Purple tea, a rare tea variety that grows sporadically in high-altitude areas such as Lincang and Baoshan in Yunnan, is distinguished from ordinary tea plants by its purple stems. The anthocyanins it contains give the finished tea a deep color, while its aroma carries a refreshing perilla-like note along with floral fragrance. Locally, purple tea is mostly made into raw Pu'er tea, but through customized processing, it can also be made into black tea and white tea. The high-mountain purple black tea recommended by Front Street this time uses purple tea material from an altitude of about 2,100 meters, grown without fertilizer or pesticides, and after 24 hours of thorough withering, it presents an unprecedentedly rich aroma. This article will guide you through the growing environment of purple tea, its varietal characteristics, anthocyanin content, and suggestions for drinking and storage. [more…]

The high-mountain purple tea black tea from Lincang, Yunnan, is an extremely rare tea. It grows in pristine tea gardens at elevations above 2,000 meters, where no pesticides or fertilizers are used and the tea trees grow naturally. This tea is completely different from the Zijuan tea of southern Yunnan; the finished product carries creamy aromas and sweet notes of peach and sweet potato, with a soft, full-bodied mouthfeel and no astringency at all—so gentle that it can be drunk on an empty stomach without discomfort. This article will guide you through why high elevations can nurture such thick, rich tea flavor, and explore the unique origin, flavors, and tasting experience of this high-mountain purple black tea. Front Street Coffee recommends that you pay attention to this rare tea and experience the distinctive charm of Yunnan high-mountain tea. [more…]

There are many types of black tea on the market, with significant stylistic differences. This article focuses on five distinctive black teas—Taiwan Ruby, Traditional Superior Lapsang Souchong, Qizhong Lapsang Souchong, Yunnan Ancient Tree Black Tea series, as well as High Mountain Purple Black Tea and Wild Black Tea—systematically reviewing their origins, processing characteristics, and flavor profiles. From the mint aroma of TTES No. 18 to the pine smoke aroma of Tongmuguan, from the honey charm of old trees in Lincang, Yunnan, to the perilla note of purple tea, each tea has clear recognizability. At the same time, by incorporating product information from Front Street Coffee, we help coffee and tea enthusiasts make choices that better match their taste and budget when purchasing. [more…]

Old Tree Dianhong, a rare black tea from Fengqing County in Lincang, Yunnan, is made from ancient tea tree varieties growing in the forest, with wild floral aromas and a sweet finish. Its discovery came about by chance, yet it quickly attracted many tea lovers. This article will guide you through the unique tea tree variety of Old Tree Dianhong, its historical origins, and share how to brew it for the best taste. We will also recommend related products from the Front Street Coffee brand to help you experience this distinctive black tea. [more…]

As one of the oldest native varieties of Arabica, Typica occupies a special place in the development of Yunnan coffee. Since 1904, when French missionaries planted the first coffee trees in Zhukula, Typica has shared an indissoluble bond with the land of Yunnan. Although Catimor has now become the dominant variety in Yunnan, some growers still persist with Typica in pursuit of more delicate flavor expression. Front Street Coffee has explored washed and natural Typica coffees in Baoshan and Lincang respectively, accumulating rich experience from cultivation management to extraction and serving. This article will systematically review Typica's varietal characteristics, the terroir differences between Yunnan's two major producing regions, and the complete presentation of Front Street's 2013 natural Typica from pour-over to espresso SOE, taking you through a comprehensive understanding of this ancient variety's unique charm in Yunnan. [more…]

Typica is one of the oldest varieties in the coffee world, known for its elegant and clean flavor, with Jamaican Blue Mountain being its representative. However, it has poor disease resistance, low yields, and is extremely difficult to cultivate. Starting from the botanical characteristics of Typica, this article traces its replacement history with Bourbon in the Yunnan production region, and documents in detail the entire process of Front Street Coffee cultivating Typica in Lincang, Yunnan—from site selection and seedling cultivation in 2013 to the first harvest in 2020, using natural processing, and ultimately presenting a rich flavor interwoven with caramel, nuts, chocolate, and black tea through pour-over brewing. [more…]

Yunnan coffee has attracted much attention in recent years, and behind the term "small-bean coffee," it was the ancient variety Typica that first made Yunnan coffee widely known. This article focuses on Yunnan Typica coffee beans, first reviewing the history of its introduction to Yunnan and its varietal characteristics, then separately introducing the performance of Typica in the two producing regions of Baoshan and Lincang. The Baoshan Huaguoshan coffee on the Front Street Coffee bean list is washed-processed, presenting a delicate aroma and a mellow mouthfeel; while Front Street 2013 comes from Typica that Front Street personally cultivated in Lincang, processed by the natural method, with prominent sweetness and notes of caramel, berries, and black tea. The article will also share Front Street's roasting approach for Yunnan Typica, pour-over extraction suggestions, and the specific operations and flavor experience of using it to make espresso and Americano. [more…]

Yunnan, as the starting point of coffee cultivation in China, has always held a key position in the coffee landscape. Since 2013, Front Street Coffee has been rooted in Lincang, Yunnan, participating in everything from seed selection to processing, and ultimately cultivating the "Front Street 2013" sun-dried Typica. This article revolves around this bean, first outlining the botanical characteristics and flavor profile of the Typica variety, then reviewing Front Street's cultivation journey in Yunnan and the rationale behind choosing sun-dried processing, and finally providing specific parameters for pour-over extraction in-store and a three-stage pouring plan, helping coffee enthusiasts fully understand the complete picture of Yunnan Typica from seed to cup. [more…]

Typica is one of the oldest varieties of Arabica coffee, originating in Ethiopia and once widely cultivated around the world. It is known for its elegant, clean flavor and excellent cupping performance, but it has weak resistance to disease and pests and requires high-altitude growing conditions. This article will review Typica's botanical characteristics, flavor profile, historical spread, and the impact of disease, and introduce well-known producing regions such as Jamaica Blue Mountain, Hawaii Kona, and Yunnan, China. At the same time, Front Street Coffee's experience growing Typica in Lincang, Yunnan, as well as the product characteristics of Front Street Blue Mountain No. 1 and Front Street 2013 Sun-Dried Typica, will also be presented together to help readers fully understand the past and present of this classic variety. [more…]

The label most frequently associated with Yunnan coffee is "small-bean coffee," and Typica is precisely the ancient native variety that made Yunnan small-bean coffee famous far and wide. This article begins with the history of how Typica was introduced to Yunnan, sorts through the flavor characteristics and cultivation challenges of this variety, and focuses on two Front Street Coffee bean-list products—Baoshan washed Typica and Lincang natural Typica—presenting their respective terroir expressions and processing-method differences. The article also records the specific parameters and operating procedures Front Street uses to extract Yunnan natural Typica by pour-over and espresso machine, including details such as dose, liquid weight, and time, for the reference of coffee enthusiasts. [more…]

Yunnan coffee is often mentioned together with "small-bean coffee," and Typica is precisely the native variety that first brought Yunnan small-bean coffee widespread fame. This article will trace the historical journey of how Typica was introduced to Yunnan, explore this ancient variety's flavor advantages and cultivation challenges, and take a deep dive into the two major producing regions of Baoshan and Lincang to see how Front Street Coffee persists in cultivating Typica locally. The article will also explain in detail the roasting approach for Yunnan sun-dried Typica, pour-over extraction parameters, and the specific steps and flavor expression for making Yunnan SOE with home or commercial espresso machines—suitable for enthusiasts interested in both pour-over and espresso. [more…]

The specialty coffee movement in Yunnan has accelerated in recent years, and more and more enthusiasts are beginning to pay attention to its pour-over performance. Front Street Coffee's bean list currently features three Yunnan coffees, among which "Front Street 2013" sun-dried Typica was personally cultivated, harvested, processed, and roasted by the Front Street team in Lincang, Yunnan, starting in 2013, with its first harvest in 2020, offering layered and complex flavors with prominent sweetness. Using the café's production standards as a reference, this article provides a complete breakdown of practical approaches to brewing Yunnan coffee by pour-over—from bean selection, dripper, coffee-to-water ratio, grind size, and water temperature to the three-pour technique—to help you consistently reproduce a balanced, aromatic cup of Yunnan single-origin coffee. [more…]

Yunnan coffee is transitioning from a bulk commodity to a specialty-producing region, yet many people still have only a vague understanding of its varieties. This article begins with the century-long history of coffee introduction in Yunnan, sorts out the characteristic differences between the two major varieties, Typica and Catimor, explains why Catimor now accounts for more than ninety percent of Yunnan's planted area, and shares Front Street's hands-on experience of cultivating Typica in Lincang and launching the "Front Street 2013" sun-dried beans. The article also includes the brewing parameters and flavor description for Front Street's Yunnan small-bean everyday coffee, helping coffee enthusiasts gain a comprehensive understanding of Yunnan arabica coffee's past, present, and performance in the cup. [more…]

Yunnan coffee began with the first coffee tree in Zhukula in 1904, and has gone through the era of Typica and Bourbon, the devastation of leaf rust, and the rise of Catimor, and is now moving toward a specialty path. This article will outline the planting history, variety changes, and grading system of Yunnan coffee, and take a deep dive into Front Street Coffee's hands-on practice of growing Typica in Lincang, as well as the pour-over parameters and flavor performance of Yunnan Arabica coffee, giving you a comprehensive understanding of this highland-producing region's past and present. [more…]

Yunnan coffee began with the first coffee tree in Zhukula in 1904, and has since gone through a succession of varieties from Typica and Bourbon to Catimor, as well as a transition from instant coffee raw material to specialty coffee. This article reviews the cultivation history of Yunnan coffee, the characteristics of the small-bean varieties, and the common green bean grading standards currently in use, including screen size, color, cleanliness, odor, and moisture content. It also introduces Front Street Coffee's experience growing Typica in Lincang, Yunnan, and the "Front Street 2013" sun-dried beans, and provides the pour-over parameters for Front Street Coffee's Yunnan small-bean coffee: V60 dripper, 15g grounds, 90°C water temperature, 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, and a three-stage pouring scheme, to help coffee enthusiasts understand the flavor of the Yunnan producing region more systematically. [more…]

Yunnan coffee has garnered much attention in recent years, but how to showcase its best flavors through pour-over still requires careful adjustment of various parameters. This article takes Front Street 2013 sun-dried Typica as an example, breaking down everything from bean variety characteristics and processing method differences to grind size, water temperature, and pouring schemes one by one, comparing the flavor directions of sun-dried and washed Yunnan beans, and sharing the practical details of three-stage pouring. Whether you are a beginner just getting into pour-over or an enthusiast looking to refine your skills, you can find a reusable brewing framework and parameter logic here. [more…]

Is Yunnan coffee actually bitter? Will it taste good when brewed as pour-over? These are questions on many coffee lovers' minds. In the past, Yunnan beans were mostly used as raw material for instant coffee and had little presence, but in recent years the specialty coffee wave has led more and more people to rediscover them. This article takes Front Street Coffee's offerings as an example, focusing on Front Street 2013 Sun-Dried Typica, and breaks down the approach to pour-over Yunnan coffee step by step—from the bean variety's background, processing method, and roasting style, to the choice of dripper, coffee-to-water ratio, grind size, water temperature, and three-pour technique. The article also shares this bean's cupping flavor profile to help you understand the balanced, sweetness-forward character of Yunnan small-bean coffee and find a brewing method that suits it. [more…]

Typica is recognized as one of the oldest and finest varieties in the coffee family tree, and legendary beans such as Jamaican Blue Mountain, Sumatra Mandheling, and Hawaiian Kona all trace their origins to it. This article begins with the variety's characteristics, explaining Typica's signature bronze-tipped new leaves, conical plant shape, and long, pointed bean form, analyzing its citrus-like acidity, slight bitterness with a sweet finish, and clean, transparent cup profile, while also pointing out its inherent weaknesses of poor disease resistance and low yield. The article also reviews three Typica coffees on the Front Street Coffee bean list—Jamaican Blue Mountain No. 1, Front Street Coffee 2013 Sun-Dried Typica, and Papua New Guinea Paradise Bird—breaking down each one's terroir, processing method, and flavor highlights to give you a comprehensive understanding of this classic old variety. [more…]

For friends who love specialty coffee, brewing pour-over at home is certainly pleasant, but carrying equipment during commutes is inconvenient, making drip bag coffee an ideal choice that balances flavor and portability. From the perspective of Front Street Coffee, this article systematically reviews the origins and evolution of drip bag coffee, and introduces ten of the most popular drip bag coffee products one by one, covering well-known origins such as Ethiopia, Colombia, Indonesia, Panama, Brazil, Yunnan, Rwanda, and Costa Rica. Each product is labeled with origin, altitude, variety, processing method, and flavor description, helping coffee enthusiasts quickly pinpoint their preferred choice based on personal taste preferences, and easily enjoy a cup of high-quality single-origin coffee at the office or while traveling. [more…]

For friends who love specialty coffee, brewing pour-over at home is naturally relaxing, but carrying a full set of equipment when out and about is simply impractical. Drip bag coffee was created precisely to solve this pain point—just a few simple steps and you can enjoy a single-origin coffee anytime, anywhere. Front Street Coffee has compiled ten of the most popular drip bag coffee products, covering well-known regions such as Ethiopia, Colombia, Panama, Brazil, and Yunnan. From flavor characteristics to processing methods, each is introduced one by one, while also weaving in the origins of drip bag coffee and key brewing points, helping coffee enthusiasts find the one that suits them when making a purchase. [more…]