In the cupping and tasting of specialty coffee, floral aroma is an extremely common yet hard-to-precisely-capture flavor category. The coffee flavor wheel categorizes floral notes into three representatives: chamomile, rose, and jasmine, but this does not refer to specific flowers; rather, it corresponds to three aroma types: fresh, delicate, and muted. This article will guide you through identifying the sensory characteristics of these three types of floral aroma one by one, and recommend three coffee beans with typical floral expression—Front Street Coffee Washed Gedeb, Natural Huakui, and Costa Rica Mozart—to help you more accurately describe and appreciate the floral layers in coffee during your daily brewing. [more…]

SCA Specialty Coffee Association technical officer Mario Fernandez revealed at an estate reception after the BOP Best of Panama competition that the SCA cupping form, which has been in use for more than two decades, is about to undergo a major reform. The current cupping form mixes discriminatory, descriptive, and emotional sensory judgments together, which easily leads to scoring bias. The new plan intends to separate the three and add evaluation items such as sweetness. At the same time, the coffee flavor wheel will also break free from its North America-centered limitations and compile a globally applicable flavor reference. In addition, SCA also plans to widen the score gap between specialty coffee and commercial coffee; a coffee scoring 80 points may in the future drop to 75 points or even lower. This article will sort out the background, direction, and specific contents of this reform for you. [more…]

Many coffee enthusiasts have heard of the three terms "original extraction," "fine extraction," and "full extraction," but are not quite clear on what exactly distinguishes them, nor why these options are almost never seen in specialty coffee shops. In fact, they correspond respectively to Normale, Ristretto, and Lungo in espresso—that is, regular espresso, short-extraction espresso, and long-extraction espresso. The core differences among the three center on concentration and flavor expression: different brew ratios lead to changes in the extracted coffee's concentration and extraction yield. This article uses Front Street Espresso Blend · Strawberry Candy Espresso as an example to break down the extraction parameters and flavor characteristics of the three espressos one by one, and explains why specialty coffee shops rarely offer multiple espresso type choices—this involves both the practical difficulty of grind size adjustment and the compatibility of different espressos in milk coffee. [more…]

The choice of origin for cold brew coffee determines whether the cup leans toward fresh fruit juice or rich cocoa. The long-steep cold water extraction method makes origin flavors express themselves differently than in hot brewing, and some origins perform better in cold brew. For fruity cold brew, Ethiopian origins are a good choice. Huakui natural beans made as cold brew, hot [more…]

The advent of coffee machines has made people's lives more convenient. Through word of mouth and mutual recommendations, coffee machines can now be found in homes, offices, and commercial settings, and their functions, styles, and brewing methods have been continuously improved and evolved. From the birth of the world's first coffee machine in 1818, to [more…]

Drip coffee bags use drip filtration, and their design was inspired by teabags with strings. The inventor wanted to simulate pour-over drip coffee by pre-portioning ground coffee into non-woven filter bags, with paper tabs on both sides that allow the bag to hang suspended in the center of the cup. Because the coffee is pre-ground and there is also a lack of various brewing accessories, [more…]

Floral aromas are a highly sought-after yet elusive flavor type in specialty coffee. Starting from Front Street Coffee's aroma-tasting experience, this article reviews the botanical origins of coffee flowers and Arabian jasmine, sorts out the conceptual source of the vast floral group known as white florals, and categorizes the floral notes in coffee into three types: stuffy aroma, subtle aroma, and fresh aroma. Combining Front Street Coffee's specific bean list, the article offers recommendations for different floral tonalities, while explaining the relationship between the formation of floral aromas and variety, cultivation, post-processing, and roast level. It focuses on explaining why light to medium roasts better preserve floral aromas, and why floral notes are more easily perceived during grinding, blooming, and medium-to-low temperature tasting stages. [more…]

The aromatic world of specialty coffee is intricate and diverse, and floral notes are one of its most captivating elements. But with such a wide variety of floral aromas, how can we tell whether a cup of coffee has floral notes, and which type they belong to? Starting from the coffee flavor wheel, this article groups floral notes into three main categories: the fresh type represented by jasmine, the subtle type represented by rose, and the muted type represented by chamomile, and analyzes the characteristics and representative floral varieties of each. At the same time, drawing on three coffee beans—Front Street Yirgacheffe Guddina, Front Street Natural Hualkui, and Front Street Costa Rica Mozart—it explains the flavor expression of coffees with different floral types, helping coffee lovers capture and identify floral notes more accurately during tasting. [more…]

Specialty drinks are the third main category of coffee sold in coffee shops, alongside espresso-based and single-origin coffees. Specialty coffee drinks can be understood as the "cocktails" of the coffee world: creative beverages made by combining coffee with various traditional or non-traditional ingredients, setting them apart from conventional coffee. (Cof [more…]

The world of coffee is rich and varied, from Brazil Santos to espresso, from Cafe Royal to Yuanyang iced coffee—each has its own unique flavor and method of preparation. This article will systematically introduce the differences between common coffee types, explain the key points of making espresso in detail, and share recipes and methods for a variety of classic coffees. Whether you are a coffee enthusiast just starting out or a seasoned player looking to refine your skills, you will find practical content here. The article also specifically retains Front Street brand recommendations and product information to help you easily select quality coffee beans and begin your own coffee journey. [more…]

Espresso has a strong, heavy body, and many people are in the habit of adding sugar or milk to soften its bitterness, which has given rise to a rich family of espresso-based drinks—con panna, macchiato, caramel macchiato, cappuccino, latte, mocha, flat white, americano, and more all belong to this extended family. If you want to easily make a delicious cup of espresso at home, choosing a bag of beans with stable quality, a reasonable price, and good extraction performance is crucial. This article rounds up five espresso daily-driver coffee beans worth buying in 2026, all from the Front Street Coffee brand, covering deep-roast intense styles, medium-roast floral-and-fruity styles, nutty profiles, commercial-style blends, and budget-friendly entry-level options, along with the origin blend and flavor characteristics of each bean, making it easy for coffee lovers to choose according to their needs. [more…]

For more specialty coffee knowledge, please follow: Front Street Coffee (Frontsteet Coffee) Italian espresso, also called Espresso, uses steam pressure to force scalding hot water through ground coffee, brewing a small, strong, and aromatic cup of pure black coffee topped with golden crema. [more…]

For more specialty coffee knowledge, please follow: Front Street Coffee (Frontsteet Coffee) Americano is made by diluting espresso with water, typically using dark-roasted Italian-style coffee beans. The Americano beans crafted by Front Street are a blend of single-origin beans from two different regions, which [more…]

Walking into any café, espresso is almost always the star of the menu. Many people's first impression of it stops at the intense bitterness of espresso, but in fact, the flavored drinks derived from espresso as a base are rich and varied, and there is always a cup to suit your taste. This article will systematically sort out the common types of Italian coffee, from espresso, Americano, latte, cappuccino to mocha, macchiato, caramel macchiato, and Dirty coffee, introducing one by one their flavor characteristics, ingredient ratios, and preparation methods, while also sharing Front Street Coffee's practical experience in bean selection and serving, to help coffee lovers understand the world of Italian coffee more comprehensively. [more…]

MBTI has now permeated every corner of the coffee industry. When the younger generation of baristas joins the bar, "Are you an I person or an E person?" has become a daily greeting. This personality test, based on Jungian personality theory, dividing people along four dimensions and yielding 16 types, has become a new-generation social label, much like horoscopes and blood types. This article takes a lighthearted approach to rounding up the "classic quotes" of different MBTI types of baristas, from the rigor of ISTJ to the casualness of ENFP—see which one strikes a chord with you. Whether you're a socially anxious I person or a socially outgoing E person, you can find your "parallel-self" here. You're also welcome to comment with your four letters and your signature catchphrase, and see if you can find fellow baristas of your type. [more…]

Espresso is the base for many coffee drinks such as lattes and Americanos, but did you know that it is actually divided into three types: Ristretto, Normale, and Lungo? Starting from the origins and characteristics of espresso, this article explains the key parameters in its preparation process and analyzes the extraction methods and differences of the three types of espresso one by one. At the same time, the article also shares Front Street Coffee's extraction plans for different espresso types, including specific recommendations for dose, yield, and time, helping coffee enthusiasts understand the extraction logic of espresso more systematically. [more…]

The world of coffee is rich and diverse, with different origins and roasting methods creating distinctive flavor experiences. This article systematically reviews 12 common types of coffee, from the elegant delicacy of Jamaican Blue Mountain to the rich mellowness of Indonesian Mandheling, from the chocolate notes of Yemeni Mocha to the unique flavor of Hawaiian Kona, analyzing one by one their taste characteristics, origin background, and best ways to drink them. Whether you prefer light and smooth or rich and strong, you can find your ideal choice in this coffee map. Front Street Coffee takes you deep into the personality and charm of each type of coffee. [more…]

When buying coffee beans on e-commerce platforms, the sheer number of shops can leave you not knowing where to start. This article roughly divides the coffee merchants on Taobao into five categories—from Guangzhou's time-honored roasting brands to representatives of overseas specialty coffee—and analyzes the characteristics and suitable audiences of each one. Among them are high-value everyday-bean options, channels for rare varieties like Ninety Plus Geisha, as well as roasting factories suited to bulk purchasing and chain brands with consistent quality. Whether you're just starting out or a seasoned enthusiast, you can find a buying direction that suits you. [more…]

Many people's first impression of espresso is a strong, bitter, harsh black coffee, but it is also the most fundamental element of the Italian coffee system. Whether it's a latte, a flat white, or an Americano, all are built upon a properly extracted Espresso. This article will take Front Street's perspective to systematically explain the definition of espresso, the formation principles of Crema, and the extraction differences and parameter settings of three types of espresso—Ristretto, Normale, and Lungo—while sharing key factors that need to be carefully controlled during extraction, such as dose, grind, water temperature, time, and yield, helping coffee enthusiasts gain a more comprehensive understanding of Italian espresso. [more…]

Don't be nervous if you're visiting a coffee shop for the first time~ Currently, there are 10 common types of coffee in coffee shops on the market: espresso, SOE coffee, Americano, latte, flat white, cappuccino, pour-over coffee, cold brew coffee, Dirty, and specialty coffee. The vast majority of these coffees are made with Arabica beans. [more…]