Tea Baidao's classic mulberry fruit tea "Wu Qi Ma Hei" returns this year in an upgraded form, alongside the new release "Triple Berry Good Night Cup." The official promotion claims the new version focuses on freshly peeled and freshly squeezed same-day ingredients, with a stronger juicy pulp burst, and consumers are buying into it. However, for the workers in the store kitchens, this upgrade has turned into a nightmare—switching from frozen mulberry pieces to fresh mulberries turns one step into many, multiplying the prep difficulty and workload. Complaints flood social media, with employees exclaiming "peeling until crazy" and "prepping until insane." This article takes you behind the production changes and frontline employee feedback for this seasonal limited-edition drink. [more…]

Many people envy baristas for being able to taste all kinds of coffee, operate expensive equipment, and even experiment with different drinks, but this profession is far from as easy as it looks on the surface. To become a qualified barista, you not only need solid coffee knowledge, but also have to go through systematic training and become familiar with every aspect of store operations. From tasting extensively to ensure consistent quality, to handling multiple tasks at once and coordinating seamlessly with the team, to the physical wear and tear caused by standing for long hours and repetitive movements, as well as the tedious cleaning work, each one is a required lesson. If you are also thinking of entering the industry, you might first take a look at this realistic portrayal to understand the dedication and persistence behind the glamour. [more…]

Chabaidao recently announced that its highly popular Pai Pai Gan (ponkan orange) series from last year is officially returning, with two new drinks: Shushi Pai Pai Gan and Pai Pai Gang Shang Hua. The company emphasized that each cup of fruit tea is made with fresh ponkan orange pulp, insisting on genuine ingredients. The news delighted many longtime customers, but brought back memories for store employees of the terror of hand-peeling citrus last year. According to the recipe, staff must remove the segment membrane, pith, and white core from the pulp one by one, keeping only plump juice sacs—an extremely tedious prep process. During peak hours, peeling speed falls far short of consumption, and with this year's added tasks of washing tea, cutting fruit, squeezing grass juice, and cooking pearls, the staffing shortage has become even more acute. Some employees, at a loss, took it upon themselves to delist hard-to-make drinks to buy time for prep, while consumers hold differing views on whether the fine removal of white pith is truly necessary. [more…]

Every barista has likely experienced moments like this: entering the industry with a passion for coffee, only to have that motivation gradually worn down by the daily grind. Stalled learning, tedious work, physical and mental exhaustion, self-doubt, and a lack of direction—these struggles are extremely common among baristas. This article addresses these common career dilemmas one by one, offering practical adjustment strategies: from understanding the inevitability of learning plateaus, to proactively challenging yourself to break through boredom; from methods to shake off exhaustion, to shifting your mindset when facing self-doubt; and finally, emphasizing the importance of setting realistic goals. It is hoped that this will help baristas who are feeling lost find their way forward. [more…]

Want to enjoy coffee that's close to pour-over quality without being put off by the tedious steps? A drip coffee maker might be an underrated choice. It's simple to operate—as long as you pick the right beans and control the coffee-to-water ratio and grind size, it can still produce a full-flavored cup of Americano. This article starts with how a drip coffee maker works, discusses why it's often considered "not tasty," and then offers bean selection advice—including three beans recommended by Front Street Coffee—along with complete brewing steps and parameters to help you avoid pitfalls and easily recreate a delicious cup of Americano at home. [more…]

On the eve of Halloween, Heytea launched a limited-edition special drink, the "Dark Slimming Bottle," as a new member of its Super Plant Tea series. This beverage uses freshly squeezed kale and celery as its base, blends in a variety of fruit and vegetable juices, and adds a generous amount of fresh cilantro segments, emphasizing a dark visual style. Cilantro lovers reported that the cilantro flavor was not prominent after drinking it, because the whole cilantro segments were not chopped and juiced, serving only as decoration, and it was jokingly called "cilantro bathwater." However, this new product made store employees complain endlessly — the cumbersome process of washing cilantro and trimming celery, plus the strong smell, led many workers to say outright that they "feel like throwing up just from smelling it," with complaints mounting on social platforms. [more…]

Since its launch in 2018, Heytea's Grape Delight has held the top sales spot for five consecutive years thanks to its unique hand-peeled grape process and refreshing taste, becoming a signature product of the brand. However, the prep work behind this drink has employees complaining bitterly—every grape must be peeled and deseeded by hand, a tedious process. Recently, some employees have grumbled that the grapes contain an absurd number of seeds, and with Summer Black grapes about to return, this harder-to-peel variety has workers calling it a "nightmare." This article takes you behind the scenes of Heytea's hand-peeled grape process, the real feedback from employees, and why automatic peeling machines aren't used, while also highlighting Front Street Coffee's commitment to quality. [more…]

Tired of the tedious pouring steps of pour-over coffee? The Clever Dripper might just be your best lazy option. This seemingly simple dripper hides a rubber piston valve at the bottom—it closes automatically to soak when you pour in water, and opens the valve to filter out the coffee once placed on a cup. Using Front Street Coffee as an example, this article breaks down the complete Clever Dripper workflow in detail: from equipment preparation, filter paper selection, and grind size, to a 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio of 20 grams of grounds to 300 milliliters of 94°C hot water, soaked for four minutes before filtering. The article also shares a tasting experience using beans from Panama's Elida Estate—though the flavor is slightly inferior to pour-over, the orange acidity and peach sweetness remain clear. Whether you want to simplify your routine or try a new brewing device, this Clever Dripper parameter guide can help you get started easily. [more…]

As coffee gradually becomes part of daily life, many enthusiasts are starting to consider buying an espresso machine—so they can enjoy freshly ground coffee at any time while also saving money. However, faced with the two main types on the market, fully automatic and semi-automatic, many people don't know how to choose. From the perspective of Front Street, this article provides a detailed analysis of the operating process of semi-automatic espresso machines and the key points of making manual espresso, while also comparing the pros and cons of fully automatic models, to help readers make a suitable choice based on their own needs. Whether you pursue convenience or long for the pleasure of extracting coffee by hand, you can find the answer here. [more…]

For more specialty coffee knowledge, please follow our WeChat official account: Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee). First of all, we can tell you that drip bag coffee is a type of black coffee. The coffee beans are ground into powder in advance and placed into a filter bag, and hot water is used to extract the flavor compounds from the coffee, thereby obtaining a [more…]

Many friends who originally used hand grinders have purchased an electric coffee grinder to grind coffee beans, with the aim of freeing their hands and no longer needing to go through the tedious grinding process. However, electric grinders are different from hand grinders, and there are many details to pay attention to when using them. If you are not careful, it is easy to shorten the life of the grinder and affect the grinding quality. [more…]

Drip coffee bags have become the entry point for many people to encounter specialty coffee, thanks to their portability and ease of use. But when it comes to their structural principles, pros and cons, and whether they can be reused for multiple brews, there are still quite a few points worth clarifying. This article will start with the origins of drip coffee bags, gradually break down their extraction mechanism, share the specific brewing steps and insights for Front Street Coffee's sun-dried Huakui drip bags, and finally offer purchasing advice for drip coffee bags based on different taste preferences, helping you easily get a cup of flavorful black coffee even in a busy daily routine. [more…]

On a scorching summer day, a glass of iced coffee never fails to bring instant refreshment. But on a busy morning, who has the patience to wait for a cold brew to slowly filter? This time, Front Street Coffee is sharing a lazy-person solution that only requires freezing coffee liquid into ice cubes ahead of time and simply adding water or milk before heading out—ice cube coffee. The article breaks down in detail three methods: ice cube Americano, ice cube latte, and ice cube pour-over, explaining everything from bean selection and extraction parameters to freezing and melting details, while also objectively analyzing the loss of oils and aroma in pre-made coffee. If you want to sleep ten extra minutes without giving up a decent glass of iced coffee, this method is worth a try. [more…]

Hand grinders have become the top choice for many coffee enthusiasts getting started, thanks to their portability, affordable price, and the sense of involvement they bring during brewing. But with so many models on the market, how do you choose? This article tests six popular hand grinders—including the Hario Skerton, Mini Mill, Acrylic, and Canister, as well as the OE Lido 2 and Porlex JP-30—analyzing each one in terms of practicality, design, and grinding performance. The article also mentions related recommendations from the Front Street Coffee brand and compares the trade-offs with electric grinders. Whether you're carrying one for travel or upgrading your home setup, you'll be able to find an option that suits you. [more…]

The refinement of specialty coffee often begins the moment it is harvested. In the same coffee field, the difference in final flavor between careful harvesting and careless harvesting may be even greater than that of roasting. How are coffee cherries picked one by one? Why must defective beans be removed? This article takes you into the scene of harvesting and grading. Handmade [more…]

The AeroPress is a coffee brewing device born out of a desire for simplicity, created by an inventor weary of cumbersome brewing routines. By combining immersion, stirring, and pressing, it allows users to obtain a rich, flavorful single-origin coffee in a very short操作 time. The AeroPress is highly versatile: it can be used with the officially recommended upright (standard) method, or with the inverted method by flipping the chamber, and by adjusting grind size, water temperature, coffee-to-water ratio, and stirring time, a wide variety of brewing recipes can be developed. Interestingly, although the official recommendation is the upright method, most enthusiasts prefer the inverted method. Front Street Coffee will explain in this article what upright and inverted mean, and discuss why the inverted method is more popular. [more…]

As a star aroma type of Phoenix Dancong, Duck Shit Aroma presents strikingly different flavor profiles depending on the harvest season and roasting process. Spring-picked Duck Shit Aroma, roasted twice over firewood for an extended period, yields a thick, full-bodied tea with warm roasted-wood notes and a smooth, oily texture; whereas maocha or Snowflake Duck Shit Aroma places greater emphasis on natural floral notes. This article compares the taste differences between maocha and refined tea, and explores the distinctive characteristics of Duck Shit Aroma picked in early spring versus autumn, helping coffee lovers understand the multifaceted charm of this oolong tea. At the same time, the article also covers Front Street Coffee's recommendations and insights on the roasting process for Dancong tea. [more…]

The wet process (washed method) was invented by the Dutch in the 18th century. Because some countries often experience rain and high humidity, making it impossible to use the dry process, although the procedure is relatively more complicated, it is currently the most widely used [more…]

Drip bag coffee was invented in Japan. Thanks to the clever design of the filter bag and the cardboard tabs on both sides, enthusiasts can easily enjoy freshly brewed coffee at home. Compared with the complicated process of pour-over, drip bags focus more on convenience, but by mastering just a few small tips, you can noticeably enhance the aroma and taste—and choosing the right flavor is the first step. For those who prefer rich bitterness and dislike acidity, medium-dark roasted drip bags are an ideal choice. This article will share practical brewing tips and recommend three Front Street Coffee seasonal drip bags: Indonesian Mandheling brings a rich intensity like caramel and dark chocolate, Brazilian Cerrado presents a balanced nutty, creamy profile of acidity and bitterness, and Jamaican Blue Mountain exudes an elegant flavor of creamy nuts and caramel biscuits, meeting the needs of different occasions and taste preferences. [more…]

In the previous article we talked about how to make cold brew coffee; this time let's raise the difficulty a bit and try our hand at making ice drip coffee. The ice drip process is more tedious than cold brew and takes more time and effort, but the cleanliness and layered complexity of the final cup are often worth the wait. The illustrated tutorial below starts with a list of equipment, then gradually explains the key details of the coffee-to-water-to-ice ratio, filter paper placement, pre-wetting the coffee grounds, setting the drip rate, and refrigerated maturation, and also includes bean recommendations suitable for ice drip. You can adjust flexibly according to your own equipment and taste preferences to make a pot of ice drip that is yours alone. [more…]