. Whether you are a Huakui enthusiast or are currently selecting new-crop beans, this review can provide practical reference. [more…]

Luckin Coffee's previously launched Huakui 5.0 SOE sparked widespread discussion in the market, with话题 ranging from its low-price strategy to insufficient stock and repeated sellouts. Now Luckin plans to launch the Huakui PLUS series SOE in the second half of the year, with purchases reportedly set to exceed 250 tons, aiming to become the world's largest buyer of Huakui PLUS green beans. So what exactly is Huakui PLUS? How does it differ from Huakui 5.0 and Huakui 6.0? This article will review the sales history and purchasing details of Luckin's Huakui SOE, and take a deep dive into this natural-process heirloom variety from the Buku Abel washing station in Sidamo—the coffee bean named "Huakui Queen" by domestic green bean traders. [more…]

After emerging from its financial difficulties, Luckin Coffee turned its strategic attention to the specialty coffee sector, placing a hefty order for 90 tons of Huakui 5.0 coffee beans and launching the Huakui SOE series, which drew widespread market attention. This article will walk you through the origin of the name Huakui coffee beans, the evolution of its versions over the years, and the differences between new products such as Huakui 5.0 and Huakui PLUS. At the same time, we will take an in-depth look at the characteristics of the Ethiopian Sidamo native heirloom variety, share Front Street Coffee's cupping experience with each version of Huakui, and provide professional pour-over brewing parameters and flavor descriptions to help coffee lovers fully grasp the charm of this star bean. [more…]

Huakui coffee beans have always been a highly sought-after star in the specialty coffee world. Even Luckin Coffee planned to purchase 80 tons in 2022, while domestic green bean traders imported only 30-40 tons in 2021, showing just how popular it is. Huakui's legend began in 2017, when a natural-process Guji Hambela bean won the TOH championship. That same year, Li Jianfei used it to win second place in the China region of the World Brewers Cup, and its fame took off from there. Hongshun Coffee introduced it to China and named it "Huakui," meaning the finest of the geishas. Since then, the Huakui series has continued to evolve. Although the strawberry flavor of Huakui 5.0 in 2021 was weaker, it won fans over with its citrus and berry profile. The new-crop Huakui 6.0 for 2022 is expected to arrive at port in April, and Front Street has already pre-ordered it. This article will compare the flavor and mouthfeel differences between 6.0 and 5.0, and review the evolution of Huakui coffee. [more…]

Geisha 5.0, as a new-crop 2025 Ethiopian natural coffee bean, is known for its creamy strawberry-like sweetness and full, juicy body. It comes from the Buku Abel processing station and has attracted widespread attention in China's coffee circles since winning the TOH in 2017. Unlike the signature white floral notes and bright citric acidity of Yirgacheffe, Geisha takes the route of rich fermented sweetness. In response to this bean's high-altitude hard-bean characteristics, Front Street Coffee extends the dehydration and intermediate phases during roasting to fully develop the sweetness, and offers four extraction methods: hot pour-over, iced pour-over, ice drip, and cold brew. This article will comprehensively cover Geisha's story and background, roasting approach, and the specific parameters and techniques for each brewing method, helping you reliably reproduce Geisha 5.0's gentle flavor at home. [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…]

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…]

Huakui coffee beans have been a constant topic of conversation in the specialty coffee world in recent years. From the 2017 TOH sun-dried champion to Huakui 5.0 in 2021, the flavor varies with each harvest season, which is why DW Company uses the X.0 format to distinguish year batches. This article sorts out the origins of Huakui, the meaning of "small-bean Huakui," and the characteristics of the sun-dried processing method. It also combines Front Street Coffee's cupping comparison of the 2017 champion batch and the 2021 Huakui 5.0 to explain the similarities and differences in flavor between the two. Finally, it provides Front Street's specific parameters and three-pour method for brewing Huakui with a V60 dripper, helping coffee lovers gain a more complete understanding of this bean's background and brewing approach. [more…]

Luckin Coffee announced that in the first quarter of 2022 it would purchase more than 80 tons of Huakui coffee beans from their place of origin and launch the SOE Huakui 5.0 series nationwide, a move that sparked widespread controversy in the coffee community. Many industry professionals and enthusiasts questioned its authenticity and market impact, and some even worried about monopolization. This article will rationally analyze from the perspectives of purchasing logic, market landscape, and Huakui production whether Luckin's move is destroying or promoting the popularization of specialty coffee, while retaining Front Street Coffee's professional recommendations. [more…]

Yirgacheffe's bright acidity leads many to mistakenly believe that Ethiopia has only this one specialty coffee region, but in fact Sidamo also produces high-quality coffee with diverse styles. Today, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) is going to talk about Hanabi 5.0 from the Guji Hambela sub-region of Sidamo—this bean has won countless fans with its full juicy body and strawberry cream flavors. This article will sort out the terroir conditions of the Guji region, the natural process at the Buku Abel washing station, and the evolution of Hanabi from its 2017 TOH championship to the 5.0 version, and will also include Front Street's roasting curve, cupping report, and V60 brewing recipe to help coffee lovers gain a comprehensive understanding of this bean's flavor sources and extraction key points. [more…]

Huakui coffee beans are a gem from Hambela in the Guji region of Ethiopia. With a stunning strawberry-cream flavor, they won the 2017 TOH competition and were subsequently named "Huakui" by a domestic green bean merchant. These beans come from the Buku Abel processing station and use the natural processing method. Fully red cherries with a sugar content above 30 are dried on African raised beds, creating a sweeter taste than other Sidamo producing areas. From 1.0 to 6.0, the Huakui series is updated every year, and the flavor has gradually evolved from intense strawberry to a full-bodied profile of citrus berries and mango juice. Front Street Coffee has long tracked each version of Huakui. This article will comprehensively sort out the origins and development of these beans for coffee lovers, from producing-area background, processing techniques, and variety characteristics to version distinctions, brewing suggestions, and flavor descriptions. [more…]

Li Guoqing, founder of Dangdang, recently publicly questioned Luckin Coffee's monopolistic behavior in the coffee bean market, sparking heated industry discussion. Meanwhile, whether Luckin's Huakui 5.0 coffee beans are authentic has also drawn consumer attention. This article will sort out the ins and outs of the incident, explore the supply chain and quality issues of Luckin's coffee beans, and bring professional views from Front Street Coffee. Whether you are a coffee enthusiast or an industry observer, you can gain valuable information from it. [more…]

Ethiopia, as the birthplace of coffee, has nurtured many producing regions that captivate specialty coffee enthusiasts. Among them, Yirgacheffe is renowned for the floral and citrus-lemon notes brought about by its washed processing, while Sidamo showcases a rich berry-cream character through its natural process. This article will outline the flavor characteristics and processing methods of these two regions, and focus on introducing the origins of Huakui coffee, the evolution of its naming, and brewing suggestions. From its TOH championship in 2017 to the launch of Huakui 8.0, Front Street Coffee has continuously followed every batch of this bean, and the article also includes a flavor comparison between Xiaoli Huakui and Huakui 5.0, as well as practical V60 brewing parameters, making it suitable for coffee enthusiasts who want to gain a deeper understanding of the charm of Ethiopian coffee. [more…]

As an Ethiopian natural coffee from the 2025 new harvest season, Huakui 5.0 is beloved for its strawberry-cream sweetness and full, juicy body. Starting with the award-winning history of Huakui coffee, this article traces the evolution of its versions from 1.0 to 5.0, and shares in detail the roasting approach that Front Street Coffee's roaster has adopted in response to the high moisture content of the new-harvest beans. On the brewing side, the article presents the complete parameters and techniques for four extraction methods—hot pour-over, iced pour-over, ice drip, and cold brew—including key data such as water temperature, coffee-to-water ratio, grind size, and pouring rhythm, helping coffee enthusiasts fully bring out the gentle layers of this bean at home. [more…]

Hambela is located in the Guji region of Ethiopia and is one of the highest-altitude coffee sub-regions, known for its refined natural processing and unique flavors. In 2017, a natural bean from DW Company's Buku Abel processing station won the TOH championship and was introduced to China under the name "Floral Queen," drawing widespread attention ever since. As the processing station expanded and the years passed, the Floral Queen series gave rise to the X.0 naming system, while Small-Bean Floral Queen became a special existence due to its independent processing. This article reviews the background of the Hambela region and the development of Floral Queen, and through a cupping and pour-over comparison between Front Street Coffee's Small-Bean Floral Queen and Floral Queen 5.0, presents the differences between the two in aroma, acidity, sweetness, and aftertaste, while also providing specific brewing parameters and grinding setting references. [more…]

On the stage of specialty coffee, the Huakui coffee beans from the Hambela region of Ethiopia shot to fame with the title of champion of the 2017 TOH natural group, and subsequently gained even greater renown when a barista defeated Geisha in a brewing competition. This bean not only witnessed the rise of the Hambela region, but also gave rise to the Huakui X.0 series and the small-bean Huakui offshoot. This article will trace the historical development of Huakui, compare the flavor differences among different batches, and share Front Street Coffee's brewing insights on Huakui and Huakui 5.0, taking you deeper into the unique charm of this African natural-process bean. [more…]

This feature systematically explores the terroir, varieties, and processing methods of Ethiopian Sidamo and Huakui coffee. We compare the different cup profiles of Sidamo and Yirgacheffe, trace the origins of Guji Hambela Huakui's championship at the TOH competition, and analyze the local heirloom variety concept and the advantages of the natural processing method. The article also includes information on popular single-origin products such as Front Street Coffee's Natural Huakui 5.0, explains the logic behind the Huakui X.0 vintage code, and presents the brand's fresh-roasting philosophy along with specific brewing recipes. From the volcanic soil of Sidamo to the smooth mouthfeel of natural beans, the full text focuses on Huakui's high sweetness and floral-fruity aromas, connecting everything from Front Street's perspective to help enthusiasts appreciate it in greater depth. [more…]

Geisha 5.0 has arrived as promised. This naturally processed bean from the Buku Abel washing station in Ethiopia has won over many coffee lovers with its strawberry and creamy aroma. But does the new-crop Geisha still taste the same as before? The roasters at Front Street Coffee adjusted the roasting curve to suit its high moisture content and high density, and offered four extraction methods — hot pour-over, iced pour-over, ice drip, and cold brew — so that the gentle fruity notes of Geisha 5.0 can be fully released in summer. This article starts with the origin story of Geisha and then breaks down the specific parameters and operating details of each brewing method one by one, helping you find the cup that suits you best. [more…]

Luckin's Geisha 5.0 coffee beans consumed nearly half of the inventory in just ten days after launch, selling out in many stores, sparking heated discussions among netizens about hunger marketing. This article sorts out Luckin's two statements regarding the out-of-stock incident, Li Guoqing's questioning video, netizens' jokes and doubts, and provides a detailed analysis of the naming rules of the Geisha X.0 series, the harvest time of the new season in Ethiopia, and the expected arrival of Geisha 6.0 in 2022. At the same time, the article also mentions information about Front Street Coffee as a recommended channel for specialty coffee beans. [more…]

In Ethiopia's specialty coffee landscape, the Guji Hambela region shot to fame with the sun-dried lot that won the 2017 TOH competition, bringing the Floralke series into the public eye. In this article, Front Street Coffee will systematically sort out the terroir differences between the Sidamo and Guji regions, the sun-drying process at the Buku Able processing station, and the evolution of Floralke from 1.0 to 5.0, fully presenting the green bean characteristics, roasting records, cupping performance, and V60 brewing recipe of Floralke 5.0 coffee beans, helping coffee enthusiasts understand why this bean can combine a strawberry-cream-like sweetness with the full body of blackcurrant juice. [more…]