Front Street Coffee takes you on an in-depth look at Hacienda La Esmeralda's anaerobic slow natural process. In 2019, the estate's natural coffee set a new record with 95.25 points, and its washed lot also scored 95 points, both reaching new highs. The Lamastus family uses an anaerobic slow-dry technique, fermenting the coffee beans in oxygen-free tanks for five days, then drying them slowly over five weeks, resulting in intense wine aromas and cocoa notes in the cup. This article not only reviews the details of this breakthrough processing method, but also analyzes its flavor impact on coffees of different altitudes and varieties, especially how Geisha retains its clean and elegant character at high altitudes. [more…]

Geisha coffee is widely recognized as the most noble variety in specialty coffee, and Panama's Elida Estate set a historic record of 94.15 points in the 2016 BOP competition with its exceptional Geisha beans. This article will guide you through the origins and flavor characteristics of Geisha, and provide an in-depth analysis of Elida Estate's ASD anaerobic slow-dry natural processing method—a technique pioneered by estate owner Mr. Wilford that, through sealed anaerobic fermentation and low-temperature slow drying, gives the coffee more pronounced floral notes and tropical fruit tones. Front Street Coffee will also share the specific brewing parameters and flavor profile of this Panama Elida Estate Geisha, making it a worthwhile read for every specialty coffee enthusiast. [more…]

Ethiopia, as the birthplace of coffee, has nurtured countless native varieties. Among them, the Yirgacheffe region stands apart as its own appellation thanks to its distinctive floral and citrus notes, making it a focal point of attention for coffee lovers worldwide. Within Yirgacheffe's Konga Cooperative, the Armetilalo processing station cultivates coffee cherries at 2,200 meters on red soil and employs an Anaerobic Slow Dry (ASD) process, undergoing 120 hours of sealed fermentation and 5 weeks of slow drying to create a full-flavored specialty coffee. These Armetilalo coffee beans won both the Ethiopian National Competition and the Africa TOH championship in 2019/2020, with a cupping score of 90.7. Front Street Coffee has selected these beans and presents them with a medium-light roast, bringing out layers of citrus, berry, cream, rose tea, and white grape. This article will take an in-depth look at their regional background, processing method, and brewing performance. [more…]

At the Amederaro processing station in Ethiopia, at an altitude of 2,200 meters, a coffee bean named Amederaro was born, one that went on to win both the national and African regional finals of the 2019/20 TOH competition. This bean, brought to you by Front Street Coffee, undergoes anaerobic slow drying; after being harvested as fully ripe cherries and carefully sorted, it is slowly fermented in an anaerobic environment, creating layered flavors of passion fruit, honey, champagne, and white grape, with abundant juiciness and a balanced fermented character. This article will provide a comprehensive introduction to this coffee—both powerful and refined—from the perspectives of its origin background, processing method, flavor profile, and the meaning of the TOH competition. [more…]

As a veteran famous estate in the Boquete production region of Panama, Elida Estate has won championships in BOP competitions for many years, and its Catuai variety coffee beans have always attracted much attention. This article focuses on the newly listed Elida Estate · Anaerobic Natural Catuai from Front Street, providing a detailed interpretation of the ASD (slow anaerobic natural) processing method, analyzing the flavor performance and roasting approach of this bean, and sharing Front Street's specific parameters and serving experience in pour-over and espresso preparation. Whether you want to understand the tier positioning of this bean or are curious about the unique flavors brought by ASD processing, you can find the answers here. [more…]

At the Amederaro processing station, perched at 2,200 meters above sea level, an Ethiopian coffee bean known as Front Street Amederaro is born. It undergoes anaerobic slow drying: after harvesting, only fully ripe cherries are carefully selected and slowly fermented in an oxygen-free environment, ultimately revealing a complex flavor profile with top notes of passion fruit, interwoven with honey and champagne nuances, a full-bodied juice-like mouthfeel, and a subtle hint of rose tea. This bean clinched consecutive victories in the 2019/20 TOH national competition and the African regional finals, rightfully earning the title of "Double Champion." Meanwhile, the Worka cooperative in the Yirgacheffe region has also introduced an anaerobic natural batch, offering a refreshing blend of floral notes with mango and lemon, perfect for summer enjoyment. This article will thoroughly dissect the processing techniques, flavor dimensions, and competition background of Amederaro, along with recommendations for other specialty-processed beans from the same region. [more…]

Colombia, as the world's third-largest coffee-producing country, supplies today's specialty coffee market with Arabica beans and has given rise to many well-known coffees. This article focuses on Front Street Coffee's Huayeyue — from the Acevedo Gaitán farm in the Huila region, processed using anaerobic slow sun-drying, undergoing 15 to 20 days of low-temperature fermentation and slow drying, which gives the coffee a distinctive aroma and layered flavor. The article will also introduce the growing background of estate owner Ramirez, as well as the Caturra variety's dwarfing advantages, yield and disease-resistance characteristics, and its crisp fruity acidity, taking you deeper into understanding the appeal of this specially processed coffee. [more…]

Santos Café Panamá is located in the Nacimiento area of Santa Clara and has been owned and passed down by the Lezcano family since their purchase in 1947, now spanning five generations. In 2014, estate owner Mario Lezcano acquired La Marma estate and formally entered the specialty coffee field, and his Pacamara "White Horse" even won the traditional washed category championship at the 2021 BOP competition. This article focuses on Santos Estate's Geisha coffee beans, providing a detailed explanation of the ASD anaerobic fermentation low-temperature slow sun-drying process they use, and presenting Front Street Coffee's roasting approach, cupping performance, and V60 brewing parameters for this bean, offering you a comprehensive understanding of this Panamanian Geisha that combines dark berries, hawthorn acidity, and a black tea finish. [more…]

Although the variety of beans displayed at Front Street's store isn't exactly extensive, it's not small either. There are always customers who, unsure how to choose, ask Front Street: "Which bean do you personally prefer?" Recently, customers have often asked Front Street this very question. To be honest, every bean has its own unique character. [more…]

Front Street recently acquired a Geisha coffee bean from Elida Estate in Panama, processed using the NATURAL-ASD anaerobic fermentation low-temperature slow sun-drying method—the same process used for this year's Panama BOP champion Geisha in the processing category. After the beans were properly rested, we tested brewing with a hollow filter cup, Ice Eye filter cup, cake filter cup, and diamond filter cup, standardizing the parameters to 15 grams of coffee, medium-fine grind, 90°C water temperature, and a 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, recording the extraction time and flavor performance for each filter cup. Elida Estate is renowned for its sun-dried processing, and this ASD Geisha shines in fermentation aroma, juicy mouthfeel, and layered tea-like notes. Below, we share four specific brewing recipes and comparison results for coffee enthusiasts' reference. [more…]

Geisha coffee is widely recognized as the noblest variety in specialty coffee, and Panama's Elida Estate set a historic record at the 2016 Best of Panama auction with a score of 94.15. From the perspective of Front Street Coffee, this article systematically reviews the origins and flavor characteristics of the Geisha variety, with a focus on the growing conditions at Elida Estate in the Boquete region of Panama, the ASD anaerobic slow-dry processing method, and the specific brewing parameters and flavor descriptions for both the washed and anaerobic natural Geisha, giving you a comprehensive understanding of the story and tasting points behind this legendary coffee bean. [more…]

Colombian coffee has always been known for its bright fruity notes and fresh style, and a micro-lot from Front Street Coffee—Rose Valley from Big Tree Estate—uses an anaerobic double enzyme washed process to let the Caturra variety show a stunning sense of layering. This bean comes from the Santander region, at 1,700 meters above sea level, and is carefully managed by Vargas, who has run Big Tree Farm for twenty years. From picking fully red cherries to two rounds of anaerobic fermentation, then to fermentation with a special enzyme group and slow drying, every step creates its unique flavor that can rival Geisha. This article will take you deep into the origin background, processing method, and flavor performance of this Front Street Colombian Rose Valley, so you can feel the diverse charm of Colombian coffee. [more…]

Special processing methods have been steadily gaining popularity in the coffee world. These processing methods give coffee beans a distinctive flavor signature and rich aroma, forming a strong contrast with traditional processing methods. This article uses Front Street Coffee's Colombia Rose Valley coffee beans as a sample to deeply analyze the principles and characteristics of the double anaerobic enzyme washed processing method. Starting from the basic concept of anaerobic fermentation, it gradually breaks down the specific process of double fermentation, and combines the growing background of Big Tree Estate and the characteristics of the Caturra variety to present the complete picture of this bean. At the same time, it also includes Front Street's recommended V60 brewing parameters and operating steps to help coffee lovers reproduce Rose Valley's peach, cranberry, and liqueur chocolate flavors at home. [more…]

Nowadays, the names of coffee processing methods are becoming more and more varied, from anaerobic natural to low-temperature slow anaerobic washed, from black honey and red honey to enzyme washed, making one dazzled. Behind this complexity, there are actually two main threads: the birth of early processing methods was the result of the producing region's environment forcing it—for example, Indonesia's humid and rainy climate gave rise to washed and wet-hulled methods; while the evolution of contemporary processing methods stems from the consumer market's dual pursuit of flavor expression and traceability information. This article will sort out the evolution from natural, washed to honey processing and anaerobic fermentation, analyze how different processing techniques affect coffee flavor, and reveal the deeper reasons behind the increasingly refined naming of processing methods. [more…]

Colombian coffee is known for its diverse styles and bright fruity notes, and is one of the few single-origin coffees in the world sold under a country name. This article focuses on Front Street Colombia Finca El Arbol Rose Valley, analyzing its cultivation background in the Santander region, Caturra variety, 1,700-meter altitude, anaerobic double enzyme washed processing, and slow drying techniques, breaking down its complex aromas of white peach, strawberry, melon, rose, and champagne, while presenting its creamy toffee-like silky mouthfeel, to give you an understanding of the flavor sources and origin strength of this small-yield star bean. [more…]

Front Street Coffee takes you deep into Costa Rica's Tarrazú region to explore the Bach specialty coffee beans of Canet Estate. These beans undergo a unique raisin honey processing method, combining mucilage and anaerobic techniques. After harvesting, they are sun-dried for at least three days, with the timing of depulping while retaining mucilage precisely controlled, before entering the drying stage. Climatic conditions are key to the success of honey processing—slow drying is needed to promote surface fermentation, while avoiding excessive soaking. High-frequency turning ensures uniform dehydration. The result is a rich, complex flavor, full-bodied oiliness, and extremely high sweetness, with layers of berry and citrus acidity, juicy balance, and a delicate body. [more…]

In recent years, an increasing number of specialty green coffee beans processed with special processing methods have appeared on the specialty coffee market. Is this really something to be happy about? Front Street Coffee believes that special processing methods were originally intended to give the flavor of coffee beans from a certain producing region more distinctiveness. However, as their use has continued to expand, some processing methods today seem to be more about masking the defects of the coffee beans themselves and then selling them at a high price. In fact, all special processing methods have evolved around the three traditional methods: washed, natural, and honey. This article will systematically sort out the most common types of special processing methods on the market, including anaerobic fermentation, barrel fermentation, and red wine processing, and, combined with Front Street Coffee's cupping experience and specific products, analyze their processing procedures and flavor characteristics. [more…]

Colombia, with its low latitude, high altitude, and diverse terrain, has become an important origin for specialty coffee worldwide. Front Street Coffee currently offers seven Colombian single-origin beans, covering Rose Valley, Flower Moon Night, Big Belly Button, Sidra, Hacienda La Esperanza Geisha, decaf beans, and Huila everyday beans. This article will systematically review the characteristics of Colombia's main cultivated varieties—Caturra, Castillo, Pink Bourbon, and Geisha—analyze the terroir conditions of specialty regions such as Huila, Cauca, Nariño, and Tolima, and introduce processing methods including washed, semi-washed, anaerobic natural, and anaerobic enzyme-washed. Finally, it will include Front Street's roasting curves, cupping flavors, and brewing parameter recommendations for each bean. [more…]

Anaerobic fermentation processing is a green bean processing technology that has attracted much attention in the coffee industry in recent years. Since Sasa Sestic, the 2015 WBC champion, brought it to the forefront, it has quickly swept through the specialty coffee world. Inspired by red wine-making techniques, this processing method injects carbon dioxide into a sealed container to expel oxygen, creating an oxygen-free environment that allows precise control of the fermentation process, giving coffee beans higher sweetness and more unique flavor layers. As processing technologies continue to evolve, experimental methods such as anaerobic natural, anaerobic washed, and double anaerobic have emerged one after another, each presenting distinctly different flavor expressions. This article will systematically sort out the principles and origins of anaerobic fermentation, and analyze one by one the process steps and flavor characteristics of these three common anaerobic processing methods, while also explaining them in conjunction with specific Front Street Coffee bean offerings. [more…]

At the 2020 Taste of Harvest (TOH) Africa coffee competition, a natural coffee from the Armelelalu processing plant in the Konga region of Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia, scored 90.70 points to win the natural group championship and the overall championship. This bean uses heirloom varieties, is grown at an altitude of 2,200 meters, and undergoes anaerobic slow-dry natural processing, presenting rose floral notes, a fresh fruit-champagne quality, intense tropical fruit aromas, and a candied sweetness, with a round and smooth mouthfeel and a long-lasting sweet aftertaste. This article will guide you through the background of the TOH competition, detailed information about this champion bean, and why the Yirgacheffe region is hailed as synonymous with delicious coffee. [more…]