Recently, news of a young child tragically choking to death after drinking bubble tea has sparked widespread discussion on social media. The incident occurred in Taizhou, Zhejiang, where a four-year-old boy drank bubble tea purchased by his parents while playing at an amusement park, then became unwell in the trampoline area and died from choking after an hour and a half of emergency medical treatment. The parents believe that the oversized and overly sticky tapioca pearls in the milk tea were the main cause of the tragedy, and pointed out that the store involved did not post conspicuous warnings, nor did the staff verbally remind them of the risks of children drinking it. At the same time, whether the amusement park and the shopping mall fulfilled their safety obligations has also become a focus of controversy. Currently, multiple local departments have stepped in to mediate, and the incident is still being further processed. [more…]

A single lemon seed in a cup of iced fresh lemonade actually prompted a market regulation inspection? Recently, a netizen in Hefei, Anhui, captured footage of a Mixue Ice Cream & Tea store being inspected by market regulation staff, triggered by a consumer complaint that the drink tasted bitter and had lemon seeds left in the cup. The incident sparked widespread discussion online, with some finding the complaint absurd and others believing a consumer would not make such a fuss over a mere lemon seed. The Mixue store responded that freshly cut lemon slices containing seeds is normal and that their presence in the drink was not due to employee misconduct. Market regulation staff confirmed they had inspected the store and made clear that the lemon seed issue does not involve food safety. This seemingly trivial customer complaint reflects the various bizarre complaints the tea beverage industry faces daily and has also sparked discussion about standardized procedures for freshly cut fruit drinks. [more…]

In the height of summer, iced milk tea becomes the go-to beverage for many people looking to beat the heat, but the hidden safety risks cannot be ignored. Recently, a 16-year-old boy in Ziyang, Sichuan, is suspected to have tragically died after choking on bubble tea, and scattered Mixue Bingcheng milk tea appeared in on-site video, sparking widespread attention. Mixue Bingcheng promptly responded, saying there is no evidence that the incident is related to its products. Subsequently, the deceased's family came forward to clarify, stating that hospital feedback showed no foreign objects were found in the esophagus or trachea and that the actual cause of death was cardiac arrest. The incident has once again raised public awareness of the Heimlich maneuver. This article will review the course of events, the responses from all parties, and explain the correct first-aid method for choking on a foreign object, helping everyone stay safe while enjoying tasty drinks. [more…]

The world of creative coffee is always full of surprises and shocks. From Douzhir Americano to stinky tofu latte, baristas are obsessed with forcibly pairing local foods with coffee, yet often creating off-putting flavor bombs. Now the trend has shifted: instead of mixing ingredients, they let the food itself become the vessel. Green pepper latte, fish ball latte, and naan latte have appeared one after another. Recently, a barista in Ningbo even used a crab shell as a cup, launching Ningbo Drunken Crab Latte. Netizens reacted in two polarized ways: some cried out to spare the drunken crab, while others said they would be willing to try it as long as food isn't wasted. Is this exploration of the boundary between food and coffee gimmickry or innovation? [more…]

Recently, the scene in *The Knockout* where Gao Qiqiang eats dry black coffee powder has left a deep impression on many viewers. Some even dug out instant coffee powder to imitate it, only to end up choking and looking rather狼狈. In reality, there is indeed a group of tough characters who can swallow raw coffee powder without batting an eye—the Italian Mafia. They are fond of a dessert called Lemon Mafia: thin slices of lemon sprinkled with sugar and roasted into caramel, then topped with coarsely ground dark roast coffee powder or simply whole coffee beans, all downed in one bite. The sweet, sour, fragrant, and bitter flavors explode in the mouth instantly, refreshing and alerting. This article explores the origins of this way of eating and includes simple, easy-to-follow steps so you can experience the taste of a "boss" yourself. [more…]

Nayuki recently launched a new product, the "Double-Antioxidant Little Red Bottle," featuring freshly squeezed Yunnan tree tomatoes paired with blueberries, cherry tomatoes, lemons, and other fresh fruits. It is advertised as sweet and tangy, rich in vitamin C and lycopene. However, not long after its release, the first wave of curious consumers began complaining: a large amount of fruit peel and seeds settles at the bottom of the cup, and one sip fills your mouth with grit—some people even nearly choked on a lemon seed. Staff responded that filtering the fruit puree was not required during preparation, and the final product varies due to differences in technique. Interestingly, netizens are divided on the issue—some suggest adding a filtration step, while others believe the fruit residue is precisely proof of "genuine ingredients." Behind this controversy lies the challenge of balancing taste and health in fruit-and-vegetable teas. [more…]

Luckin Coffee recently launched a new product, "Triple Cheese Thick Matcha," featuring a combination of thousand-mesh-grade matcha and a daily freshly whipped matcha cloud top, attracting a large number of matcha lovers to place orders and try it out. However, shortly after the new product hit the market, many consumers received notices that stores had canceled orders or showed it as sold out. The reason was not that demand exceeded supply, but that the matcha cloud top prepared in advance by stores developed an abnormal solidification after refrigeration—the milk cap that should have been fluid turned into a solid texture resembling dry choking yogurt or matcha cement, and even when the container was turned upside down, it did not move at all. Management in many places had to urgently notify stores to suspend sales depending on the situation. Was it a formula problem or an error in the operation process? Luckin's R&D department was also collectively criticized by frontline employees because of this. [more…]

The milk tea industry has recently exposed yet another labor abuse scandal. A Shuyi Tealicious store in Changsha was fined 10,000 yuan by the local Human Resources and Social Security Bureau for hiring a child worker who was only 13 years old. The incident came to light after a citizen report, and an investigation found that the child had worked at the store for several months before being fired, which then led to a dispute. The store owner involved argued that the child claimed to be over 15 years old and that they only agreed to hire the child because they were short-staffed. This case not only highlights loopholes in employment management at some food and beverage outlets, but also sparked public discussion about the protection of minors and the enforcement of labor laws. [more…]

Recently, a video of a conflict that took place in a chain milk tea shop in Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, spread widely on social media and sparked heated discussion among netizens. The video shows that a female customer, after a staff member accused her child of stealing milk tea, lost control of her emotions and committed violent acts against the staff member, including kicking, pulling her hair, and dragging her, and even got into a biting conflict with a security guard who came to stop her, while also holding a knife while waiting for the police. Behind the incident, was it really a child taking someone else's drink without permission, or was there another hidden story? Media outlets including The Paper and Dawan News followed up with reports one after another, and the shop involved and the local police station have intervened. This article will sort out the entire process of the incident, the responses from all parties, and the focal points of public discussion, to reconstruct this milk tea shop dispute that has attracted social attention. [more…]

A mother took her child to a shopping mall. After the child fell asleep, she went to a coffee shop to rest on the sofa. Because the temperature inside the shop was low, she asked the staff to borrow a blanket or a work uniform but was refused. She later left a negative review, which sparked heated discussion among netizens. Some people understood the difficulties parents face when out with their children, while others believed that borrowing a blanket went beyond the scope of a coffee shop's service. At the same time, many coffee shop owners complained about the troubles brought by customers with children, and more and more stores have made banning children a rule. This discussion about service boundaries and business realities reflects the dilemma coffee shops face between customer experience and daily operations. [more…]

In the practice of pour-over coffee, fines are often seen as the culprit behind clogging and bitterness, and many people have thus developed the habit of always sifting out fines before brewing. But do fines really only have negative effects? From the perspective of Front Street, this article systematically sorts out the definition of fines, their generation mechanisms, and their actual contribution to flavor, explaining why in most cases it is unnecessary to completely sift out fines, and under what conditions sifting should really be considered. At the same time, the article also explores the relationship between coffee bean brittleness, grinder quality, and the amount of fines, helping readers build a more complete understanding of extraction. [more…]

A well-known chain milk tea brand, 1 Dian Dian, recently trended on social media due to a public welfare tweet about assisting children from impoverished families, sparking widespread discussion. The brand claimed to have helped a child living with his father in an 18-square-meter rented room by renovating the room and adding a desk and wardrobe, but netizens noticed from public photos that the aided boy was wearing a phone watch worth over a thousand yuan, and that the living conditions differed from the tweet's description, questioning whether he met the assistance criteria. Additionally, issues such as a large proportion of comic books among the donated items and the concentration of aid recipients in first- and second-tier cities were also raised. As public opinion heated up, the brand deleted and edited some posts but did not respond directly. The local subdistrict office and social work station later confirmed to the media that the recipient was indeed from a low-income household, excelling in both academics and character, and that the items were all donations. Behind the incident, the screening criteria and transparency of public welfare activities have become the focus. [more…]

Recently, two incidents of coffee shops refusing to serve children have caused a stir online. On one side, a coffee shop in China put up a notice at its entrance reading "Children aged 3 to 13 are not admitted," with the owner openly stating they "dislike children"; on the other, South Korea's increasingly common "No Kids Zone" has once again become a topic of discussion, with some establishments even posting signs reading "dog yes, kids no." Supporters argue that coffee shops are meant to stay quiet and that businesses have the right to avoid risks; opponents criticize the signs as discriminatory. What social nerves does this debate about "child aversion" actually touch? And what predicament of public space is reflected in the "bratty kids' parents" that young people complain about? [more…]

Recently, a coffee shop in Gulangyu, Xiamen, sparked heated online discussion after refusing to let non-paying customers use its restroom for free. In the video, a father gets into an argument with an employee because his child urgently needed to use the toilet, questioning whether the shop "only cares about money," to which the employee bluntly replies, "Yes, only money." Behind the incident lies the complex relationship between the boundaries of commercial spaces and public moral expectations. Some argue that one should make a purchase first or find a public restroom, some criticize the merchant for being insufficiently accommodating, and others firmly support the merchant's refusal to be morally coerced. As coffee lovers, we might take this incident as a starting point to reflect on the balance between cafés as commercial spaces and their role in the community. [more…]

On October 28, a distressing scene unfolded in a cat café in Wuxi, Jiangsu: a father, because a cat had startled his child, actually kicked the cat down the stairs. After the surveillance footage was exposed, netizens were furious and offered the shop owner advice on how to pursue accountability. However, because the owner had not called the police in time and feared retaliation afterward, he ultimately chose not to pursue the matter further. This incident once again sparked discussion about whether cat cafés should admit children, and also reflected the real-world dilemma of animal protection and the safeguarding of merchants' rights. [more…]

Recently, a café posted a notice at its entrance saying "No bringing kids to do homework here," which sparked widespread discussion on social media. The owner later explained that the move was not meant to bar children from entering, nor was it about table turnover or people freeloading on the air conditioning, but rather because tutoring homework easily triggers emotional swings between parents and children, disrupting the experience of other customers. Many netizens said they understood and shared their own experiences of encountering similar situations in cafés. At the same time, some suggested changing the notice to "No loud noise," to accommodate quiet, well-behaved children and emotionally stable parents. Why exactly do parents prefer to bring their kids to cafés to do homework? And how should cafés balance the needs of different customers? Front Street Coffee takes a look with you. [more…]

Recently, a post about a Luckin Coffee store refusing to provide ice to a customer for her child to use as a cold compress to reduce swelling sparked widespread discussion online. The customer, whose child had suffered a head injury and urgently needed ice, was politely declined by staff citing company policy, and was suggested to seek help at the KFC across the street. Behind this incident lies the dilemma that chain beverage brands face between food safety control and customers' emergency needs. Luckin employees revealed that the rule against providing ice separately stems from a previous incident in which someone sent store ice for testing, triggering an economic dispute. Since then, bar-counter surveillance has been monitoring in real time, and those who violate the rule may face bonus deductions. However, when customers face special emergencies, should there be room for flexibility? Front Street Coffee takes you into an in-depth discussion of this topic. [more…]

When you want to buy coffee beans, do you ever feel overwhelmed by a dazzling list of beans? When you go to a coffee shop that roasts its own beans, do you ever feel torn by the dazzling array of coffee beans? No worries! Just remember these few points, and you can easily choose the coffee beans that suit you! "Choose coffee according to your brewing method. [more…]

Recently, a coffee shop sparked heated discussion among netizens after posting a sign at its entrance stating that it does not serve children under 12. The sign explicitly stated that due to the nature of the business and frequent accidents, children could not be accommodated. Some netizens criticized the move as inciting anti-child sentiment, while others expressed understanding and support. The owner later posted an explanation, saying that after tourism reopened, parents brought children into the shop but failed to supervise them, leading to multiple accidents—including one child who climbed onto the bar counter and poured sour plum juice onto a coffee machine worth over 90,000 yuan. As the incident continued to escalate, media contacted the manager, who responded that the shop had no suitable drinks for children and that parents had caused losses by failing to fulfill their duty of restraint, but that in principle the shop would not turn away guests if children could be kept under control. This article will review the course of events and the views of all parties. [more…]

Coffee shops have always attracted customers with a quiet and comfortable atmosphere, yet when children who come to the shop with their parents make a loud racket inside, how the operator should respond becomes a difficult problem. Recently, a shop owner, not daring to speak up to stop them, let a regular customer step in to intervene on their behalf, and as a result was complained about by the parent, sparking heated discussion online. Many people believe that maintaining the shop environment is the owner's duty to begin with, and that having a customer act as a "mouthpiece" is not appropriate. Is it the parent's failure to discipline, or the owner standing by and doing nothing, that is more dissatisfying? This discussion about order and responsibility in coffee shops is worth deep thought by every industry practitioner and enthusiast. [more…]