Since the full resumption of cross-border travel, mainland tourists' enthusiasm for visiting Hong Kong has continued to rise. Beyond the traditional shopping and food itineraries, those highly photogenic "internet-famous photo spots" have also become an indispensable stop on the journey. %Arabica, located by the waterfront in Kennedy Town, Western District, has long dominated the must-visit lists on major social platforms thanks to its seaside all-white exterior and "mirror of the sky" scenery. However, recently, a lamppost on one side of this store suddenly had an accident—emitting smoke, a loud bang, and parts flying off—leaving a passing mainland tourist with a head injury. The incident quickly drew attention, and the Highways Department and the gas company successively responded. What exactly caused the incident? What was the scene like? Let's find out together. [more…]

The moka pot is a brewing device commonly kept at home by many coffee enthusiasts. It has a simple structure and is easy to operate, yet it can extract a rich, full-bodied coffee liquid. This article will start with the basic structure of the moka pot, then provide a detailed introduction to its working principle, suitable coffee bean choices, specific operating steps, and how to avoid explosion risks. At the same time, we will also answer the question of how to make a single-serving moka pot. The article recommends several coffee beans from the Front Street brand to help you make a choice based on your taste preferences. Whether you are a beginner or a veteran, you can find practical tips and precautions here. [more…]

Manner stores nationwide recently launched the Wampee Tonic Americano and Wampee Tonic Special Drink, priced at 15 yuan, available only via the mini-program and in-store ordering. Because they contain tonic water, stirring can easily cause a foam eruption, and social media has been flooded with "victims" sharing their embarrassing experiences—takeaway cups and personal cups alike are hard-pressed to escape. This article breaks down the science behind the splashing, baristas' coping techniques, and netizens' summarized anti-eruption tips, along with Front Street Coffee's related recommendations, to help coffee lovers safely enjoy this new product. [more…]

McDonald's recently suspended the use of certain coffee machines at some restaurants in the United States and Canada after its coffee machine supplier, Melitta, reported safety hazards with the equipment, leaving espresso-based drinks, hot chocolate, and other products unavailable. According to CBS News, Melitta found that a component of the coffee machines may be defective, potentially causing a steam explosion and damaging the equipment, and inspections and investigations could last three weeks. McDonald's has more than 14,000 restaurants across the United States and sells nearly 8 million cups of coffee every day. The incident has affected multiple cities, including Atlanta, Dallas, Pittsburgh, New York, and Tampa. The brand said it is assessing the scope of the impact and working closely with the supplier to restore supply as soon as possible. [more…]

A newly purchased moka pot also needs to undergo a "seasoning" process like an iron wok, in order to remove metal shavings and oil residue left from manufacturing. But seasoning is not simply rinsing—it involves many details: Why can't you season it with just water? When should you stop heating to avoid bursting the pot? How should you clean and store it properly? Front Street Coffee will explain in detail the correct method for seasoning a moka pot, and share key precautions during use, helping you safely and efficiently enjoy the coffee pleasure brought by a moka pot. [more…]

Recently, the food delivery competition between JD.com and Meituan has yet to subside, and Ele.me has now joined the fray with a large number of coupons and subsidies. While delivery users enjoy low-priced milk tea, staff at brands like Molly Tea are under unprecedented order pressure. Drinks that originally cost a dozen yuan per cup have seen their prices plummet to five or six yuan after platform subsidies, or even just a few cents, causing order volumes to instantly double or surge, with some stores handling as many as five or six hundred orders per day. Understaffing, material shortages, riders urging them on, and customer complaints have become the daily reality for these coffee and milk tea workers. This article will take you behind the scenes of this delivery subsidy frenzy to see the real working conditions and helplessness of frontline employees. [more…]

The food delivery platforms have once again kicked off a subsidy war, with Meituan and Alibaba distributing large numbers of milk tea redemption vouchers to users, triggering a collective surge in orders at chain stores such as Mixue Bingcheng, Chabaidao, Goodme, and Shanghai Auntie. On the night of July 5, orders flooded into tea beverage stores in many places like a tidal wave, receipt printers nearly collapsed, and employees kept busy from the evening shift until the early hours of the morning yet still could not clear the backlog of orders. Some stores urgently called back off-duty employees for support, while delivery riders and customers surrounded the stores so tightly that not a drop could get through. While consumers got milk tea for 0 yuan, the workers behind the counter experienced a night comparable to "doomsday." This game between platforms ultimately shifted the pressure onto the frontline tea beverage workers. [more…]

Staying up late on New Year's Eve, exchanging New Year's greetings on the first day of the lunar new year — most workers can finally set aside their jobs and take a break. But in the coffee industry, there are still a group of people standing behind the bar, facing the morning rush of overwhelming orders, advance delivery orders, and the fluctuating customer flow after office buildings close for the holiday. Some are full of energy, driven by triple pay; some hold out on instant noodles in their posts until the New Year bell rings; and some set off on the road home well before New Year's Eve. This article records the real situations of coffee workers during the Spring Festival, taking a look at who is busy, who is slacking off, and who is secretly treating themselves to a latte during this holiday. [more…]

Recently, Nayuki launched "Unsweetened · Nayuki Black Grape," promoted as having 0 added sugar with all sweetness coming from fruit, yet it drew complaints from consumers for being too sweet. The brand replaced sucrose with apple juice, but concentrated apple juice can have a sugar content exceeding 50, meaning the actual sugar content of the entire drink is not low. This approach is similar to the strategy some brands use of hiding additives in ingredients, maintaining sweetness while preserving the "healthy" selling point. Consumers' impression of juice as naturally burden-free is being exploited, while the risk of blood sugar spikes remains. This article sorts out the ins and outs of the incident and includes related product information from Front Street Coffee, exploring the trade-off tea beverage brands face between taste and health. [more…]

Affected by both the pandemic and rising coffee bean prices due to reduced harvests, more and more consumers are turning to making coffee at home, driving rapid growth in the coffee machine market. According to a CCTV Finance report, coffee machine sales climbed for six consecutive months in 2022, with year-on-year growth peaking at over 200%, and domestic coffee machines performing especially well. With features such as smart temperature control and pressure adjustment, plus outstanding value for money, domestic models have not only won favor in China but also seen a sharp increase in export orders, with some companies operating at full capacity. This article reviews market data, export trends, and consumer preferences, and brings professional insights from Front Street Coffee. [more…]

Recently, a consumer in Xi'an posted on social media that when opening a canned Nescafé Absolute Black coffee powder purchased on an e-commerce platform, the coffee powder burst out explosively, leaving a mess on their face, clothes, and floor, and causing a wound near their nose. After contacting the seller and manufacturer, the company explained it away as being due to altitude and air pressure, and was only willing to gift two cans of coffee powder, refusing to compensate for contact lenses or medical expenses. The incident sparked heated discussion online, with many questioning the customer service explanation and noting that brands such as illy have also had similar occurrences. Front Street Coffee has noted that the lack of safety warnings on canned coffee powder deserves industry attention. [more…]

The collaboration between Gu Ming and the hit game "Honkai: Star Rail" ignited a consumer frenzy as soon as it launched, with over 1.2 million people queuing in the mini-program, and the topic quickly shot to the top of trending searches. Store orders poured in like snowflakes, and the limited-edition drinks were all fresh fruit smoothies with complex preparation processes. Under high-intensity operation, multiple smoothie machines were overwhelmed, emitting white smoke and even exploding on the spot, while staff were so busy they didn't even have time to drink water. To deal with equipment failures, some stores prepared backup machines in advance, while others had to borrow juicers from neighboring Shu Yi Shao Xian Cao and Luckin for emergency use. Behind this collaboration frenzy, issues such as excessively high thresholds for obtaining merchandise and enormous pressure on stores were exposed, also triggering discussions on optimization measures such as selling drinks and merchandise separately and cup storage services. [more…]

Luckin Coffee's R&D team recently launched a drink inspired by summer's blue skies and white clouds — the Blue Sky White Cloud Latte. Built on the coconut cloud latte recipe and dusted with sky-blue sugar powder, it looks stunning but has triggered a wave of complaints about its sweetness. Many netizens report that even when they request less sugar or no sugar, the finished drink is still so sweet it clogs the throat, with the coffee flavor completely masked. At the same time, baristas complain that the blue sugar powder clumps极易 easily, requiring forceful breaking apart before dusting, yet even distribution remains difficult, and the flying powder tends to attract insects. Another drink, the Coconut Mille-Crepe Nari Ice, is similarly sweet, but fares slightly better in reputation thanks to its slushy texture that blends more smoothly. This article takes a detailed look at the taste performance, production difficulties, and consumer feedback of these two new products, offering a reference for coffee lovers. [more…]

The moka pot, Italy's national-level home coffee brewing device, can extract a rich, espresso-like coffee liquid. However, in practice, many enthusiasts are confused about when to turn off the heat, the flow rate of the coffee liquid, and whether tamping is necessary. This article will start with selecting coffee beans suitable for the moka pot, explain in detail how to determine the dose, control the water volume, and provide grinding size reference standards, and then walk through the moka pot coffee-making process step by step, helping you avoid risks such as explosions and splattering, and easily brew a cup of mellow, rich moka pot coffee. [more…]

Typhoon "Ragasa" approached Guangdong with Category 17 intensity, prompting Guangzhou, Shenzhen and other cities to successively activate "five suspensions" measures, forcing residents to pause going out for a day. As the typhoon made landfall in Yangjiang's Hailing Island and weakened, the "five suspensions" were lifted across various areas, and demand for tea beverage consumption was instantly unleashed. Orders on delivery platforms surged at one point, with stores of Starbucks, Heytea, Nayuki, 1 Dian Dian, Chagee and others generally experiencing order explosions, some stores briefly receiving two to three hundred orders, leaving milk tea workers overwhelmed. Insufficient staffing and material preparation led to slow order fulfillment and frequent mistakes, with consumers waiting over an hour. This post-typhoon tea beverage consumption wave not only reflects the high-frequency rigid demand for drinks in daily life but also makes frontline workers the most direct "bearers" of the pressure. [more…]

The recent news of IKEA urgently recalling its Italian-style moka pots has prompted many coffee lovers to re-examine the safety of this classic piece of equipment. Do moka pots really pose a risk of exploding? And what operational details must be kept in mind during daily use? Front Street Coffee has put together the key points about moka pots, from their structural principles to practical operation, covering new pot seasoning, water level control, coffee bed handling, gasket replacement cycles, heat source compatibility, and troubleshooting common issues. As for coffee bean selection, Front Street has also provided suitable roasting directions and specific product recommendations for moka pots. As long as you master the correct method, the moka pot remains a reliable helper for making espresso-style coffee at home. [more…]

The moka pot is an extremely common classic coffee device in Italian households, with almost every home keeping one on hand. It relies on the steam pressure generated by heating the lower chamber to push hot water through the coffee grounds and into the upper chamber, thereby producing a cup of rich coffee with oils. However, in China, not many people truly understand its correct use. This article will begin with the moka pot's invention history, structural composition, and extraction principles, then explain in detail the key steps such as the water filling position, coffee distribution method, heating rhythm, and grind size. Combined with a brewing example using Front Street PWN Golden Mandheling, it will help readers avoid splashing, explosion hazards caused by improper operation, and problems such as the pot seizing shut and being impossible to open after use, so that the moka pot can produce consistent results. [more…]

Although the siphon brewer involves many steps and takes a fair amount of time—keeping it from becoming as mainstream for daily use as pour-over—its unique visual performance and distinctive cup profile have truly won over a devoted group of enthusiasts. Today, Front Street Coffee will start with the operating principle of the siphon brewer to help you understand how thermal expansion and contraction drive extraction, then gradually sort through the pitfalls and dangerous practices that are easy to stumble into during use, so as to avoid pot-explosion accidents. At the same time, we will also explain the approach to temperature control during brewing, making the whole process both safe and fun, so you can easily make a cup of distinctive siphon coffee. [more…]

Also from the Hambela area of the Guji region in Ethiopia, how do the two processing methods—natural and washed—bring about completely different flavor expressions in Huakui? This article systematically compares Front Street Natural Huakui and Front Street Washed Huakui, from origin background, green bean appearance, cupping data, to pour-over recommendations. The natural version wins with its explosive aromas of passion fruit, strawberry, and jackfruit, while the washed version stands out for its clean mouthfeel with green tea, green mandarin, and a black tea finish. Although the cupping scores differ, each style has its own followers and suits coffee lovers with different preferences. [more…]

Yirgacheffe is synonymous with Ethiopian specialty coffee, and the Worka processing station in the Gedeb region is renowned for its outstanding natural processing method. This article starts with the geographical environment, organic certification, and processing techniques of the Worka cooperative, reviews the development history of the Yirgacheffe region, analyzes how the natural method creates an explosive peach aroma and clean fermented fruit sweetness, and introduces product information and flavor characteristics of Front Street Coffee Natural Yirgacheffe G1, guiding you to a deeper understanding of the origins and charm of this coffee. [more…]