In 2024, the Specialty Coffee Association announced that the Thermoplan Black&White4 CTS would become the designated fully automatic espresso machine for the World Latte Art Championship, marking the first time a fully automatic machine has appeared on the stage of this competition. As soon as the news broke, it quickly sparked heated discussion on social media: does a world latte art champion not need to know how to steam milk? Some netizens believed this undermined the artistry of baristas, while others felt that automation is already an irreversible trend. What kind of performance can a fully automatic machine actually deliver? And how will the role of the barista evolve? This article takes you through the whole story and the views of all sides, and explores the path to balance in the coffee industry amid the wave of automation. [more…]

Walk into any Starbucks, and the Americano is almost always one of the most-ordered drinks. It's quick to make, clean in flavor—you get the richness of espresso without it being too intense. But did you know? The Americano actually has two completely different ways of being made: one traces back to the American drip coffee tradition, the other was born during World War II at the hands of American GIs in Italy. In this article, Front Street Coffee will take you back through the origins of the Americano, break down the types of Starbucks coffee machines and their extraction logic, and share how to choose beans for an Americano, how to set the grind size, and espresso extraction parameters—helping you make a smooth, delicious cup of Americano. [more…]