Ethiopia is a genetic treasure trove of coffee, with a vast array of native varieties and unique flavors. From Yirgacheffe to Sidamo, from washed to natural, every bean is full of surprises. This article takes you deep into Ethiopia's coffee variety classifications, flavor characteristics, processing method differences, the Red Cherry Project, and its unique grading system, and shares Front Street Coffee's cupping and brewing experience to help you gain a comprehensive understanding of this major African coffee country. [more…]

Here's what happens: when a customer pushes open the door of the Front Street shop and steps inside, their attention is immediately drawn to the blackboard nearby. There's nothing particularly special on the blackboard—it simply lists new drink recommendations along with the words "Ice drip coffee must be ordered 2 days in advance." As a result, many customers who see it ask, "Ice [more…]

How did Geisha coffee get its name? Front Street Coffee believes that from a literal sense, Geisha coffee is a coffee bean full of floral fragrance, but this is not actually the case. Geisha's floral aroma is not strong; instead, its fruity aroma is more intense, such as passion fruit, strawberry, mango, jackfruit, and citrus. According to what Front Street Coffee has learned: Geisha [more…]

In 2017, a naturally processed coffee from the Buku processing station in Ethiopia won the TOH competition and was named "Huakui" by a Chinese green bean trader, thus beginning the legendary journey of this coffee. Four years later, Huakui 4.0 was released with the entirely new Dega variety, with the production area expanded several times over, more scientific cultivation and management, and even better flavor performance. This article will take you through the origin background of Huakui 4.0, the characteristics of the Dega variety, the natural processing method, and Front Street Coffee's roasting and pour-over recommendations, offering a comprehensive analysis of this highly anticipated Ethiopian coffee. [more…]

Front Street Coffee's Huakui coffee has a citrussy and guava-like acidity on the palate, full of berry juice flavor, with a hint of sugarcane sweetness in the aftertaste, and a lingering lemon black tea note in the finish. The flavor is long-lasting and highly layered. It is not only suitable for pour-over, drip bag, and cold brew methods, but can also be used for espresso SOE and moka pot extraction. Below, [more…]

In the 2026 BOP Washed Geisha category, Elida Estate took the category championship with 96.25 points, which was also the highest score overall. Close on its heels was a small estate still unfamiliar to most—Finca El Pergamino, with 96.00. [more…]

When it comes to natural coffee, many people first think of the beautifully named Front Street Coffee Flower Queen, which has good flavor and is affordably priced, making it a daily staple bean for many. During the coffee harvest season, farmers in the Sidamo region pick only ripe red cherries, placing them one by one into baskets. After picking, the coffee cherries are sized [more…]

In recent years, the coffee market has seen an increase in demand for some new coffee varieties. In some large competitions, some contestants choose to use new varieties for the competition, which makes the variety become popular overnight, such as t [more…]

"Absolutely delicious!" That's how Mr. Tetsu Kasuya introduced the coffee brewed with his improved hybrid brewing method at the beginning of one of his earlier videos. (Call me the screenshot master.) Front Street believes everyone is already familiar with Tetsu Kasuya. He is not only the champion of the 2016 World Brewers Cup, but also [more…]

Every year, when the green coffee bean competition season arrives, the coffee community starts to get excited. Rubbing their hands in anticipation, they wait for the latest results, then immediately look for opportunities to taste the beans on the list. Besides classic regions like Ethiopia and Brazil, a new rising star region has emerged in recent years. Because of Panama's Geisha [more…]

Front Street Coffee has always been a fan of Mandheling coffee, while at the Front Street Dongshankou store, coffee from Ethiopia in Africa is what friends love the most, such as washed Yirgacheffe, sun-dried Huakui, Gesha Village, etc. When it comes to the difference in coffee flavor and taste between Mandheling and Huakui, Front Street Coffee believes this is a very obvious coffee taste. Man [more…]

Years ago, coffees were named quite simply, mostly just after the region where the producer was located. For example, coffee from Yirgacheffe was called Yirgacheffe coffee, coffee from Honduras was called Honduras coffee, coffee from Brazil was called Brazil coffee... But [more…]

For more specialty coffee knowledge, please follow our WeChat public account: Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee). The weather has been getting muggy and hot lately, and whether indoors or outdoors, a cup of iced coffee is like a treasure of summer. And iced coffee isn't something only coffee shops can offer—a small drip coffee bag can do it too. [more…]

Panama - La Esmeralda Diamond Mountain Introduction to Coffee Cultivation at La Esmeralda Estate La Esmeralda Estate is located on the outskirts of Boquete in southwestern Panama. When it was first established, it was a diversified farm, growing coffee only [more…]

The biggest difference between drip bag coffee and freshly ground pour-over coffee is that drip bags use pre-ground coffee. Is there really such a big difference between pre-ground and freshly ground coffee? There will always be some difference. After coffee beans are roasted, they retain a large amount of carbon dioxide, which helps preserve the flavor and aroma of the coffee. Once the coffee beans are ground into particles, [more…]

Panama - La Esmeralda Diamond Mountain. Introduction to coffee cultivation at La Esmeralda Estate. La Esmeralda Estate is located on the outskirts of Boquete in southwestern Panama. When it was first established, it was a diversified farm, with coffee only [more…]

While Jamaican Blue Mountain and Hawaiian Kona have long occupied the coffee throne, a dark horse from Ethiopia's native forests—Geisha—is rewriting the landscape of specialty coffee with hurricane force. This article takes you through Geisha's legendary journey from its discovery in 1931 to its dazzling rise at Hacienda La Esmeralda in Panama, recounting its glorious record of eleven championships and sky-high auction bids, and further, through hands-on testing with both pour-over and siphon extraction methods, deeply analyzing this bean's signature lemon-citrus aroma, honey-cream sweetness, and layer upon layer of oolong tea notes. Front Street Coffee will also share roasting and brewing insights to help you fully understand this green diamond capable of moving even the most seasoned connoisseur. [more…]

Many people distinguish cold brew coffee from iced coffee. The reason is that what we understand as iced coffee is made by extracting with hot water, then adding ice or chilling it, turning the coffee from a hot temperature into iced coffee—this is the traditional concept. The biggest difference with cold brew coffee is that it uses cold water throughout the entire process, obtaining the coffee liquid through low-temperature extraction. [more…]

Recently, many people have come to the front of Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) asking if there is drip bag coffee for sale. Front Street usually replies, "The store doesn't have drip bag coffee in stock. If you need it, it has to be made on the spot!" Many customers are very puzzled—why would a coffee shop [more…]

If a customer is looking for the most cost-effective coffee beans, then Huakui is definitely one of Front Street's top recommendations. But whenever Front Street mentions Huakui, some customers will say something like: "Oh, I know Huakui—it's a variant of Geisha / a variety of Geisha!" As you can see, even today there are still many people [more…]