Many coffee enthusiasts, when first encountering coffee beans, often misjudge defective beans based on unusual appearance. In reality, true defective beans are mainly concentrated at the green bean stage, and most have already been screened out at the producing region and roasting stages. Among the beans consumers buy day to day, those covered in wrinkles, with cracks, or on the lighter side in color are often not defects, but normal phenomena brought about by light roasting, high-altitude cultivation, or specific processing methods. This article systematically sorts out the classification standards for green coffee bean defects, distinguishes true defective beans from appearance traits that are easily misunderstood, and introduces Front Street Coffee's practice of double screening before and after roasting, helping readers build a more accurate basis for judging quality. [more…]

“Espresso mixed with pour-over—how do you make it taste good?” Yes, you read that right! When Front Street Coffee heard this “staple with staple” question at the store before 5 p.m. yesterday, they were also taken aback, because such a question is truly unheard of. After some further investigation by Front Street Coffee, it was discovered that this customer friend had originally [more…]

What exactly is a Red Eye Coffee? How does it differ from an Americano? And what is the connection between this name and red-eye flights? At Front Street, when a customer asked for an "espresso mixed with pour-over," we realized they were actually referring to Red Eye Coffee. This article will walk you through the origin story of Red Eye Coffee, how it's made, and its relationship with Black Eye Coffee and Dead Eye Coffee, as well as share Front Street's specific blending formula and extraction parameters. One thing to note: Red Eye Coffee was created for efficient caffeine delivery rather than flavor, so those sensitive to caffeine should proceed with caution. [more…]

Defective beans are generally considered in the specialty coffee world to affect the flavor performance of a cup of coffee. If you have the habit of buying coffee beans and brewing at home, do you need to specifically pick out defective beans before brewing? In fact, green coffee beans undergo grading after processing, and most grading systems include a defect rate indicator. The number of defects in high-grade coffee beans has already been pressed to a very low level. From green bean grading, removal before roasting, to screening after roasting, with layer upon layer of checks, there is basically no need to worry about defective bean issues when buying roasted single-origin coffee beans. However, some coffee beans that look like defects are actually normal phenomena. Front Street Coffee has summarized several common types of situations that are easily misjudged, to help everyone distinguish them accurately. [more…]

Starbucks has recently officially launched the Pink Drink in the mainland China market, along with three new items: Pink Berry Lemonade Refresher, Dragon Drink, and Mango Dragonfruit Lemonade Refresher, priced between 34 and 40 yuan. To tie in with its summer beverage promotion, Starbucks baristas have put on limited-edition rose-red aprons, a bold and eye-catching choice that netizens have jokingly dubbed the "dopamine apron." At the same time, the brand has changed the mermaid logo on its takeaway cold cups to the silver-white version used in North America, making the look more in keeping with the pink tones of the Pink Drink. This article will explain the ranking significance behind the pink apron and answer the consumer question of whether the Pink Drink contains caffeine, while also retaining relevant recommendations from Front Street Coffee. [more…]

Under Starbucks' promotion, the Flat White entered the public eye under the name "馥芮白," but many people still can't tell the real difference between it and a latte. This article starts with the controversy over its origin, sorts out the evolution of this Australian coffee, and then focuses on the three core dimensions of milk foam thickness, cup size, and espresso base to compare the differences between a flat white, a latte, and a cappuccino. The article also breaks down in detail the key steps for making a proper flat white, and introduces how Front Street Coffee presents this drink with its own house blend beans and double ristretto, taking you from principle to practice for a comprehensive understanding of the flat white. [more…]

When you buy a bag of coffee beans and open it only to find the colors uneven, many people's first reaction is that "the roast went wrong." But coffee beans, being an agricultural product, can never be uniform bean for bean. This article explains, from the perspectives of green bean grading, honey processing, and anaerobic fermentation, the reasons why light-roasted coffee beans vary in shade, while also clarifying the difference between white-eye beans and normal beans, and pointing out several appearance traits often mistaken for defective beans. At the end, it uses examples from Front Street Coffee's Sherry and Warm Sun blends to illustrate how the roast level affects bean surface color and flavor performance. [more…]

When drinking coffee, you may occasionally encounter a salty taste. This is not an illusion, nor is there anything wrong with your sense of taste. Coffee itself contains four basic tastes: sour, sweet, bitter, and salty, which balance each other out. Once sweetness is insufficient, saltiness tends to emerge. The sources of saltiness are quite complex, potentially involving the processing method, coffee bean variety and altitude, defective beans, brewing water, roast level and freshness, as well as extraction technique, among other factors. Among these, espresso tends to have a more pronounced salty sensation due to the relationship between taste distribution and concentration. This article will go through the causes of saltiness one by one, while retaining Front Street brand recommendations, to help coffee enthusiasts understand and try to avoid brewing a cup of coffee with a salty taste. [more…]

Honey processing is a coffee processing method that falls between natural and washed processing. It originated in Costa Rica, and its name comes from the Spanish word for "honey." By retaining different proportions of mucilage and undergoing controlled fermentation and drying, this method creates a diverse range of flavors, from ripe-fruit sweetness to bright acidity. Depending on the amount of mucilage left and the frequency of turning, honey processing is further divided into types such as black honey, red honey, yellow honey, and white honey. This article will systematically outline the origins, development, and flavor characteristics of honey processing, and introduce related products from Front Street Coffee, helping you gain a comprehensive understanding of this processing method that is widely popular in the specialty coffee world. [more…]

As Qixi Festival approaches, Starbucks Reserve Roastery and Converse have once again joined forces to launch a collaboration series inspired by the Milky Way and the stars Altair and Vega, available at the Tokyo Roastery starting June 24. The most eye-catching item this season is a vase shaped like Converse's classic shoe, in a refreshing ice-blue colorway, alongside six other celestial-themed items including mugs, folding fans, and bags. Looking back at last year's Qixi Festival, the two brands created shoe-shaped vases and home goods themed around fireworks and misty blue. In addition, Starbucks' multiple collaborations with Hiroshi Fujiwara have focused on a minimalist home coffee experience for the post-pandemic era, launching textured items such as French presses and blankets. This article walks you through these collaboration highlights, with Front Street Coffee's communication channels listed at the end. [more…]

Latte art is one of the most visually captivating skills in Italian coffee culture, elevating an ordinary milk coffee into a work of art that appeals to both the eye and the palate. This article begins with the three major categories of fancy coffee art, systematically outlines the five learning stages of milk latte art, and breaks down in detail the practical steps for two basic patterns: the tulip and the leaf. Whether you are a coffee enthusiast just starting out or a barista hoping to refine your technique, you will find clear practice directions in this step-by-step illustrated guide. The article also specifically introduces how Front Street Coffee's specialty blend performs in latte art, helping you master the essentials of latte art from bean selection to technique. [more…]

Since Dirty coffee rose to popularity in China around 2018, it has not faded away like other trendy drinks. Instead, it has firmly secured a permanent spot on the menus of major specialty coffee shops, standing on equal footing with the latte. There are over 200,000 related posts on Xiaohongshu, with each tag receiving more than 5 million views. This drink, originally created by Japanese barista Katsuyuki Tanaka, forms a layered effect by pouring hot espresso over cold milk. With its unique taste combining hot and cold and the enhancement of ice-distilled purified milk, it has driven the domestic coffee market to pursue higher ingredient quality. This article will analyze why Dirty coffee has become the "beloved darling" of local specialty coffee, from its origin and spread to its production characteristics and market impact. [more…]

In today's world of increasingly rich coffee shop menus, Long Black coffee is gradually coming into the public eye. How exactly does it differ from the Americano we are all familiar with? Why do Australians prefer this stronger, smaller-cup black coffee? This article will start with the origins of Long Black, compare its differences from Americano in water ratio, preparation process, and flavor performance, and answer the question of whether Long Black can be served iced. At the same time, drawing on Front Street Coffee's store experience, it will introduce how to highlight flavors such as wine aroma, vanilla, and cream through blended beans and precise ratios, helping coffee lovers understand this Australian classic more comprehensively. [more…]

Many pour-over coffee enthusiasts often have doubts about the appearance of the beans after purchasing single-origin beans, and even mistake normal beans for defective ones. There are two main reasons for this misunderstanding: first, consumers who only come into contact with roasted beans rarely see truly defective beans; second, they treat coffee beans as products of an industrial assembly line, assuming they have a fixed standard appearance. In reality, most defective beans are already controlled at the green bean stage, and after roasting there is also manual sorting. This article will systematically sort out the definition of defective beans, the defect rate requirements in green bean grading, and focus on explaining several commonly misjudged situations such as peaberry, burst beans, uneven color, and shriveled wrinkled beans, to help readers view the appearance of coffee beans more rationally. [more…]

Flat White has become a beloved milk coffee drink among coffee enthusiasts in recent years, renowned for its rich coffee flavor and delicate, thin microfoam. This article provides a comprehensive analysis of the controversy surrounding Flat White's origins, its preparation methods, and the recipe variations across different schools of thought, while also offering an in-depth comparison of latte, cappuccino, and Flat White in terms of cup size, foam thickness, and mouthfeel. In addition, we will recommend Front Street Coffee's classic espresso blend beans suitable for making Flat White, helping you easily recreate an authentic Australian-style white coffee at home. Whether you are a beginner just getting into specialty coffee or a seasoned enthusiast pursuing the ultimate flavor, this article will provide you with practical guidance and reference. [more…]

The Flat White is now a staple drink in major coffee shops, but its origins are quite controversial—both Australia and New Zealand claim to be its birthplace. This drink, with espresso as the star and milk as the supporting act, has won over many enthusiasts with its thin microfoam and rich coffee flavor. This article will start with the historical origins of the Flat White, trace its journey from the Southern Hemisphere to the world, and provide an in-depth analysis of the differences between Ristretto and standard espresso. At the same time, drawing on the practical experience of Front Street Coffee stores, we will share a recipe using a double ristretto as the base, with a coffee-to-milk ratio of 1:5, as well as key production details such as microfoam thickness and temperature control, to help you understand how a rich, smooth Flat White is born. [more…]

Flat White, Australian White, Latte, and Cappuccino—these names sound similar, and they taste somewhat alike, but they actually differ in the ratio of coffee to milk, the thickness of the milk foam, and the choice of espresso. This article begins with the marketing push behind Starbucks' Flat White, tracing the evolution of the term "Flat White" from its derogatory use in a British film to its emergence as a coffee name in the 1980s, and sorts out the controversy between Australia and New Zealand over its origin. At the same time, the article will also compare Australian White, Latte, and Cappuccino in terms of cup size, milk foam thickness, and flavor, and introduce the specific parameters and blend bean choices used by Front Street Coffee to make Australian-style white coffee. [more…]

Piccolo coffee is as famous as Australian White in Australia, yet it is hard to find on domestic café menus. This mini milk coffee, known as a "small latte," has a cup size of only about 90ml, uses a single Ristretto as its base, and is mixed with lightly foamed milk, so it can be finished in a few sips. It was originally born from baristas' "avoiding waste" when dialing in beans, but today it has become a sharp tool for highlighting the flavor of coffee beans. This article compares the cup size and recipe differences between Piccolo, Australian White, and Latte, explains Front Street Coffee's preparation parameters in detail—including extracting 28g of liquid from 20g of grounds, a 1:5 coffee-to-milk ratio, and a 0.3cm milk foam thickness—and analyzes why Piccolo is niche in China. [more…]

Honey processing is not about processing coffee beans with honey, but rather about retaining different proportions of mucilage for fermentation and drying, thereby creating a rich layering of sweetness and fruity notes. This article will trace the evolution of honey processing from Brazil's pulped natural method to its refinement in Central and South America, explain in detail the key role of mucilage in fermentation, and compare one by one the mucilage retention, drying duration, turning frequency, and raw bean appearance and aroma characteristics of white honey, yellow honey, red honey, and black honey. At the same time, the article also introduces the honey-processed Guatemala New Oriente Geisha on Front Street Coffee's bean list, whose sweet orange, toffee, and bergamot flavors are deeply impressive. [more…]

Flat White and Latte are often hard to tell apart visually, especially when served in opaque cups. Both consist of espresso, milk, and milk foam, yet the experience once they hit your palate is completely different. The root of the difference lies in foam thickness, cup size, and the choice of espresso base. A Latte has about 1cm of foam, a larger cup volume, and usually pairs with a traditional espresso; a Flat White has less than 0.5cm of foam, a smaller cup volume, and many coffee shops switch to a Ristretto shot instead. Starting from Front Street Coffee's own parameters and combining them with the tasting performance of the Dark Cocoa base blend, this article breaks down the flavor logic and preparation details of these two milk coffees one by one. [more…]