When code meets caffeine, what kind of sparks will fly? Beta Coffee started in Hangzhou, founded by IT entrepreneur Bai Ya and his partners, and quickly became a public living room for the internet circle. This trend then swept through Beijing's Zhongguancun, with Garage Coffee, 3W Coffee, and others springing up, ushering in the "internet coffee era." These places are not just for drinking coffee, but also a arena for IT people to network, recruit, and seek investment. This article will take you through the founding journey of Beta Coffee, its unique rules, and those warm yet persistent entrepreneurial stories, to feel the internet spirit that connects infinite possibilities behind a cup of coffee. If you also enjoy exploring coffee culture, please follow Front Street Coffee, where we continue to bring you heartwarming coffee stories. [more…]

When IT thinking meets coffee culture, what kind of sparks will fly? In 2009, Bai Ya and a group of internet professionals founded Beta Coffee in Hangzhou, positioning it as a public living room for IT people. In just over two months, it was named the "Best Gathering Place for E-commerce Professionals." In 2011, this trend swept through Beijing's Zhongguancun, and Beta Coffee's Beijing branch officially opened. Soon after, Garage Coffee, 3W Coffee, and others emerged one after another, thus beginning the "Internet Coffee Era." This is not just a place to drink coffee, but also a physical platform for IT people to communicate, share, and seek opportunities. This article takes you into the jianghu stories of Beta Coffee, to experience the unique atmosphere created by the collision of the internet and coffee. [more…]

Recently, a friend asked me how to brew drip bag coffee and if there are any special techniques. You've come to the right person! As someone who once treated drip bag coffee like instant coffee, I'm here to teach you the ultimate secrets of brewing drip bag coffee! First, let's talk about drip bag coffee! Drip bag coffee is a type of coffee with a hanging ear paper card for filtration. [more…]

One of the most fascinating aspects of Arabica flavor is the imprint of its origin. Even though they are all Arabica beans, those from Ethiopia, Colombia, or Brazil often perform noticeably differently in the cup. Origin is like a coffee's flavor business card—once you understand it, you have a direction for choosing beans. Ethiopia is the birthplace of Arabica, and the cof [more…]

Yirgacheffe's characteristic floral, citrus, and tea notes depend heavily on the time between when the beans finish roasting and when they're brewed. When buying beans, don't just focus on a few words on the flavor card—also check the roast date, the packaging method, and your own drinking speed. When the beans are in the right state, the aromas open up, and the acidity and sweetness show more layers. After roasting [more…]

很多咖啡爱好者从前街购买了咖啡豆后，常常在后台询问手冲咖啡的具体操作方法。本文将为新手系统梳理手冲咖啡的入门知识，从两段专业视频的细节解读入手，涵盖滤纸润湿、闷蒸时间把控、分段注水技巧等关键步骤，并详细讲解研磨度、水温、粉水比例、冲煮时长四大核心参数的设置原则。此外，文章还通过多种粉层状态图例，帮助读者判断萃取是否均匀，并针对闷蒸不起来、咖啡苦涩、风味不足等常见问题给出排查思路。 [more…]

Because of their high quality and the convenience of brewing, more and more people are keeping a few packs of Front Street's drip coffee bags at home and in the office. As the seasons change, many regions are already starting to move into summer, and besides being brewed hot, drip coffee bags can actually be made into cold brew iced coffee too! In this article, Front [more…]

Recently, a friend asked how drip bag coffee should be brewed and if there are any particular techniques. Well, you've come to the right person! As someone who once brewed drip bag coffee as if it were instant coffee, I'm here to teach you the ultimate secret of brewing drip bag coffee! Let's first talk about drip bag coffee! Drip bag coffee is a filter with a hanging ear paper card. [more…]

Roasting is the process of turning green coffee beans into brown roasted beans~ The longer the roasting time and the longer the beans are exposed to heat, the darker the color of the coffee beans becomes. The surface color (bean surface) of the coffee beans when taken out of the roaster after different durations will also vary. This situation Front Street [more…]

At the 2025 Best of Panama, Finca Sophia took two of the top spots at once: second place in the washed Geisha category (96.25 points) and third place in the natural Geisha category (96.25 points). For an estate established only in 2008, [more…]

A proper espresso will have a delicate golden-brown foam floating on its surface, which Italians call Crema. It is the hallmark of espresso, yet it is often mistaken as the sole criterion for judging whether a coffee is good or bad. What exactly this layer of foam is and how it forms are worth discussing carefully. What is Crema? [more…]

Once you've been drinking coffee for a while, many people find themselves circling back to the same few familiar names: Yirgacheffe, Mandheling, Blue Mountain. These mainstream origins certainly have their strengths, but the map of the coffee world is far vaster than the regulars on the shelf. Shift your gaze just a little to the side, and you'll often stumble upon surprises. The so-called [more…]

Blue Mountain coffee's fame is almost as well known as its price. Many people's understanding of Blue Mountain stops at "expensive," but the reason Blue Mountain is a classic is by no means just its price. Its true value lies in a rare sense of balance: the four dimensions of acidity, sweetness, bitterness, and aroma are all controlled just right, making it smooth and mellow on the palate. [more…]

When opening a coffee shop, choosing beans is always the unavoidable lesson. New owners easily fall into two extremes: either they only pick the most expensive ones, and costs become unmanageable; or they only look at price, and the quality and reputation of the drinks suffer. A mature approach is tiered pairing: one main bean as the base, one everyday bean to control costs, and one specialty option for differentiation. Each [more…]

Having a De'Longhi machine in the office is a hard indicator of workplace happiness. But choosing beans for a shared coffee corner and for home follow two different logics: tastes vary and are hard to please, budgets are clearly divided between public and private, and no one takes the initiative to maintain it—the communal nature dictates a bean-selection strategy of "balance first." This article discusses bean selection and operation for an office De'Longhi coffee corner. The first principle [more…]

When choosing coffee beans for home use, you can first check the roast level on the packaging, then judge whether it suits your taste and equipment. Light roasts usually retain more of the origin's character, with floral notes, fruity acidity, and tea-like qualities standing out more; medium roasts lean toward sweetness and roundness; dark roasts make it easier to taste cocoa, nuts, and roasted aromas. Light roast [more…]

If you want to drink coffee with a clear berry flavor, the roast level is a very useful screening clue. Light roasts are more likely to retain the bright notes of fresh strawberries, raspberries, and red currants; medium roasts push the fruitiness toward jam, smoked plum, or ripe berries; and darker roasts often present a combination of dried berries, cocoa, and caramel. First, decide what you want. [more…]

If you want to drink coffee with a clear berry flavor, roast level is a very useful screening clue. Light roasts more easily preserve the bright aromas of fresh strawberries, raspberries, and red currants; medium roasts push the fruitiness toward jam, smoked plum, or ripe berries; and darker roasts often present a combination of dried berries, cocoa, and caramel. First determine what you want. [more…]

The roast level of Yirgacheffe directly affects its floral aroma, fruity acidity, sweetness, and mouthfeel. To buy beans that better suit your taste, you can first check whether the beans are light, medium, or darker roasted, and then decide which channel to look for them in. Different channels show varying levels of detail in their information, so the suitable way to choose beans also differs. Relatively [more…]

For more specialty coffee knowledge, please follow our WeChat public account: Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee). Since the successful invention of the espresso machine, espresso culture has spread throughout the world. Anyone who has ever drunk coffee knows how important espresso is to coffee. [more…]