Mandheling has always been a highly recognizable presence in the coffee world, with its rugged character of tobacco, charred notes, earth, and a long lingering throat feel, often evoking the smoky atmosphere of a late-night old tavern. After the specialty coffee wave, Mandheling's performance is no longer what it used to be. Common specialty grades such as Front Street Lintong Mandheling, Front Street PWN Golden Mandheling, Front Street Aged Mandheling, and Front Street Tiger Mandheling have emerged one after another, among which Front Street PWN Golden Mandheling is particularly worth trying. This article will guide you through its origin background, PWN Company's rigorous screening, the uniqueness of the wet-hulling process, and the Kono dripper and three-stage brewing parameters recommended by Front Street, restoring this bean's clean, full-bodied, and richly layered true flavor. [more…]

In the early hours of May 17, 2021, residents in several districts of Shanghai reported on Weibo that a rich coffee aroma was drifting through the air. Some thought a neighbor was brewing coffee, while others suspected a family member was secretly drinking coffee late at night. This mysterious scent smelled like instant coffee, mixed with burnt and sesame oil notes. Subsequently, rumors spread online that a flavoring factory in Minhang District had experienced a gas leak, with speculation that the leaked substance was furfuryl mercaptan. Shanghai's fire and ecological environment departments responded that they had not received any reports of related accidents and had launched an investigation, but no abnormalities were found at the scene, and the source is still under verification. As a "city of coffee" with nearly 8,000 coffee shops, Shanghai's real-life coffee aroma diffusion incident has sparked widespread attention. [more…]

A sudden fire reduced a café in Kostroma, Russia, to ruins in the early hours of the morning. At around 2 a.m. on November 5, the café caught fire and the flames spread rapidly, ultimately causing 15 deaths and 5 injuries, with the burned area reaching 3,500 square meters. A preliminary investigation suggests the fire may have been triggered by a drunk man firing a flare gun inside the premises. This tragedy once again reminds us that fire safety in public places cannot be ignored. Whether it is an ordinary café or a coffee shop that roasts its own beans, electrical equipment, fire extinguishing equipment, and gas use are all links that must be strictly controlled. This article will recount the course of the incident and share practical advice on fire safety for coffee shops. [more…]

Recently, the Maan Coffee branch at Chongqing Fuyuehui was reportedly forcibly demolished by the mall owner late at night. The store's equipment and furnishings vanished overnight, the interior was smashed, the entrance was barricaded, and advertising posters for the next tenant were already put up. The shop owner claims to have signed a ten-year lease with the mall, currently only in its fifth year, and has always paid rent and utilities on time, never defaulting even during the pandemic. After the incident, the owner called the police and posted a notice promising to refund customers' prepaid balances. However, some netizens expressed doubts about the poster's account due to last year's Maan Coffee runaway incident in Beijing. The operator clarified that the store had switched to independent operation and had nothing to do with the brand. Furthermore, a former tenant came forward alleging that the mall had repeatedly forcibly evicted tenants before their leases expired. The incident continues to escalate, and the mall has not yet responded. [more…]

A 500mL bottle of Dongpeng Special Drink contains as much as 66.5 grams of sugar, equivalent to eating about 15 sugar cubes. A third-party testing agency's evaluation of 12 functional drinks on the market shows that Dongpeng Special Drink far outpaces the others in sugar content, even surpassing carbonated beverages known for being high in sugar. In response to this result, Dongpeng said its formula has been approved by the state and recommended drinking only one bottle per day. High sugar intake is closely linked to obesity, chronic diseases, and even accelerated aging, yet the sugar in functional drinks is difficult to completely remove. When late-night overtime workers treat Dongpeng Special Drink as a "life-renewing elixir," do they realize they are being "stabbed in the back" by high sugar? This article will take an in-depth look at this test report and explore the high-sugar dilemma of functional drinks. [more…]

Once upon a time, opening a coffee shop was seen as the ideal way to escape the 996 grind and enjoy a slow life. However, upon truly stepping into this industry, many shop owners find reality vastly different from their imagination—early rising becomes an unavoidable daily routine. In recent years, the opening hours of independent cafes have been getting earlier and earlier, with some even lighting up at six in the morning to welcome customers. What is driving this wave of competition over early-morning coffee? How are chain brands and private shops each responding? From the consumer habit of coffee in the morning and alcohol at night to the late-night needs of special professions, the survival model of coffee shops is quietly changing with customer demands. This article will take you through the story behind the changes in business hours in the coffee industry. [more…]

Savoring a cup of coffee alone late at night is a moment of tranquility cherished by many. This article compiles short captions for coffee lovers to post on Moments in the evening, while also depicting, in an essayistic style, the solitude and contemplation that coffee accompanies. From the curling steam rising during brewing to the pure, bitter aroma at first sip, coffee is not merely a beverage—it carries life's confidence and delight. The article also recommends related products from Front Street Coffee, helping you find your own coffee mood in the quiet of the night. [more…]

Chinese freshly-made beverage giant Mixue Bingcheng is accelerating its overseas expansion. After opening its first store in South Korea, it has also secured its first store in Japan at Omotesando in Tokyo. From its start in Hanoi, Vietnam, to Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore, and now to the Japanese and South Korean markets, Mixue Bingcheng's overseas stores have surpassed one thousand. Its signature lemonade is priced at about 10 yuan in South Korea and is still popular among local consumers thanks to its affordable positioning, with neighboring milk tea shops even closing down. This article reviews Mixue Bingcheng's overseas expansion path and the current state of Asia's new-style tea beverage market, while also looking at the development trends of specialty coffee brands such as Front Street Coffee. [more…]

Competition in the new tea beverage sector is growing ever more intense. While defending their existing advantages, major brands are exploring diversified business paths, among which the "coffee + bakery" combination is particularly eye-catching. Recently, Chagee launched its Zhencui Tea series in its 4.0 stores and ventured into the bakery sector for the first time, rolling out three bagel products in one go, marking this new tea beverage brand's official entry into the bagel race. Meanwhile, chain coffee brands such as Starbucks, Tims Coffee, Peet's Coffee, and Seesaw had long since established bagel product lines. With their healthy attributes of low sugar, low oil, and low fat, their consumption scenarios covering all dayparts, and their fit with the customer profile of coffee shops, bagels are gradually becoming a standard bakery item in specialty coffee shops. This article will provide an in-depth analysis of the specific products and pricing strategy behind Chagee's cross-category attempt, as well as the deeper logic behind the rise of bagels. [more…]

CHAGEE recently launched its winter new product "Qingshan Qigu" across its nationwide stores, featuring Wanxi yellow large-leaf tea paired with brown rice buckwheat and milk. The official description highlights its rich aroma of scorched rice and roasted rice. However, after this new product hit the market, consumer feedback has been sharply polarized—aside from disputes over the flavor, a large number of netizens have complained on social media about being unable to sleep all night after drinking it, with the number of insomnia posts even far exceeding taste reviews. According to the brand's published nutritional information, the product contains approximately 24.9mg/100ml of caffeine, which translates to about 144.4mg of caffeine in a large 580ml cup. Is it the caffeine at work or individual differences? This article takes you to find out. [more…]

In recent years, camping-style furniture has become wildly popular in the food and beverage industry, with lightweight, portable folding tables and chairs that create a strong atmosphere having become almost standard equipment for coffee shops. However, these convenient and practical pieces of furniture have also become a hot target for thieves. A coffee shop in Huangshan, Anhui, fell victim to a bizarre theft — not a cent of cash was touched, but ten camping chairs in the courtyard vanished without a trace. After reviewing surveillance footage, police uncovered a truth that was both exasperating and laughable: a couple passing by late at night sat down to rest, found the chairs so comfortable that they spontaneously decided to carry them off. This case reflects the widespread loopholes in theft prevention management among coffee shop owners and has also drawn industry attention to the safety of camping-style furniture. [more…]

It is normally a heartwarming thing for a chain brand to show its employees' daily lives through its official WeChat account, but Chayan Yuese recently found itself caught up in a public opinion storm because of it. A post introducing the work and life of its store employees drew scrutiny for mentioning that staff were busy late into the night and did not finish until 3 a.m. Several netizens claiming to be former employees and part-timers came forward to confirm that working overtime until the early hours after closing was already the norm; regular customers, meanwhile, had plenty of complaints about the nonstop recorded spiel played in stores. When workers' helpless daily overtime is used as promotional material, has the warmth the brand wants to convey lost its flavor? This article walks you through the ins and outs of this controversy. [more…]

The afterglow of Luckin Coffee's collaboration with Moutai had hardly faded when Cotti Coffee fired back with a bold response: a rice-milk latte series that blends Wuchang rice from Northeast China with coffee, playing the "wellness" card with copy that takes direct aim at Luckin's sauce-flavored latte. This collaboration not only poked fun at its competitor but also positioned itself squarely against the liquor-coffee trend. Netizens kept spinning memes, from cilantro coffee to stinky tofu lattes, with ever more bizarre flavors emerging, yet Cotti seized the initiative through reverse thinking. The trend of coffee drinks becoming more like milk tea—or even congee—is growing ever more obvious, and the battle for attention among brands has reached a fever pitch. This article will walk you through the ins and outs of this commercial war and explore where the coffee world's next breakout hit might be headed. [more…]

When milk tea cup sleeves at Fudan University Medical School are printed with drug instructions, when Beijing University of Chinese Medicine adds ginger, cinnamon, dried tangerine peel, red dates, and goji berries to milk tea, and when Shanghai's time-honored Chinese medicine brand Tong Han Chun Tang uses "medicine and food homology" as a selling point to launch ginseng and peach gum milk tea, the milk tea category is undergoing a transformation attempt from "junk food" to "health drink." University cafeterias, Chinese medicine shops, and time-honored brands are all crossing over into the market, trying to reshape the image of milk tea with the concept of health. At the same time, milk tea brands are also making changes on the ingredient side, with fresh fruit and fresh milk replacing non-dairy creamer as selling points. However, news about milk tea on trending searches is repeatedly linked to food safety issues, and the road to transformation is not smooth. [more…]

Coffee consumption is growing at an average annual rate of 15%, freeze-dried instant coffee accounts for nearly 70% of China's coffee market, yet the closure rate of physical coffee shops exceeds 80%. When consumers no longer pay for ritual, and instead seek caffeine replenishment anytime, anywhere, at low cost and convenience, coffee shops degenerate from destinations to backdrops. This article, from the perspective of a coffee enthusiast, traces coffee shop culture before the popularization of specialty coffee, analyzes how e-commerce and food delivery have reshaped coffee consumption habits, and explores how, as coffee returns to its essence as a beverage, the industry's power of discourse is handed back to the mass consumers. [more…]

During the May Day holiday, "group leaders" in several Shanghai communities organized group buys of a Little Tea, with over 8,000 cups of drinks transported across provinces from out-of-town stores, arriving in consumers' hands overnight or even after nearly 24 hours. The group-buy price was double the official price, and the resellers were accused of profiting about 250,000 yuan. The total bacterial count in these milk teas rose sharply over time at room temperature, and some consumers developed gastroenteritis symptoms after drinking them. The Little Tea brand later issued a statement expressing shock at the high-priced reselling and reminding consumers to choose compliant channels carefully. This article reviews the course of the incident, the food safety data, and responses from all parties, while also offering coffee lovers Front Street Coffee's professional purchasing advice. [more…]

For more specialty coffee knowledge, please follow the WeChat official account: Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee). Drip bag coffee is loved by coffee enthusiasts for its convenience, so many novice coffee lovers who have just started using drip bag coffee ask Front Street Coffee (FrontSt [more…]

As temperatures gradually rise, cold beverages enter their peak sales season, and cafés are putting all kinds of iced coffee on their menus, including Americano, cold brew, and the rather time-consuming ice drip coffee. Many consumers wonder why ice drip coffee is often priced considerably higher than ordinary iced coffee. In this article, Front Street Coffee will explain ice drip coffee's category classification, extraction principles, complete brewing process, and how it differs in flavor from cold brew coffee, while also introducing ice drip coffee's storage advantages and the people it suits, to help coffee lovers gain a comprehensive understanding of this slow-crafted coffee category. [more…]

With the rise of the specialty coffee trend, coffee culture has been continuously spreading, and sales of both coffee equipment and coffee beans are constantly increasing. As a store focused on specialty coffee, Front Street not only brews a delicious cup of coffee for every guest, but also aims to spread coffee culture. If everyone [more…]

The flavor code of coffee is often hidden in the land where it grows. From the Andes in South America to the highlands of Africa, from the Caribbean islands to the archipelagos of Asia, each producing region shapes an unrepeatable landscape in the cup through its unique climate, altitude, and processing methods. This article will take you on a visit to twelve globally recognized high-quality coffee origins—Colombia's balanced smoothness, Ethiopia's wild wine-like aroma, Jamaica Blue Mountain's scarce legend, Yemen Mocha's complexity and variability, as well as the distinctive personalities of Kenya, Indonesia, Hawaii, and other places. Whether you are a beginner pour-over enthusiast or a seasoned player looking for your next bag of beans, this origin guide can help you build a clearer flavor coordinate system. Front Street Coffee will also accompany you in understanding the origins while finding the cup that suits you. [more…]