Recently, 1 Dian Dian partnered with Italian mineral water brand San Pellegrino to launch two limited-edition new products, "Grape Sparkling Tea" and "Double Yuzu Sparkling Tea," sold as combo sets. Consumers could receive a store-made sparkling tea, a bottle of San Pellegrino sparkling water, and limited-edition packaging all at once. However, after the new products launched, many consumers discovered that the complimentary San Pellegrino sparkling water included with their order had already been opened, with only a small amount of liquid remaining in the bottle, sparking concerns about beverage hygiene and delivery safety. Some delivery users also reported not receiving the sparkling water or the limited-edition packaging, which did not match the official promotion. In response, some netizens explained that the complimentary sparkling water was actually leftover material from making the sparkling tea, a routine practice in tea shops. But some consumers still believed that after opening, the carbon dioxide in the sparkling water easily escapes during delivery, greatly diminishing the taste, and suggested that the brand directly provide unopened products so customers can mix it themselves. This article will delve into the ins and outs of this incident and the various viewpoints of all parties. [more…]

As a globally renowned food and beverage giant, Nestlé's bottled water business holds about a one-third share of the French market. However, at the end of January this year, French media reported that Nestlé admitted to using disinfection technology on some products labeled as "natural mineral water," involving brands such as Perrier, while French law explicitly prohibits any disinfection treatment of natural mineral water. Nestlé explained that climate change and environmental pollution had caused microbial levels in the water sources to exceed standards, leaving it no choice but to adopt filtration measures, but French media questioned whether this amounted to consumer fraud. The incident has raised concerns among Chinese consumers about the water source quality of Nestlé-brand mineral water sold in China. Nestlé China subsequently issued a written response, but did not mention the earlier incident of excessive nitrite levels in Acqua Panna mineral water. Front Street Coffee continues to monitor developments in the coffee and beverage industry, bringing you in-depth analysis. [more…]

In the world of specialty coffee, barrel-fermentation processing has attracted much attention in recent years, and the pioneer of this technique was not Honduras' Moca estate, but rather El Finca San José in Colombia's San Caldas region. In a moment of inspiration, the estate's third-generation female owner placed green coffee beans into rum oak barrels for low-temperature fermentation. After repeated experiments, she ultimately created the distinctive rum barrel-fermented coffee. This article will guide you through the background of Finca San José, the birth of barrel fermentation, the origins of the Castillo variety, and Front Street Coffee's pour-over performance and brewing recommendations for this bean at different water temperatures, helping you gain a more comprehensive understanding of this uniquely flavored Colombian specialty coffee. [more…]

Guatemala is globally recognized as a high-quality coffee-producing country, with eight major coffee regions distributed across its territory. Among them, San Marcos is the oldest, wettest, and warmest region. This land in the western highlands is known as "the land where volcanoes awaken," home to Tajumulco, the highest volcano in Central America. Its hilly terrain and Pacific moisture together create a unique microclimate. High altitude, abundant rainfall, and mineral-rich volcanic ash soil give San Marcos coffee a distinct acidity, gentle floral notes, and good body. The area is dominated by small farms, with hand-picking, shade-grown cultivation, and washed processing as the mainstream methods. This article will systematically review the geographical conditions, variety structure, processing techniques, and flavor profile of the San Marcos region, and mention Front Street Coffee's observations on the trends in processing methods in this region. [more…]

The results of the 2024 Cup of Excellence (COE) in Costa Rica were recently officially announced, with the competition once again divided into three main categories by processing method: traditional washed, traditional honey and natural, and experimental processing. In this year's competition, Geisha remained the mainstay among entries, but classic varieties such as Typica and Catuai also appeared on the stage, while a rare variety that has frequently appeared on the COE list in recent years—San Roque—once again drew attention. Since its first appearance at the COE in 2018, this variety has gradually taken root in the Central Valley producing region and repeatedly achieved excellent results, thanks to its unique origins and outstanding cup flavor. This article will guide you through the discovery history of San Roque, its varietal characteristics, and its flavor performance in COE judging, while also including Front Street Coffee's recommendations and interpretation of this variety. [more…]

In the specialty coffee world, barrel-fermented processing methods have attracted considerable attention in recent years, and the origins of this technique can be traced back to Finca San José in Colombia. The third-generation female owner of the estate was the first to try placing green coffee beans into rum oak barrels for low-temperature fermentation, pioneering a distinctive processing method. This article will provide a comprehensive introduction to Finca San José's regional background, the development of the Castillo variety, the specific process of fine washing combined with rum barrel fermentation, and compare its flavor differences with the barrel-aged beans from Finca Moca in Honduras. At the same time, Front Street Coffee will share the optimal extraction parameters and flavor performance of this bean through brewing experiments at three different water temperatures, helping coffee enthusiasts gain a deeper understanding of this unique Colombian coffee. [more…]

The Copán region of Honduras is renowned for its chocolate-toned profile blended with honey-caramel sweetness, and the San Vicente processing plant is a frequent winner at the Cup of Excellence. The Pacas coffee beans cupped by Front Street Coffee this time come from smallholder Edgardo Tinoco near the San Vicente processing plant; after washed processing, they present a rich layering of black cherry, dark chocolate cake, almond and caramel. This article will sort through information on the Honduran growing region, the background of the San Vicente processing plant, the characteristics of the Pacas variety and the washed processing flow, and share Front Street's roasting records, cupping reports and V60 staged pouring insights, helping coffee lovers fully understand this bean's flavor thread and brewing key points from origin to cup. [more…]

Colombia's Finca San José, with its century-old heritage and volcanic soil advantages, has given rise to a distinctive barrel-fermented coffee. This article will guide you through the origin background of these Front Street Coffee Colombia Finca San José coffee beans, the characteristics of the Castillo variety, and their unique barrel fermentation followed by washed processing method. Through actual V60 brewing tests, these beans present a rich rum fermentation character, grape-like acidity, and a maple syrup finish, with an overall balanced and smooth profile. If you prefer coffee with vinous aromatic notes, why not join us in exploring its flavor performance in this article. [more…]

Costa Rican San Ramon coffee is known for its berry aroma, caramel sweetness, and robust body. This article compiles the pour-over extraction data for Front Street Costa Rican San Ramon and systematically introduces the historical status of Costa Rican coffee, the distribution of its seven major producing regions, the washed processing method of the San Ramon processing plant, and product information for Front Street Royal Coffee. From 15 grams of grounds, a water temperature of 88-89°C, to a 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, this brewing method does a good job of bringing out San Ramon's creamy sweetness and subtle spicy finish, making it suitable reading and reference for enthusiasts who want to gain a deeper understanding of Costa Rican specialty coffee. [more…]

COE (Cup of Excellence) is one of the most authoritative fine coffee competitions globally, and also the first internet auction platform for globally award-winning coffee, which was organized and founded by the Alliance for Coffee Excellence (ACE) in [more…]

The highly sought-after "Front Street San Jose Estate Rum Barrel Fermented" coffee beans at the coffee market greet you with a rich rum aroma the moment you open the bag. Where exactly does this unique boozy scent come from? Starting from the terroir conditions of San Jose Estate in Caldas Province, Colombia, this article tells how the estate owner, inspired by rum aging, conceived the idea in 2013 of putting green coffee beans into oak barrels. After years of experimentation, the low-temperature rum barrel fermentation process was established in 2017, using the Castillo variety, and involving fully washed processing, 20-hour fermentation, resting in oak barrels aged over 8 years for three months, and daily tumbling, so the beans evenly absorb the rum aroma. These beans once won silver as a blend in the Cappuccino category at the 2019 RASV Australian International Coffee Roasting Competition. Suitable for pour-over, espresso, ice drip, or cold brew, it is a versatile specialty choice recommended by Front Street. [more…]

Colombian coffee occupies an important place in the global specialty coffee landscape thanks to its exceptional natural conditions and refined cultivation techniques. This article focuses on a Front Street Colombian coffee bean that uses a special processing method—a refined washed rum-process coffee from Finca San Jose. Finca San Jose is located in the Caldas region of central Colombia, with a century-old heritage and 18 hectares of cultivated land, abundant sunshine year-round, and an average temperature of 22°C, providing an ideal environment for coffee cultivation. This bean uses the Castillo variety, undergoes low-temperature fermentation in oak barrels, and is then washed and dried, presenting a rich flavor profile interwoven with rum truffle, rum, tropical fruit, and maple syrup, with a creamy, smooth, and balanced mouthfeel. The following sections will introduce the estate background, processing technique, variety characteristics, as well as V60 brewing parameters and flavor evaluation in detail. [more…]

Colombian coffee has always been known for its balanced and smooth character, but on this land nourished by the Andes Mountains, there are also surprising works with bold personalities. This time, Front Street Coffee brings two Colombian beans with distinctly different styles—Finca El Arbol Rose Valley and Finca San Jose. The former is processed with anaerobic double enzyme washed method, releasing an explosive aroma of peach, strawberry, and rose; the latter is low-temperature fermented in rum barrels, presenting mellow layers of rum, liqueur chocolate, and tropical fruits. This article will break down their origin backgrounds, processing techniques, brewing parameters, and pour-over flavor performance one by one. Whether you are a beginner just getting into Colombian beans or a veteran looking for a flavor breakthrough, you can find an option worth trying. [more…]

Wine-aroma coffee beans have gained great popularity in recent years. Many people believe that barrel fermentation technology originated in Honduras, but in fact, Finca San Jose in Colombia is the true pioneer of this process. This article will guide you through an in-depth understanding of how Finca San Jose cleverly combines rum oak barrels with green coffee beans—from the selection of the Castillo variety, the details of refined washed processing and three-month barrel fermentation, to Front Street Coffee's roasting curve and brewing parameters—fully revealing the flavor secrets of this rum barrel-fermented coffee. Whether you are curious about its historical origins or want to replicate a cup of wine-aroma pour-over, you will find detailed answers here. [more…]

Winey coffees have attracted much attention in recent years. Front Street Coffee has three beans with winey notes, among which Sherry and Lychee Orchid are well known, but the origin of barrel fermentation actually lies in the San Jose Estate in Colombia. This article provides a complete breakdown of Front Street Colombia Rum Barrel Fermented Coffee, from the producing region, estate story, and processing method to roasting and brewing. The San Jose Estate is located in the Caldas region at an altitude of 1750 meters, uses the Castillo variety, and after meticulous washing, is placed in aged rum oak barrels for low-temperature fermentation for three months. The cup profile presents notes of rum truffle, rum, tropical fruit, and maple syrup. The article also provides V60 staged extraction parameters and measured taste results, making it suitable for coffee enthusiasts who want to understand the principles of barrel fermentation and brewing methods. [more…]

The barrel fermentation process was not pioneered in Honduras; its inspiration came from a sudden flash of insight by the lady owner of Finca San Jose in Colombia. Front Street Coffee takes you deep into the origin background, processing method, and Castillo variety characteristics of this rum barrel fermented coffee bean, and shares the complete parameters and staged extraction techniques for both hot and iced pour-over. From the roasting curve to grind size, water temperature, and coffee-to-water ratio, we break down in detail how to brew a cup of San Jose coffee with rich wine aroma and complex layers, allowing you to experience the unique flavors where rum, nuts, and tropical fruits intertwine. [more…]

In the eastern Pacific's Galápagos Islands, San Cristóbal Island, with its abundant freshwater resources and unique microclimate, produces a highly acclaimed coffee treasure. This island is not only the only landmass in the archipelago with sufficient freshwater, but also, thanks to the Ecuadorian government's strict ecological protection policies, has become a representative region for naturally organic coffee. This article will guide you through an in-depth understanding of San Cristóbal's geographical environment, coffee-growing history, flavor characteristics, and the role of the Andes in Ecuador's coffee landscape. At the same time, we will also share Front Street Coffee's practical suggestions on fresh roasting and brewing to help you better savor this unique coffee from an equatorial island. [more…]

The rum barrel-fermented washed beans from Front Street Coffee's San Jose estate in Colombia are a highly representative example of the low-temperature anaerobic fermentation trend in recent years. They originate from a bold idea by the estate's owner, Monsalve Botero—placing green coffee beans into oak barrels for low-temperature fermentation. These beans use Supremo-grade Castillo and Naranjal varieties, which are fermented in barrels after depulping, then washed and dried on raised beds, revealing flavors of rum, cantaloupe, and dark chocolate. This article will review the origins of the processing method, the characteristics of the green beans, their unique performance in roasting and brewing, and explore the possible causes behind their rich vinous notes. [more…]

Located in the Caldas region, Hacienda San José has infused the Castillo variety with distinctive notes of liquor and tropical fruit through its unique refined washed rum barrel fermentation process. This article will guide you through the bean's origin background, processing details, and the development of the Castillo variety in Colombia, while also sharing the brewing parameters and cupping flavor profile recommended by Front Street Coffee. [more…]

Omar Arango of Colombia's San Luis Estate has over thirty years of coffee-growing experience, constantly refining his specialty coffee processing techniques, pursuing optimal results from picking and grading to resource utilization. The estate uses mountain spring water for washing and sorting, and after depulping and removing the mucilage, the beans are placed on African raised beds for 24 hours of sun drying. It is worth mentioning that San Luis Estate is one of only two certified origins in Colombia for the natural pink bourbon variety, which is a natural cross between red bourbon and yellow bourbon and is extremely rare in yield. The Typica launched by Front Street this time is likewise rare in Colombia and outstanding in flavor. Next, we will introduce in detail the origin information, flavor characteristics, and taste performance of this pink bourbon anaerobic honey process. [more…]