Thursday, September 17 2026

Coffee Sensory Tasting | How Can Coffee Novices Learn to Describe Coffee Flavors from Different Angles? How to Properly Develop Coffee Flavor Tasting Skills?

"This coffee has a rich fruity profile, with notes of citrus, lemon, oolong tea, and jasmine!!!" For someone who has just been introduced to specialty coffee, this might sound unbelievable—how can you taste so many flavors in one cup of coffee! (Are they just making it up?) In this installment of Barista Growth Diary, we'll share a little [more…]

Single-Origin Coffee | What Is the Coffee Flavor Wheel? How Can Coffee Beginners Learn to Taste Single-Origin Coffee? How Do You Describe the Flavor Characteristics of Pour-Over Coffee?

After years of development, specialty coffee has formed a scientific system. From cultivation and processing at the green bean stage, to roasting, and then to brewing and tasting, there is a very complete body of knowledge. The improvement of green bean quality, roasting, and brewing quality ultimately serves to give us a better experience when tasting coffee. [more…]

Coffee Flavor Tasting | How Can Coffee Novices Build Their Coffee Sensory System? How Should Coffee Beginners Train Their Coffee Senses Daily?

Coffee today is no longer just a "functional drink" used to wake you up; it is also a medium that holds a wealth of experiences. Thanks to the spread of the concept of specialty coffee, which has brought about a leap in coffee quality, we can now taste the terroir of different places through a single small cup of coffee. For example, [more…]

SCA Coffee Sensory Evaluation Course | Why Does Pour-Over Coffee Taste Sour or Bitter? How Should Beginners Taste Single-Origin Black Coffee?

“How do you taste citrus in coffee?” Quite a few friends say they envy baristas for being able to casually name the specific flavors in coffee. Some friends also say, I can taste that the coffee is acidic, but that’s far from the citrus you’re talking about. Still others say flavors are all just nonsense. Front Street, in its daily online [more…]

Coffee Flavor Map | How Can Coffee Beginners Train and Build Their Coffee Sensory System? Are Aroma Kits Helpful for Coffee Flavor Tasting?

As coffee has gradually become more widely recognized, specialty coffee promotion in cafés has emerged in response, and we too have begun tracing things back to their roots—we have come to treat coffee as culture. The rise of specialty pour-over coffee undoubtedly reflects the demands of the market and the needs that cafés have identified. Café counters have also begun to lower their "status," no longer featuring the early design of a bar raised a foot high. [more…]

Origins of the Coffee Flavor Wheel | What's the difference between the old and new coffee flavor wheels? What are the limitations of the SCAA Coffee Flavor Wheel? How do you use the flavor wheel to taste and describe coffee?

On the journey of learning about specialty coffee, I believe everyone is especially impressed by a colorful ring. It is the SCAA 2016 Coffee Flavor Wheel that has tormented you countless times. Of course, this is already a "simplified" version; the first edition of the flavor wheel in 1995 had two, one on the front. [more…]

High-Resolution Coffee Flavor Wheel Reference Chart Download | How Can Coffee Beginners Understand the Coffee Flavor Wheel? How to Taste and Describe Single-Origin Coffee Flavors?

A large part of the reason the coffee flavor wheel was created was to meet the tasting standards that emerged after coffee became more specialty-oriented. It also drew on wine tasting and cupping, gradually evolving from vague, general flavor descriptions into a detailed, logical flavor wheel. The first version of the coffee flavor wheel was released in 1995, [more…]

Pour-over Coffee Three-Stage Pouring Technique Tutorial | How Much Water for 15g of Coffee Powder in Pour-over Coffee? How Can Coffee Beginners Make a Single Serving of Pour-over Coffee?

When brewing pour-over coffee, Front Street Coffee insists on using a 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio—why is that? Was this result arrived at by chance, or was it derived from various brewing experiments based on data? In this article, Front Street will explain why. [more…]

咖啡师职业认证指南:SCAA、SCAE、City & Guilds与IIAC等国际资格证书全解析

随着咖啡文化在国内日益普及,越来越多的人投身咖啡师这一职业。咖啡师不仅是饮品的制作者,更是生活美学与匠人精神的践行者。然而,面对琳琅满目的国际认证体系,许多从业者常常感到困惑:究竟有哪些权威的咖啡资格证书值得考取?本文将系统梳理当前主流的几大国际咖啡认证机构——包括美国SCAA、欧洲SCAE、英国City & Guilds以及意大利IIAC——及其对应的课程与资质要求,帮助咖啡师理清职业进阶路径,找到适合自己的认证方向。 [more…]

Coffee Flavor Tasting | How Can Beginners Judge Coffee Extraction by Tasting? How Do You Describe the Flavor of Pour-Over Coffee?

If you want to learn how to brew coffee, you must first learn how to drink coffee. Of course, "learning to drink coffee" here does not mean being able to describe gorgeous flavor notes; it is more about being able to judge whether a cup of coffee is good or bad—that is, whether it tastes good or not. Whether a coffee tastes good or not, subjectively and objectively, depends to a fairly large extent on personal preference. [more…]

SCA Coffee Flavor Wheel Analysis Tutorial | What Is Coffee Flavor? Which Single-Origin Coffee Beans Best Represent Coffee Flavor? How Can Beginners Distinguish Coffee Flavor Characteristics?

Professional barista exchange, please follow Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee). Many friends have asked Front Street's baristas: "Can you really taste so many flavors in the beans? How do you taste them?" First, this is about personal sensory perception. As everyone grows up, [more…]

Coffee Bean Storage Methods | Which bagged coffee bean roasting brands are recommended for beginners? How long after the roast date do coffee beans taste best?

Whether it's for a morning wake-up, an afternoon pick-me-up, or a slow, leisurely brew at home, choosing the right coffee beans can bring café-quality flavor right to your doorstep. Today we're bringing you a coffee bean brand with a stellar reputation across the web, along with a roundup of bagged coffee beans that deliver consistent flavor and are absolutely worth repurchasing—so beginners can avoid any missteps, and longtime fans can stock up with complete confidence. [more…]

2026 Light Roast Pour-Over Coffee Bean Roundup | Can Beginners Start with Light Roast Coffee Beans? Which Single-Origin Beans Have Rich Floral and Fruity Aromas?

Many people probably know that the charm of light-roasted coffee lies in its low bitterness, often accompanied by fresh floral and fruity notes. It is mostly brewed using the pour-over method, allowing even those who originally didn't accept coffee to fall in love with this "dark" beverage. To keep everyone from blindly stepping on landmines, today we bring a carefully compiled "2026 [more…]

Specialty Pour-Over Coffee Bean Brands | What Are the Representative Single-Origin Coffee Beans from Major Coffee Regions Around the World? 6 Quality Pour-Over Beans Recommended for Beginners

For more specialty coffee knowledge, please follow: Front Street Coffee (Frontsteet Coffee). Today Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) will introduce six popular single-origin coffee beans, each with unique regional characteristics. Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet [more…]

Cold Brew Caffeine Content | Which Is More Energizing, Cold Brew or Americano? What's the Difference Between Cold Brew Coffee and Americano Black Coffee? Is Cold Brew Coffee High in Caffeine?

For more specialty coffee knowledge, please follow: Front Street Coffee (Frontsteet Coffee). Cold brew coffee is so popular for one reason: whether in a coffee shop or at home, its brewing method is extremely simple. Another reason is the flavor that cold brew coffee delivers, which has not only won over many coffee connoisseurs [more…]

Coffee Bean Roast Levels | What Is the Maillard Reaction in Coffee? How Do Light, Medium, and Dark Roast Coffee Beans Differ in Flavor?

Coffee is a beverage brewed from coffee beans. Front Street believes that what makes coffee special is that green beans must be roasted before they can be used for preparation, and the roasting temperature reaches over 200 degrees Celsius, which is far higher than the roasting temperature for nuts. The length of roasting time is also related to the depth of the roast level, so it is not [more…]

Coffee-to-Water Ratio | How to Calculate the Pour-Over Coffee-to-Water Ratio, Cold Brew Pour-Over Coffee-to-Water Ratio

Without adding sugar or milk, how to hand-brew a delicious and distinctive cup of coffee is a difficult challenge for many enthusiasts just starting out in coffee. Pour too much water and the coffee will be weak; pour too little and it will be very strong and harsh on the throat. Therefore, you must pay attention to the coffee-to-water ratio. So exactly how much water should be used to brew a cup of coffee? The coffee-to-water ratio is probably what every [more…]

Geisha Coffee Flavor Description | Where Does the Floral Aroma of Geisha Come From? Which Great-Value, Great-Tasting Panama Geisha Coffees Are Must-Buys for Beginners?

Before Geisha coffee beans became known to the world, everyone sought coffee with a rich, mellow style. But after Geisha emerged, what people pursued was coffee beans with prominent floral aromas, fresh fruity notes, and a bright mouthfeel. The formation of Geisha's floral aroma depends partly on the variety itself, growing conditions, harvesting, and post-processing. [more…]

The Standard Method for Americano | How to Choose Espresso Beans? What Ratio for Iced Americano Tastes Best? What Is the Extraction Principle of Americano Coffee?

Many friends have asked Front Street Coffee, "How exactly do you make your iced Americano? It's so delicious!" As a staple on coffee shop menus, the Americano tastes a little different at every coffee shop. So Front Street Coffee is going to share our Americano recipe with everyone. The origin of Americano [more…]