It is not uncommon for chain coffee brands to destroy inventory in bulk due to expired ingredients or quality issues, but what Luckin recently discarded on a large scale was a batch of coconut royale series ingredients that were still within their shelf life. This pink liquid was not spoiled, but rather the normal color of the third-anniversary limited-edition product. From the April collaboration with Pop Mart that triggered a buying frenzy, to now going days in stores without selling a single cup, the fate of the coconut royale series reflects the harsh reality after a new product's hype fades. Front Street Coffee notes that this incident has also sparked consumer discussion about product lifecycles and inventory management. [more…]

Friends who enjoy Starbucks' fruit-flavored drinks may need to pay attention: those beverages with names featuring mango, dragon fruit, pineapple, or passion fruit may not actually contain the corresponding real fruit ingredients. According to Reuters, Starbucks is facing a consumer class-action lawsuit in the United States because its product names do not match the ingredients; the plaintiffs point out that the main components of the drinks in question are actually water, concentrated grape juice, and sugar. Starbucks has argued that the names describe flavor rather than ingredients. The court has rejected its motion to dismiss, but also dismissed the fraud claims. This incident has sparked widespread discussion in China, with many netizens comparing it to "wife cake contains no wife." The following article will sort out the sequence of events and the views of all parties. [more…]

Luckin Coffee recently carried out a centralized removal of multiple drinks, involving products launched within the past six months such as Peach Peach Coffee and Jelly Coconut Latte. The brand required stores nationwide to pour all unopened, still-within-shelf-life ingredients down the drain after closing, sparking widespread discussion among employees and netizens. Some veteran employees have grown accustomed to this, while more people questioned that this handling method causes serious waste and called on the brand to adopt more reasonable ways to consume inventory. The incident reflects the contradiction between rapid product iteration and ingredient management in chain coffee brands. [more…]

The freshly made yogurt sector has been hit by yet another food safety scandal. An undercover reporter from The Beijing News worked inside several More Yogurt franchise stores in Beijing and found that oat and highland barley toppings more than forty days past their expiration date were still being used as usual, expiry labels existed in name only, and decisions to scrap fruit relied entirely on staff members' sense of smell. More worrying still, these violations were not isolated cases, but an unspoken rule tolerated by store managers in order to cut costs and boost their personal income. The brand issued an urgent apology a few hours later, announcing that the stores involved would be permanently terminated. This is already the second time this year that More Yogurt has been thrust into the spotlight; previously, the Shanghai Consumer Council questioned the labeling of its product ingredients. This article provides a complete rundown of the undercover details, the brand's response, and the latest status of its stores. [more…]

Signature coffee drinks emphasize balance among the flavors of various ingredients, rather than letting any single taste dominate. Many people who try to recreate signature drinks at home find the result falls short of expectations, and the problem often lies in the pairing of coffee beans with the other ingredients. This article divides signature coffee drinks into three categories—refreshing, rich fruity coffee, and deep and full-bodied—and explains the suitable coffee bean roast levels and specific recommendations for each, along with practical advice on adjusting ratios, to help you find the best balance between coffee and ingredients. [more…]

Luckin Coffee is known for its frequent new product launches, with new items appearing almost every week and regional exclusives emerging endlessly. However, consumers' fickleness is equally astonishing; once-popular hits like the Moutai series and toasted coconut series quickly became slow-moving products after their hype faded. Some store employees report that opened ingredients have extremely short shelf lives, and any unused portions must be poured out entirely; discarding a whole box every two days has become the norm for evening shifts. This not only causes food waste but also reflects the brand's imbalance between launching new products and inventory management. Front Street Coffee keeps an eye on industry trends, and this article takes you behind the scenes at Luckin stores to understand the current state of ingredient waste. [more…]

When ordering at a coffee shop, many customers are in the habit of writing personalized requests in the remarks section, from no ice or less ice to adjusting the number of syrup pumps, and these operations are still manageable for baristas. However, when the remarks escalate into requests to add extra ingredients outside the recipe, even down to precise milliliters and spoon counts, coffee workers find themselves in a dilemma. On the one hand, they worry that refusing will lead to a bad review; on the other, they face accountability pressure from material loss. This contradiction is especially prominent in chain brands with strict material controls. This article will take an in-depth look at the real dilemma behind this phenomenon and present the true voices of baristas. [more…]

The chain coffee brand Lucky Cup recently drew attention due to the way it disposed of ingredients for discontinued products. According to multiple netizens claiming to be store employees, the company required that unopened materials such as oat milk, taro paste cans, and osmanthus syrup be uniformly poured into drains for destruction, with video and photographic evidence required, or the stores would be penalized. After images of large quantities of intact ingredients being directly discharged spread, many industry peers confirmed that this did happen, while netizens launched discussions around food waste, environmental pollution, and compliance. The brand has now removed the related products from its ordering mini-program, but whether the destruction method is reasonable still merits further consideration. [more…]

Starbucks' fruit cold drink series recently faced a class action lawsuit in New York, where a Queens consumer alleged that the product names imply the inclusion of specific fruits, while they are actually mainly composed of water, concentrated grape juice, and sugar. The lawsuit argues that the product naming constitutes an "implied promise" about the ingredients, violating New York regulations that prohibit fraud and false advertising. The products involved include the Mango Dragonfruit, Pineapple Passionfruit, Strawberry Acai series, among others, with the disputed amount exceeding $5 million. Starbucks headquarters stated it has not yet received the lawsuit and declined to comment for now. The incident has sparked widespread discussion about the authenticity of beverage labeling and consumer expectations. Front Street Coffee continues to monitor trends in the coffee and beverage industry, providing professional information for enthusiasts. [more…]

On the evening of March 14, "Jingshi Live" exposed two consecutive food safety incidents involving tea beverage brands. The Mixue Bingcheng store at Wuyi Ningju Xintiandi in Wuhan was accused of hiding leftover lemon and orange slices from the day under the counter at room temperature and using them the next day to make signature drinks; the Hushang Ayi store at Hankou City Plaza was exposed for altering the shelf-life labels of toppings to "extend the life" of expired ingredients. The market supervision authorities in both places have separately filed investigations into the stores involved. Among them, the Mixue Bingcheng store involved was sealed and shut down, while the Hushang Ayi store involved was immediately closed. As a content platform that also follows developments in the coffee and beverage industry, Front Street Coffee continues to track such food safety issues. The details of the incidents are as follows. [more…]

The well-known tea beverage brand Yihotang has been exposed by media undercover investigations at multiple stores in Zhengzhou for serious food safety issues: ingredients that should have been discarded after closing were used again the next day, expired materials had their labels swapped to extend their shelf life, moldy strawberries were washed and used as usual, flying insects that fell into toppings were fished out and still used in products, and even prepared drinks in which bugs were found were resealed and continued to be sold. Even more shockingly, the staff were indifferent to this, claiming that "as long as it doesn't kill people, it's fine." After the incident was exposed, Yihotang issued an apology statement, and the stores involved were closed for rectification. Lawyers pointed out that the relevant actions have violated multiple provisions of the Food Safety Law. Netizens reacted differently, with some saying that chaos in franchise stores is common, while others called on the brand to effectively fulfill its regulatory responsibilities. [more…]

Specialty drinks are the third main category of coffee sold in coffee shops, alongside espresso-based and single-origin coffees. Specialty coffee drinks can be understood as the "cocktails" of the coffee world: creative beverages made by combining coffee with various traditional or non-traditional ingredients, setting them apart from conventional coffee. (Cof [more…]

Starbucks is a daily choice for many coffee lovers, and its classic espresso-based drinks span a range of categories, both hot and cold. This article systematically breaks down the ingredient ratios and flavor characteristics of core beverages such as Americano, Latte, Cappuccino, Caramel Macchiato, Mocha, and Espresso, along with price ranges for reference. It also shares practical tips for ordering iced drinks, including why you should avoid an iced Cappuccino and which hidden combinations are worth trying. Whether you're a newcomer to Starbucks or a regular looking to switch things up, this guide can help you find the cup that suits you more efficiently. [more…]

Luckin Coffee's "Triumphant McCafé Series" non-alcoholic beer drinks, launched in collaboration with Havoc in Heaven, has been declared fully discontinued after a brief market trial. This limited-edition product, once promoted for "containing 90ml of non-alcoholic beer" and briefly trending on Weibo, ultimately led to significant inventory buildup in many stores due to lackluster consumer feedback and low repurchase rates. Before September 30, all stores are required to destroy all beer ingredients on their own, and social platforms have once again seen spectacular scenes of employees collectively pouring out the drinks. This article will review the entire process of the series from its high-profile launch to its quiet exit, analyzing the challenges and helplessness that fast-moving consumer chain brands face in product lifecycle management. [more…]

If we want to add some extra aroma or flavor to coffee, we do so by adding other ingredients to the coffee so that it takes on their aroma/flavor—this is a very common practice. For example, if we want the coffee to have a certain floral scent, we can steep dried flowers of some kind in the coffee; such as [more…]

Raf coffee is a distinctive coffee drink originating from Russia that has gradually gained public attention in recent years for its smooth and sweet taste. Its creation is quite dramatic—in the late 1990s, a regular customer named Rafael at a Moscow café, tired of traditional coffee, asked a barista to craft him a new drink that was both mild and layered. After repeated experimentation, three baristas finally created this coffee named after him. As the baristas moved to different cafés, the recipe spread, and Raf coffee quickly became popular in Russia, later spreading to Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Belarus, and other places around 2018. Traditional Raf coffee uses espresso, cream, vanilla sugar, and white sugar as ingredients. The key is that all ingredients are mixed together, then whipped and heated at the same time, resulting in a flavor somewhere between a latte and a dessert. This article will walk you through its history and provide specific preparation steps recommended by Front Street Coffee. [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…]

Want to enjoy a warm, cozy hot mocha at home? It's actually not complicated to make. This article will walk you through how to choose the right chocolate ingredients, master the technique of blending milk foam with espresso, and complete this classic drink that combines rich coffee with sweet chocolate, step by step. From ingredient preparation to decorative touches, we'll also share Front Street Coffee's hands-on experience, including tips on preventing chocolate from hindering milk foam formation, and how to use marshmallows and a torch to create an enticing appearance. Whether you're a coffee novice or a seasoned enthusiast, you'll gain practical inspiration to easily recreate a café-quality warm treat. [more…]

Simply pour chilled milk into a cup, then gently drizzle warm espresso over the surface, and a highly popular milk coffee—Dirty—is ready. Although Dirty appeared much later than traditional Italian coffee, its popularity surpasses that of most Italian [more…]

Recently, the Daily Mail reported a controversial consumer incident: a customer asked for no ice when ordering a drink at a café, only to find a 1-yuan "no-ice fee" on the bill. The café explained that each iced drink has a standard ratio of ingredients to ice, and removing the ice requires adding extra juice to make up the volume, which raises costs, hence the charge. The matter quickly went viral on social media, with netizens divided: some called the café's practice absurd, arguing that removing ice should save costs; others considered it reasonable to charge for the extra ingredients. Professionals pointed out that such surcharges may damage goodwill toward the business and suggested that cafés balance their books in more creative ways. [more…]