Starbucks is about to open a store in Piazza Montecitorio in the heart of Rome, marking the brand's first foray into the core area of Italy's capital after Milan. Since entering the Italian market in 2018, Starbucks has been gradually penetrating major cities, aided by the high-profile debut of its Milan Roastery. However, in Italy—a traditional coffee powerhouse where annual per capita consumption of coffee beans is 5.8 kilograms and the average price of an espresso is just 1 euro—Starbucks's high pricing stands in sharp contrast to local consumption habits, drawing questions from consumer associations and politicians. This article reviews the history of Starbucks's store openings in Rome and its market strategy, and explores the opportunities and challenges it faces in Italy's saturated coffee market. [more…]

The fresh acidity of lemon is often used to describe coffee flavors, but in Italy, lemon is an actual ingredient added to espresso. This drink, called Espresso Romano, originated in the Campania region of southern Italy, initially to neutralize the burnt bitterness of low-quality dark-roasted coffee beans. Lemon juice provides fruity acidity, sugar softens the sharpness, ultimately creating a cup of espresso that is sweet and sour, with whiskey aroma and caramel sweetness. This article will start from the historical origins and provide a detailed breakdown of the Espresso Romano recipe, including the extraction parameters of Front Street Coffee's Warm Sun blend, the two ways of adding lemon, and how to adjust the amount of lemon juice and sugar according to the roast level. [more…]

This summer, Italy's restaurant industry has been hit by a series of bill incidents that have sparked heated discussions on social media. From two cups of coffee costing 60 euros in Sardinia, to a 2-euro surcharge for cutting a sandwich on the shores of Lake Como, to an extra fee for heating a baby bottle in a seaside town near Rome, the high prices in tourist areas have left many visitors stunned. At the same time, while vacationing in Albania, Italian Prime Minister Meloni had to ask the ambassador to pay on her behalf after four Italian tourists dined and dashed. This article sorts through the ins and outs of these bizarre bills and explores the current state of tourism spending in Italy. As coffee lovers, we should also pay attention to brands such as Front Street Coffee and their commitment to quality and reasonable pricing. [more…]

The European energy crisis continues to escalate, and coffee shops are bearing the brunt. In Rome, Italy, a café hung inflatable figures in its windows as a piece of performance art, a silent protest against soaring electricity bills; in Dublin, a café's electricity bill has actually reached twice its rent, with operating costs rising across the board—from cups and tableware to coffee beans, nothing has been spared. Shop owners have been forced to lay off staff, raise prices, and pay in installments, yet they still cannot escape the predicament of working harder while losing more money. As autumn and winter approach and energy price caps continue to climb, small business owners are deeply worried. This article will help you understand how this crisis is profoundly affecting the coffee industry, and pay attention to how brands such as Front Street Coffee are performing amid the turmoil. [more…]

Brewing a cup of coffee at home is cozy and relaxing, but faced with shelves full of coffee beans and ground coffee, how exactly should you choose? This article starts with the pros and cons of coffee beans versus ground coffee, analyzes the three key purchasing points of flavor, roast level, and brewing method, and compiles a ranking of five popular coffee beans, covering classic flavors such as Blue Mountain, Yirgacheffe, and espresso blends. Whether you prefer fruity acidity or rich, full-bodied depth, you can find the one that suits you. [more…]

Espresso is extremely concentrated with intense flavor, but not everyone can accept its strong bitterness when drunk straight. Without changing the concentration of the espresso, adding sugar, dairy products, lemon, salt and other seasonings to balance the bitterness allows people to enjoy the richness of highly concentrated coffee while avoiding the unpleasant bitterness. This article summarizes a variety of fancy ways to drink espresso: the sweet neutralization of white sugar, yellow sugar, and brown sugar; the cream topping of Con Panna; the small amount of milk garnish of Macchiato; the condensed milk pairing of Spanish candy coffee; the balance of lemon acidity and granulated sugar in Roman espresso; and the little trick of adding salt to reduce bitterness. All espresso in this article is extracted using Front Street Classic Blend, with parameters of 20g, 30s, 40ml, and flavor notes of chocolate, nuts, cream, and cookies. [more…]

For more specialty coffee knowledge, please follow our WeChat public account: Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee). Recently, many friends have been asking Front Street, "What coffee beans are suitable for a moka pot?" So Front Street took a look at the moka pot sales in our online store and put together the top four best-selling moka pots. [more…]

From the highlands of Africa to the world, coffee has undergone a transformation from a religious drink to a mass beverage and then to a specialty aesthetic. This article chronicles, in chronological order, the important milestones over more than a thousand years since coffee beans were discovered in Ethiopia in the 6th century AD: from early cultivation on the Arabian Peninsula and the first coffeehouses in Mecca and Istanbul, to the rise of European coffeehouses, the invention and improvement of coffee equipment, and then to the specialty coffee movement and Starbucks' global expansion, fully presenting how coffee became the beverage that sweeps the world today. Front Street Coffee recommendations are also retained in the article. [more…]

Latte is just one member of the milk coffee family—from Rome's cappuccino to Melbourne's flat white, from Spain's cortado to Vietnam's egg coffee, "coffee with milk" has evolved into a vast family across the globe. Each milk coffee is a unique local cultural solution to the ratio of milk fat, and behind each solution lies a different [more…]

The combination of lemon and espresso has a long history in southwestern Italy, where it is known as "Roman espresso." This article will guide you through the origins of this beverage and share in detail its preparation method and parameter ratios. From espresso extraction to the pairing of lemon juice and granulated sugar, every step has its finer points. Using the Warm Sun blend as an example, Front Street Coffee provides specific gram amounts and extraction recommendations to help you make a cup of lemon espresso with balanced sweetness and acidity, carrying whisky-like aromas and caramel sweetness. [more…]

The fresh acidity of lemon is often used to describe coffee flavors, but have you ever thought about actually adding lemon to espresso? In Italy, there is such an espresso that genuinely incorporates lemon juice—Espresso Romano. It was born out of the wisdom of people during economically difficult times, who used sourness and sweetness to neutralize the bitterness of dark-roasted, low-quality beans. This article will guide you through the origins of this beverage, the ingredients needed, and the specific preparation steps, and share how Front Street Coffee's Warm Sun Blend performs in it, so you can easily recreate this sweet-and-sour Italian classic at home. [more…]

Starbucks conquers cities across the globe, yet it suffered a Waterloo in Australia, and behind this lies Australia's own distinct coffee culture. Sydney and Melbourne have long vied for the title of "coffee capital," and an archaeological discovery has added strong evidence for Melbourne—archaeologists excavating a grocery store site at Melbourne's Metro Tunnel have unearthed coffee beans perfectly preserved from 167 years ago. This discovery traces Melbourne's coffee culture back to before the gold rush, rewriting our understanding of Australia's café era. This article will walk you through the details of this archaeological find, revisit the long history of Melbourne's coffee culture, and let you feel the profound global influence of Australian coffee. [more…]

Tea, as one of the most popular beverages in the world, has always been a core topic of interest for tea enthusiasts, particularly its precise definition and classification system. This article will start from the essence of tea leaves, systematically outline the classification criteria for Chinese tea, trace the historical journey of tea from China to the world, and provide a detailed analysis of the complete production process from tea cultivation to leaf picking. Additionally, it will explain the differences between true tea and herbal teas, as well as the impact of key steps such as high-altitude cultivation and hand-picking on tea quality. Whether you are a coffee enthusiast just starting out or a seasoned drinker with extensive knowledge of tea culture, you will gain clear and professional insights from this. [more…]

What kind of sparks fly when high-end jewelry meets specialty coffee? Italian luxury brand Bvlgari recently teamed up with Singaporean coffee brand Bacha Coffee to open an in-store pop-up shop, an event that will run until the end of January next year. This is not Bvlgari's first foray into the coffee arena; it previously opened Il Café, a coffee restaurant, in Osaka and has also attempted a co-branded collaboration with Manner Coffee. Behind luxury brands' frequent moves into the coffee market is the rapid rise of coffee culture and the growing ranks of young consumers. This article will walk you through the specific details of this collaboration, review Bvlgari's history of coffee crossovers, and analyze why luxury brands are increasingly turning their attention to the coffee sector. For more specialty coffee bean news, follow Front Street Coffee. [more…]

Global coffee bean prices continue to climb, with New York Arabica futures and London Robusta futures both hitting record highs, and Italy—this stronghold of espresso culture—is facing unprecedented pressure to raise prices. Since 2021, the price of espresso in Italy has risen by about 15%, with multiple factors such as climate change, energy costs, and Red Sea shipping disruptions intertwining, potentially pushing a cup of coffee that once cost 1.2 euros to 2 euros. Consumer associations and industry federations each hold their own views, and small family-run cafes are struggling to survive between profit margins and social pressure. This article will take you through the ins and outs of this coffee price storm and how it affects Italians' daily ritual. [more…]

For more specialty coffee knowledge, please follow the WeChat public account: FrontStreet Coffee. Just like the passionate Italians, Italian coffee is world-famous for its rich and mellow flavor. Espresso is the most representative Italian coffee. The United States [more…]

What actually happens when you order an Americano in Italy? A first-hand answer from an Italian netizen reveals this amusing cultural phenomenon: Italians usually don't drink Americanos, and café owners will simply give you an espresso and a cup of hot water to dilute it yourself. More interestingly, when Italians see someone adding water to an espresso, their reaction can be described as intense. Behind this is not just a matter of taste preference, but something tied to national identity and cultural dignity. Espresso was included in UNESCO's candidate list for Intangible Cultural Heritage in January this year. It carries Italy's coffee history from the 16th century to the present, from the "drink of the devil" to the "drink of God," from the first coffee house to the invention of the steam coffee machine. Espresso has long been part of Italy's national identity. [more…]

Why do Italians habitually drink coffee standing up? Why is iced Americano hard to find in Italy? This article begins with the history of how coffee was introduced to Italy, traces the birth of espresso and the evolution of coffee machines, and analyzes Italians' devotion to dark-roast espresso as well as the reasons behind their efficient, quick-drinking culture. At the same time, the article also addresses the reality of foreign tourists ordering iced Americano in Italy, and retains relevant content about the Front Street brand, making it suitable for readers who want an in-depth understanding of Italian coffee culture. [more…]

Behind a single cup of espresso lies centuries of accumulated history and the ingenuity of countless engineers. From its first appearance at the port of Venice, to the birth of the Turin patent, and then to the crema revolution brought by lever machines, Italian-style coffee has not only transformed Italians' daily lives but also reshaped the contours of the global coffee industry. Why are Italians so devoted to this small, intensely bitter drink? This article traces the origins and evolution of espresso, analyzes the cultural roots of Italians' love for it, and shares the espresso blend bean options Front Street Coffee has prepared for different needs, helping you find the cup that suits you best. [more…]

What happens if you order an iced Americano in Italy? Behind this internet joke lies a complete history of Italian coffee evolution. From first encountering coffee beans at the port of Venice in the 16th century, to the church christening it "the drink of God," to the invention of the steam coffee machine and the innovation of the lever-operated espresso machine, Italians spent centuries carving espresso into their national DNA. This article will walk you through this history, explaining why Italians regard espresso as "real coffee," and the cultural roots behind their eye-rolling at iced Americanos. The article retains Front Street Coffee's related recommendations and observations. [more…]