Recently, the "tear-the-cup" lucky draw campaign launched by Chagee in Malaysia has become mired in controversy. A video exposed that store employees were suspected of screening prize cards inside cups in advance and keeping the grand prizes aside, triggering strong consumer doubts about the fairness of the campaign. The brand initially demanded that netizens delete their posts through legal means, then responded successively on November 18 and 19 and issued an apology statement, admitting that the employees' conduct did not conform to corporate principles and announcing that starting in December it would switch to QR codes instead of paper lucky draw slips. Although the brand promised to make rectifications, public doubts about its handling approach and transparency have still not been completely dispelled. [more…]

Cold brew coffee is loved by coffee enthusiasts for its rich yet refreshing flavor and its natural fermented, wine-like aroma, achieved by slowly dripping ice water through coffee grounds. Making cold brew is actually not complicated; the key lies in choosing the right equipment, controlling the grind size and drip rate, and selecting the right coffee beans. If the grind is too coarse, the flavor will be thin; if it's too fine, it will easily clog and cause water to pool, bringing out bitterness. Front Street Coffee recommends using a No. 20 standard sieve with 80-85% grind size, controlling the drip rate at about 7 drops per 10 seconds, with 60 grams of grounds taking about 6 hours. After dripping, it still needs to be placed in the refrigerator for low-temperature fermentation for 12 hours to reach optimal flavor. This article will explain in detail the brewing parameters and bean selection approach for cold brew coffee. [more…]

The Starbucks app recently completed an upgrade, officially adding the Diamond tier to its membership system, and simultaneously launched a limited-time lottery event where members can participate using stars. The top prize of 888 stars looks tempting—converted at 9 stars for a grande beverage, that's equivalent to 98 free coffees. However, many users only discovered after spending their hard-earned stars that most results merely returned a small number of stars valid for just two weeks, or even came up empty-handed. The odds of winning, the expiration period of rewards, and issues like accidentally tapping and having stars automatically deducted have led some people to jokingly call this event a "star recycling program." [more…]

Although a latte art pitcher can handle most patterns, it often falls short when it comes to fine lines and localized detailing. That's when you need a capable assistant—the etching needle. Coffee enthusiasts have jokingly called it a latte art "cheat code," and its capabilities are indeed powerful, but actually getting the hang of it is far from as simple as it seems: lines too thick or too thin, patterns blurring and atomizing, designs that just won't draw on—problems pile up one after another. This article draws on Front Street's practical experience to systematically explain the types and structures of etching needles, how to use them, and key points to keep in mind, including how to prepare extra "paint," gauge the right amount to dip, control line thickness, and improve drawing speed—helping you truly master this little tool and make your latte art more refined. [more…]

On Christmas Eve, the festive atmosphere in coffee shops is not only reflected in the drinks and decorations—the takeaway cups have also become a canvas for baristas to unleash their creativity. From the initial casual sketches of Christmas trees and Santa hats to the later non-stop fancy doodles, hand-drawn Christmas cups have gradually spread throughout the independent coffee scene. Some draw on cups while making coffee, while others have turned doodling into an assembly-line operation to meet customer expectations. This low-cost, heartfelt holiday merchandise not only gives customers a unique keepsake but also allows baristas to find the joy of handmade craft amid their busy schedules. This article will take you through how this hand-drawn trend evolved from a fleeting whim into a Christmas season staple. [more…]

Starbucks hosted a high-profile exclusive dinner at its Shanghai Roastery, with founder Schultz personally taking the stage to promote the Oleato olive oil coffee series. However, this lavish promotional push failed to generate the expected splash among consumers. Meanwhile, Luckin's newly launched Huangshan Maofeng Latte also suffered a reputational flop. Behind the密集 new product launches from chain coffee brands, is it a lack of innovation or consumer fatigue? This article will take an in-depth look at the recent market performance of new coffee products and explore how brands can find the right R&D direction amid fierce competition. [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…]

Starting in January 2024, Heytea quietly lowered the prices of several popular products, including Cheese Strawberry, Pure Grape, Pure Milk Tea, and Pure Green Tea, with reductions ranging from 3 to 7 yuan, and the cheese milk cap also became 1 yuan cheaper. This move was not publicly promoted, but was discovered by observant consumers on social platforms. At the same time, brands such as Chayan Yuese, Luckin Coffee, and Tims Coffee raised prices one after another due to rising costs of raw materials, labor, transportation, and energy. Why could Heytea cut prices against the trend? Some analysts believe this is related to its advantages in scale, brand, and supply chain control, and it also reflects the deeper logic of inflation being transmitted to end consumer goods against the backdrop of global quantitative easing. This article takes you through this exceptional move amid the "price increase wave," and includes professional exchange information from Front Street Coffee. [more…]

Luckin Coffee recently piloted a new scheduling system in cities such as Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Chengdu. The system can predict peak hours based on store sales data and arrange minimal staffing accordingly. While the new system improves efficiency, it has also sparked discussions about the distribution of work between full-time and part-time employees, responses to unexpected situations, and labor cost control. At the same time, as Luckin's store expansion slows and sales decline, the problem of redundant staff is gradually emerging, and this system upgrade is seen as an important measure to reduce costs and increase efficiency. As coffee lovers, it is worth learning about the impact of this change on store operations and employee experience. [more…]

Starbucks has long presented itself as environmentally friendly, from coffee-ground straws to the global expansion of its "Greener Stores," earning recognition from many environmentalists. However, a recent TikTok video showed a barista first making a drink in a disposable plastic cup before pouring it into a customer's own glass cup and then throwing the plastic cup away, sparking accusations of "greenwashing." In fact, this is not the first time Starbucks has been questioned over its environmental measures: the strawless lids introduced in 2018 were criticized for using more plastic, and the deposit and recycling issues surrounding reusable cups have also been highly controversial. This article will outline the course of the incident and the responses from various parties, and review the many controversies in Starbucks' environmental marketing, to help you understand the true situation of this coffee giant on the road to sustainable development. [more…]

Recently, netizens discovered that in a lucky draw event run by the official Chongqing account of Chagee, the same user won four times within a single month, sparking widespread skepticism. Because the account's lucky draw did not use the platform's built-in system tool but was instead manually selected by operations staff, many netizens suspected "black box manipulation" in the event. Although the questioned winner came forward to clarify that they simply participated frequently and had good luck, the explanation only deepened public suspicion. As of press time, Chagee's official side has yet to make any response to the matter. [more…]

On March 6, Luckin Coffee launched its spring new product "Biluochun Latte" and invited male model Lu Xianren as its推荐官, which unexpectedly sparked a fierce controversy online. The controversy centered on two points: Why invite a male model to endorse the brand right before March 8 Women's Day? And why spend big money on a model with low name recognition instead of giving out more coupons? In addition, issues such as the new product's higher price and excessive caffeine content kept the discussion heated. This article will provide a complete review of the incident while retaining Front Street Coffee's related recommendation information.| [more…]

The latest report from the United States Department of Agriculture shows that Vietnam's coffee production for the 2024/25 season is expected to reach 29 million bags, a slight adjustment from earlier forecasts, but rising coffee prices are encouraging farmers to invest more. Although drought and high temperatures have hit production, measures such as irrigation and intercropping have somewhat eased the pressure of reduced output. At the same time, the planting structure in the Central Highlands is quietly changing, with high-return crops such as durian and passion fruit diverting some coffee acreage. On the export front, Vietnam's coffee exports in the first half of the 2023/24 fiscal year fell 7% year on year, while domestic purchase prices remain persistently high, making traders cautious about signing contracts. The market is skeptical of official production data, and La Niña may become the biggest variable going forward; the new season's harvest will not be known until October. [more…]

Recently, a blogger publicly complained that the Starbucks App pushes promotional messages based on real-time location, saying that they are marketed to wherever they go, sparking heated discussion among netizens. Starbucks customer service said they were not aware of the matter and had reported it to the public relations department. It is worth noting that Starbucks has repeatedly been notified and summoned by regulatory authorities in the Chinese market over personal information collection issues, and in June 2025 its App and WeChat mini-program again appeared on the list of notifications for illegally and improperly collecting and using personal information. This debate over precision marketing and the boundaries of privacy has once again pushed brands' use of user data into the spotlight. [more…]

In recent years, more and more Gen Z college students have started opening cafés in their dormitories, earning living expenses or even nearly ten thousand yuan a month by selling coffee. A large number of dorm coffee startup stories have appeared on platforms like Xiaohongshu, and some people even charge tuition to run classes teaching it. However, these dorm cafés generally use instant coffee yet sell it for a dozen yuan a cup, and they also involve issues such as operating without a license and unguaranteed food safety. This article takes you through the controversy and hidden risks behind this dorm coffee startup trend, while also providing a professional coffee knowledge exchange channel for friends who truly love coffee. [more…]

Recently, many consumers have noticed that Manner coffee shops near them have suddenly closed their doors, showing "resting" on the mini-program, with no clear notice and no timetable for resuming business. It is understood that this phenomenon is closely related to Manner's internal personnel adjustments: baristas with excessive working hours are arranged to take leave, while those with insufficient hours are transferred to other stores for support, resulting in some stores having to temporarily close. At the same time, the brand has also shortened the operating hours of some stores, with morning shifts starting later and evening shifts ending earlier. Whether this adjustment can allow Manner to find a balance between chain expansion, specialty quality, and affordable positioning has become a focal point of industry attention. [more…]

Starbucks Frappuccino has once again launched seasonal limited-edition new products—Mango Double Star Frappuccino and Raspberry Strawberry Frappuccino. Both drinks use a coconut-flavored concentrated base, involving five pre-made fruit beverage ingredients in total, and the production process is relatively cumbersome. Combined with the buy-one-get-one-free promotion on the啡快 mini-program, the new products quickly sparked a tasting frenzy, but also left baristas under the pressure of a flood of orders exclaiming that it was "like filling prescriptions in a pharmacy." This article will take you through the ingredient composition of these two new products, the difficulty of making them, and the real feedback from employees and consumers, while also reviewing Starbucks' pace of new releases so far this year. [more…]

Recently, a Sam's Club store in Nanjing was exposed by a consumer: a full case of blood orange chia seed juice tea beverage they purchased contained two foreign objects, one large and one small, despite being unopened, and the smaller piece was suspected to be black mold. After the consumer's communication with the store yielded no result, Sam's national customer service only offered compensation in the form of a coupon of equivalent value. This is not the first time Sam's Club has been embroiled in a food safety controversy; previously, Shenzhen, Changzhou, and other places also reported incidents one after another, including insect eggs attached to milk and teeth found in fresh meat mooncakes. Complaints of this kind are common on social platforms. Data from the Black Cat Complaint platform shows that in September alone, Sam's Club received 70 complaints, many involving food safety. As a high-end membership store under Walmart, Sam's quality control problems are arousing concern among more and more consumers. [more…]

Latte art has long ceased to be as simple as heart-shaped patterns. Since David Hume accidentally created a heart on the surface of a milk coffee in the 1980s, latte art techniques have continuously evolved, and today have developed into multiple types such as traditional latte art, coffee etching, and 3D latte art. Traditional latte art uses a milk pitcher as its main tool, and can be further divided into basic patterns and advanced combined patterns; coffee etching relies on etching needles recognized by international competitions to draw finer or bolder lines; 3D latte art is more figuratively a kind of "sculpting" technique, requiring the stacking of thick milk foam and the use of spoons and etching needles for shaping, and also uses chocolate sauce, caramel sauce, and the like for outlining. This article, brought to you by Front Street Coffee, helps you understand the features and key production points of these latte art types. [more…]

Starbucks has once again teamed up with Mayday to launch a co-branded campaign, rolling out a Bergamot Grapefruit Sparkling Americano and themed limited-edition cups printed with classic Mayday lyrics. It should have been a grand occasion for fans to celebrate. However, after the campaign kicked off, many consumers took to social media to air their complaints: the drink labels happened to be stuck right over the lyric designs, and the residue was hard to remove after peeling them off; those who bought multiple cups in one go received the same design, dashing their collection plans. The brand and store staff have responded with explanations, saying the labels should be placed in the notes section, while the identical cups were due to stores needing to use up inventory in sequence. Is this collaboration full of sincerity or a failure in the details? Front Street Coffee walks you through the whole story. [more…]