Hand grinders are generally considered inadequate for the fine grind required by espresso, but some manual grinders on the market do claim to manage it. In this article, we use the Timemore Chestnut G1S, a conical burr hand grinder, paired with Front Street Coffee's specialty espresso blend beans, and take the Yangjia 900N electric grinder as a reference, conducting multiple extraction tests by gradually adjusting the grind setting to observe the flow rate, crema, and flavor performance of espresso at different coarseness levels, and to analyze the differences in grinding method between conical and flat burrs, ultimately offering practical advice for making espresso with a hand grinder. [more…]

Although September has arrived, the summer heat has not yet faded, but chain coffee brands have already rushed into the autumn market. Starbucks China officially announced the launch of three autumn-flavored drinks on September 2, among which the Yan-Zhao Chestnut Red Bean Paste Latte has attracted much attention for blending with espresso. However, this new product, inspired by "the fragrance of northern autumn chestnuts," has drawn complaints from consumers due to issues such as the flavor sauce sinking to the bottom and the chestnut flavor being masked. This article will analyze in detail the background of the new product's development, the official introduction and the actual serving experience, and explore the differences in presentation between hot and cold drinks. [more…]

Front Street Coffee has previously introduced the concave-designed conical Ice Pupil dripper, and today we bring its younger sibling—the Ice Pupil B75. This flat-bottom dripper, co-designed by Li Jinlong and Timemore in 2022, gets its name from the Basket and its 75° angle. It features a 5cm extra-large drainage hole and a thick-walled heat-retaining structure, bringing the coffee bed closer to a cylindrical shape, allowing for smooth and even drainage. Front Street conducted both hot and iced brewing tests using Ethiopian 74158 Santa Vini and Emerald Green Label Geisha: during hot brewing, the B75 maintained a stable flow rate throughout, completing extraction in 2 minutes and 9 seconds, with prominent notes of dried mango, strawberry, and black tea, and an extremely strong sweetness; during iced brewing, it presented a balanced juice-like quality of honey, cream, and mandarin orange. The B75 is also very friendly to beginners who are not skilled at flow control, making it a powerful tool for amplifying the strengths of sweet beans. [more…]

Blue Bottle Coffee's fourth store in Shanghai has opened in Qingpu District's Panlong Tiandi, situated between a century-old historic house and a new building, integrating the brand's space into the ancient townscape of the Jiangnan water region. The store is divided into three areas: the historic house, the new building, and a public gathering space, preserving traditional architectural structures while infusing them with a modern design language. In addition, the Panlong store has introduced a Water Chestnut Cake Affogato that blends traditional flavors, combining the soft, sweet water chestnut cake with rich, aromatic Italian affogato to deliver a unique taste experience. Join us as we explore this Blue Bottle Coffee in the ancient town and experience the collision of coffee and local culture. [more…]

They are all milk coffees, but a latte, a cappuccino, and a Dirty differ in milk foam thickness, temperature, and drinking method, so they also have slightly different requirements for the beans. Choose the right beans, and each milk coffee can show its best form. Latte: balance and richness are the key. A latte has thinner milk foam, and the ratio of coffee to milk is close, [more…]

Milk coffee, commonly known as milk-based coffee, includes lattes, cappuccinos, Flat Whites, Dirty, and so on. The common feature of these drinks is that espresso and milk are blended together. When choosing beans, you need to consider both the flavor of the espresso itself and how it performs when blended with milk. [more…]

The flavor of milk coffee depends seventy percent on the coffee and thirty percent on the milk. If the espresso is too weak, the milk coffee easily turns into a "milky drink"; if the espresso is too harsh, it will overpower the milk aroma. So when making lattes, cappuccinos, or Dirty coffee, choosing the right blend is crucial. The following three Front Street Coffee blends are all very suitable for milk [more…]

Espresso is an indispensable drink for many people every day, but faced with a dazzling array of espresso beans, choosing can often feel overwhelming. This article lays out the approach to buying espresso beans in one go, according to different needs and scenarios. Choosing by need — For beginners: Front Street Coffee Classic Blend. Excellent crema performance, high fault tolerance, traditional Mamba recipe. [more…]

From bean to cup, a coffee must still go through grinding and extraction. When faced with aromatic moka pot coffee beans, your daily buying decision needs to consider how fast you'll drink them, how much to buy at once, and whether your home mainly makes black coffee or milk coffee. First confirm your usual equipment and preferred taste, then compare specific beans—putting this into practice will be [more…]

Chocolate-flavored coffee beans are best approached by gradually building your judgment from tasting experience. For everyday bean buying, you need to consider how quickly you'll drink them, how much to buy at once, and whether you mainly make black coffee or milk coffee at home. The flavor words on the packaging can offer clues, but they can't replace the actual drinking experience—whether the acidity is mellow, whether the sweetness lingers, whether the mouthfeel is [more…]

Nutty and cocoa-flavored coffee beans are suited to building your judgment gradually through tasting experience. When buying beans for everyday use, you need to consider how quickly you'll drink them, how much to buy at once, and whether you mainly make black coffee or milk coffee at home. The flavor words on the packaging can offer clues, but they cannot replace the actual drinking experience—whether the acidity is gentle, whether the sweetness lingers, whether the mouthfeel [more…]

When choosing specialty coffee beans for a moka pot, you can set the complex information aside for now. For everyday bean buying, you need to consider how quickly you'll drink them, how much to buy at once, and whether your home mainly makes black coffee or milk coffee. Start by looking at the two sets of differences—light versus rich, and black coffee versus milk coffee—then look at the roast date and processing method, and your judgment will be more in line with daily life. [more…]

When it comes to nutty and chocolatey flavored coffee, we should start with the actual cup experience. When buying beans for daily use, you need to consider how quickly you'll drink them, how much to buy at a time, and whether you mainly make black coffee or milk coffee at home. The roast level of the coffee beans determines the basic taste, the origin and processing method bring aromatic differences, and the equipment you use will change the concentration. Therefore, when selecting beans, you need to take into account [more…]

Whether you're just getting ready to set up a semi-automatic espresso machine at home or preparing to open a small coffee shop, choosing beans is an unavoidable step. Dark-roast blends are stable, tasty, and highly versatile—almost a safe bet for espresso-based drinks. Today we're going to talk about three blends from Front Street Coffee that are very suitable for cafés and home use. [more…]

To understand which coffee beans suit a moka pot Americano, you need to translate flavor descriptions into what you can actually taste. For everyday bean buying, you need to consider how fast you'll drink them, how much to buy at once, and whether your household mainly makes black coffee or milk coffee. Floral, fruity acidity, nutty and cocoa notes aren't a matter of better or worse—they're different directions, and the one that suits you is the one that [more…]

When choosing moka pot coffee beans suitable for beginners, you can set the complicated information aside for now. For everyday bean buying, you need to consider how quickly you'll drink them, how much to buy at a time, and whether you mainly make black coffee or milk coffee at home. Start with these two sets of differences—light versus rich, and black coffee versus milk coffee—then look at the roast date and processing method, and your judgment will be more [more…]

When choosing a tasty Brazilian coffee bean, you can set the complex information aside for now. For everyday bean buying, you need to consider how quickly you'll drink it, how much to buy at once, and whether you'll mainly make black coffee or milk coffee at home. Starting from these two pairs of differences—light or full-bodied, black coffee or milk coffee—and then looking at the roast date and processing method, your judgment will be more in tune with daily life. [more…]

When it comes to dark roast coffee beans suitable for pour-over, start by looking at how you plan to drink them every day. For everyday bean purchases, you need to consider how quickly you'll go through them, how much to buy at once, and whether you'll mainly make black coffee or milk coffee at home. If you mostly drink black coffee, you can pay more attention to aroma and aftertaste; if you often add milk, you need to consider whether the strength and body can hold up. [more…]

When choosing which single-origin beans are suitable for making moka pot coffee, you can first set aside the complicated information. For everyday bean buying, you need to consider how quickly you'll drink them, how much to buy at a time, and whether you mainly make black coffee or milk coffee at home. Start from the two pairs of differences—light versus rich, and black coffee versus milk coffee—then look at the roast date and processing method to judge [more…]

When it comes to coffee beans suitable for a Bialetti moka pot, start by considering how you plan to drink it every day. For everyday bean purchases, you need to think about how quickly you'll go through them, how much to buy at once, and whether you'll mainly be making black coffee or milk-based coffee at home. If you mainly drink black coffee, you can pay more attention to aroma and aftertaste; if you often add milk, then you need to consider whether the intensity and body can hold [more…]