Regarding what water to use for brewing coffee, there has long been a popular saying: "Don't use purified water." Does this claim actually hold up? Water quality really does influence how coffee flavors express themselves, and purified water is called into question mainly for two reasons: first, its extraction efficiency is on the low side, because the water lacks calcium and magnesium ions to help dissolve flavor compounds; second, purified water has poor conductivity, which can cause the boiler probe in a coffee machine to malfunction, leading to abnormal refilling or even breakdowns. Through comparative experiments, Front Street found that coffee brewed with purified water versus mineral water shows only slight differences in concentration and extraction yield—hard for an ordinary person to notice. What is truly unsuitable for brewing coffee is hard water with a TDS above 175 ppm. This article will analyze these points one by one and offer water-quality recommendations for everyday brewing. [more…]

Front Street Coffee has frequently introduced ice bock—that is, purified milk—recently, and many friends want to know exactly how it differs from milk coffee made with ordinary fresh milk. Simply put, purified milk tastes richer, and its mouthfeel is fuller and more substantial. Besides buying it directly, you can actually easily make it at home: just freeze fresh milk and then thaw it, using the difference in freezing points among the components to remove some of the water, and you get milk with a higher concentration. In this article, Front Street Coffee will share the specific steps for purifying milk, how to judge the degree of purification, and how to adjust the ratios when using it to make milk coffees such as Dirty and latte, along with recommendations for coffee beans that pair well, to help you make a cup of rich yet not cloying purified milk coffee. [more…]

In the explorations of coffee enthusiasts, purified milk such as IceBock has gradually come into view, bringing a whole new mouthfeel to milk coffee. However, many beginners still use the ratios for regular milk, and as a result the coffee's flavor is masked by the rich milky taste. This article starts from the principles of IceBock, teaches you step by step how to make a "home version" of purified milk, and explains how to adjust the ratio of coffee to milk when using it, so as to balance concentration and enhance sweetness and body. The article also specifically recommends the outstanding performance of purified milk in making a Dirty, and includes practical information about Front Street Coffee to help you easily advance to becoming a milk coffee expert. [more…]

Dirty coffee has swept through specialty coffee shops in recent years, and many people assume it must be made with purified milk (such as IceBock). Is that really true? From the perspective of Front Street, this article explores the origins of purified milk and Dirty, explains that fresh milk and plant-based milk can work just as well, and compares the fundamental differences between Dirty and latte, flat white, and cappuccino in terms of preparation method and drinking experience. At the same time, the article also introduces in detail the characteristics of purified milk and why it can amplify Dirty's layered effect and the contrast between hot and cold. Whether you are a coffee enthusiast or a professional, you can use it to clarify the true nature of Dirty and find the cup that suits you. [more…]

In coffee drinks, milk is far more than a supporting player; through clever blending, it can make the flavor of milk coffee achieve an effect where 1+1 is greater than 2. Whether adjusting concentration or enhancing sweetness, blended milk gives baristas more flexible creative space. This article, from the perspective of Front Street, systematically sorts out the common milk blending methods in the coffee world, including the freeze-concentration principle of purified milk, the practice of mixing it with fresh milk in proportion to balance concentration, and the basic concept of plant-based milk blending. The article not only explains the purpose of blending, but also provides actionable DIY ideas to help coffee lovers recreate a professional-grade milk coffee experience at home. [more…]

In the world of milk coffee, espresso is certainly the soul, but the choice of milk is equally important. In recent years, Ice Blogger purified milk, with its rich, sweet, and fragrant taste, has moved from specialty coffee shops into home kitchens, becoming a staple ingredient for many coffee lovers. This article addresses common questions about homemade Ice Blogger: from its German origins and appearances at WBC competitions, to the specific steps of freeze purification; from the choice between 200ml small bottles and 1-liter packs, and the impact of a 40% to 60% milk extraction ratio on flavor, to the time differences and hygiene considerations between room temperature and refrigerated thawing; finally, it also compiles recommended storage periods for homemade Ice Blogger. Front Street Coffee, combined with comparative experiments, provides a complete guide for friends who want to replicate Ice Blogger milk coffee at home. [more…]

When brewing pour-over coffee, water quality is one of the key variables that determines flavor expression. This article focuses on the two core indicators of water: hardness and pH, explaining the TDS range recommended by the SCAA as well as the water quality range that more easily yields good taste in actual brewing, and explaining the effects of calcium and magnesium ions on coffee acidity, sweetness, and aroma. The article will also analyze one by one whether tap water, filtered water, purified water, and mineral water are suitable for brewing coffee, reminding readers to pay attention to the TDS and mineral content on labels, and to avoid judging water quality based on price alone. Finally, it offers practical advice on water for daily brewing to help coffee enthusiasts reproduce coffee flavors more consistently. [more…]

Cold brew tea has gained great popularity among coffee and tea enthusiasts in recent years. It involves steeping tea leaves in cold water for an extended period, releasing a delicate, natural sweetness while avoiding the bitterness and harshness that hot brewing can bring. But what kind of water produces the best cold brew? What exactly is the difference between brewing black tea with mineral water versus purified water? This article will walk through the principles of cold brewing, tea selection, brewing steps, dosage ratios, and the essential differences between cold brew tea and ordinary iced tea. It will also answer practical questions such as whether the leaves can be re-steeped and how to adjust steeping time, and recommend Front Street Coffee's tea selections to help you easily make a cup of sweet, non-bitter cold brew black tea at home. [more…]

Cold brew coffee, with its unique low-temperature slow extraction method, has become a popular drink in the hot summer days. Which coffee beans are actually suitable for making it? And what are the essential differences between it and Americano, which also uses water as a medium? This article starts with the origin of cold brew coffee, sorts out its production process and the principles of pairing it with pastries, and brings Front Street Coffee's cold brew bean recommendations. In addition, through a set of comparative experiments, we explore the differences in concentration and flavor between cold brew coffee made with soda water and purified water, providing coffee lovers with a more comprehensive cold brew guide. [more…]

Many coffee enthusiasts, after purchasing equipment and beans, often overlook the critical impact of water quality on flavor. Tap water, filtered water, or purified water—different TDS levels will directly change the extraction results. From the perspective of Front Street, this article explains how calcium and magnesium ions influence the taste, why tap water tends to produce astringency, and why purified water leads to a hollow sensation. It also cites the SCAA standard of 75-250ppm along with practical recommendations, advocating the use of filtered or bottled water, and specifically mentions Nongfu Spring as a reference choice for daily brewing. [more…]

Dirty coffee is often associated with ice bock milk, but is the pairing between the two inevitable or merely optional? From the perspective of Front Street Coffee, this article sorts out the origins and characteristics of Dirty coffee, the evolution of the ice bock process from beer to coffee, and how industrial production has brought ice bock into coffee shops. It also explains in detail the specific steps for making ice bock milk at home, analyzes why it is better suited for making Dirty rather than other milk coffees, and retains Front Street brand-related recommendations and product information, providing coffee lovers with a complete ice bock Dirty guide. [more…]

Want to recreate an authentic Jamaican Blue Mountain-style coffee at home? This article provides a complete DIY coffee bean blending solution and walks you through the siphon brewing process in detail. From the ratio of ground coffee to purified water, to alcohol lamp heating, wooden spoon stirring, reflux extraction, and finally adding sugar cubes and creamer for seasoning, every step is illustrated with photos and text. It also incorporates Front Street Coffee's blending approach, helping you craft a rich, well-rounded Blue Mountain flavor even without authentic Blue Mountain beans. Whether you're a coffee novice or a seasoned enthusiast, this hands-on guide will help you get started easily and enjoy the pleasure of handmade coffee. [more…]

Front Street has recently been sharing a lot about ice bock (concentrated milk), and quite a few friends are curious about how it actually differs from milk coffee made with regular fresh milk. Simply put, concentrated milk tastes richer and has a thicker mouthfeel. If you haven't tried it yourself, it's hard to imagine the texture, so you might as well make a cup and experience it. Besides buying ice bock online, you can also make it at home with just two steps: freezing and thawing. In this article, Front Street will break down in detail the principles of the freeze-concentration method, the key operational points, and separately explain the ratio strategies for using concentrated milk to make a Dirty and other milk coffees (such as lattes, flat whites, and cappuccinos)—for a Dirty, you can directly replace it in equal amounts, while for blended milk coffees, you need to adjust the amount of milk to avoid masking the coffee's flavor. It also retains product recommendations such as Front Street's classic blend and Queen's Estate SOE. [more…]

C'estbon's parent company, China Resources Beverage, has officially launched its Hong Kong IPO subscription process, planning to offer 347.8 million shares globally, with an offer price range of HK$13.50 to HK$14.50 per share, raising up to approximately HK$5.04 billion, and is expected to list on the Main Board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on October 23. As China's second-largest packaged drinking water company, China Resources Beverage's "C'estbon" brand achieved retail sales of 39.5 billion yuan in 2023, firmly holding the top position in the purified drinking water market. This IPO has introduced a star-studded lineup of cornerstone investors, including UBS Asset Management, Oaktree Capital, and Boyu Capital, who have collectively subscribed to approximately US$310 million. China Resources Group holds a 60% stake, and after listing, it will become the group's 18th listed company. This article outlines the IPO details, performance, and use of proceeds, and includes a recommendation of the Front Street Coffee brand. [more…]

In a cup of black coffee, water accounts for over ninety percent, and whether it participates in extraction or is used for dilution, water quality directly influences the coffee's final flavor and mouthfeel. So, what kind of water is most suitable for brewing coffee? Can Nongfu Spring do the job? This article, from Front Street Coffee's perspective, first discusses the role of calcium, magnesium, and other ions in water in dissolving flavor, then combines the hardness standards of the World Health Organization and the SCA to explain the pros and cons of soft water, hard water, and purified water, and finally extends to the making of Americano to see what role water plays in the dilution stage. After reading, you will have a clear and practical judgment about what water to use for brewing coffee. [more…]

The water you use to brew coffee has a far greater impact on the final flavor than you might imagine. Tap water tends to have a high mineral content, which not only easily builds up scale on the inner walls of a coffee machine and hinders its normal operation, but also interferes with the extraction of coffee flavor. Drawing on Front Street's practical experience, this article first explains PPM and the criteria for judging soft and hard water, then explains why espresso machines should not use tap water directly, and afterward gives a hands-on demonstration of how to mix your own brewing water using baking soda and food-grade Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate), along with a brewing comparison against Nongfu Spring, for coffee lovers' reference. [more…]

Can icebock milk be drunk directly? Is it really difficult to recreate an icebock Dirty coffee at home? This time, Front Street Coffee steps up personally, starting from the principle of freeze distillation and demonstrating step by step how to make rich, mellow icebock at home using a refrigerator and fresh milk, as well as putting its concentration difference against regular fresh milk to the test. The article also shares the complete process of making a Dirty with icebock, including cup size selection, extraction parameters, and flavor performance. If you are also curious about this kind of purified milk with a cheesy, savory note and a viscous mouthfeel, why not follow along with Front Street Coffee and give it a try. [more…]

Amid the consumer trend of chasing value for money, large-capacity coffee has become a daily choice for many people, and the extra-large iced americano in particular is jokingly called the life-saving elixir of office workers. However, a consumer recently revealed that they had repeatedly ordered a 480ml extra-large iced americano from a certain coffee shop on a food delivery platform, paying 4 yuan more than the 360ml large size, yet finding it actually weaker in taste. Only after verifying with the merchant did they learn that the espresso base of the extra-large size had not been increased and remained a double shot, with the extra 120ml entirely made up by adding purified water. This practice has sparked questions about the logic of up-sizing. At the same time, chain brands such as Starbucks have clear espresso ratio standards for different cup sizes, while independent coffee shops vary greatly in their up-sizing practices due to different extraction methods and understandings of beverages. Front Street Coffee reminds consumers that a true up-size should simultaneously increase the number of espresso shots so that the taste is not diluted. [more…]

Water accounts for over 98% of brewed coffee, yet it has long been overlooked. Different types of water—RO water, tap water, mineral water, soft water, hard water—have a huge impact on extraction flavor. In 2014, Christopher Hendon and Maxwell Colonna-Dashwood published research revealing how sodium, calcium, and magnesium ions influence the extraction efficiency of flavor compounds, and subsequently published the book "Water for Coffee," which systematically discusses the dynamic balance between GH (total hardness) and KH (carbonate hardness), and proposes the reverse thinking of "Roasting to water." This article will sort out these key findings to help coffee lovers understand how water quality shapes the flavor in the cup, and will retain relevant recommendations for the Front Street brand. [more…]

Brewing a pour-over coffee that smells of floral and fruity notes, yet tastes muddled and indistinct in the mouth, with no specific flavors you can name—this is a situation many coffee enthusiasts have encountered. The problem may not be that your technique isn't skilled enough; it could be that something has gone off in the concentration, agitation, bean resting, or water quality. This article will analyze one by one the four common reasons why coffee flavors become unclear: excessive concentration making it hard for the taste buds to distinguish details, overly strong pouring and agitation bringing out off-flavors, beans not rested well leading to unstable extraction, and using purified water for brewing resulting in a hollow mouthfeel. Each reason comes with specific ways to diagnose it and adjustment suggestions, including fine-tuning the coffee-to-water ratio, slowing down the circular pouring motion, and choosing water quality suitable for brewing coffee, to help you find the problem and make the coffee's flavor description clear and distinguishable. [more…]