Cupping is the primary step for verifying coffee quality after roasting. By standardizing grind size, coffee-to-water ratio, water temperature, and steep time, it objectively reveals a bean's truest flavors. This article systematically outlines the purpose of cupping, the required equipment, and standard parameters, walks step by step through the complete process of pouring, smelling, breaking the crust, and slurping, and takes an in-depth look at the eight scoring categories on the CoE cupping form and how they differ from the SCA scoring system. It also compiles common descriptive terms from the flavor wheel and includes a high-resolution 2023 flavor wheel wallpaper resource, making it a handy reference for coffee enthusiasts and professionals alike. [more…]

Coffee aroma is volatile, and the higher the temperature, the faster it dissipates, so some have proposed using low-temperature containers to lock in the aroma. Front Street Coffee compared three types of pour-over coffee vessels—a high-temperature cup, a room-temperature cup, and a frozen cup—to test whether cup temperature truly affects coffee aroma and flavor performance. The experiment used Kenya Asaliya coffee beans with uniform brewing parameters, and the results showed that cup temperature mainly changes the temperature of the coffee when it enters the mouth, rather than the amount of aroma, but temperature differences do indeed cause noticeable changes in flavor perception. This article will present the experimental process and conclusions in detail, and offer cup selection suggestions for different weather conditions. [more…]

Cupping is a core method used in the coffee industry to objectively evaluate coffee flavor and quality, and it is also an important part of barista training. This article systematically reviews the significance and operational logic of cupping, and compares in detail three approaches: the Brazilian cupping method, the SCAA standard cupping method, and the pour-over cupping method recommended by Front Street Coffee. The article points out that Brazilian cupping focuses on identifying defects and is a negative evaluation; SCAA cupping emphasizes positive assessment of aroma and flavor; while the cupping method used by Front Street Coffee simulates daily brewing equipment and is closer to actual cafe output. The three methods each have different emphases in roast level, extraction method, and evaluation items, and understanding these differences helps roasters and coffee professionals judge coffee quality more accurately. [more…]

Whether a cup of coffee can be crowned with the name "specialty" is by no means decided by cupping alone. From the origin of the green beans, screening and processing, to roasting and brewing, every stage requires careful control, so that the flavor in the cup ultimately presented can reflect the characteristics and cultural heritage of the producing country. This article will systematically sort out the two major cupping scoring systems, COE and SCA, and break down one by one the points to note for each scoring element, including cleanliness, sweetness, acidity, body, flavor, aftertaste, and balance, as well as explain in detail the defect scoring rules and grading standards. Front Street will also draw on years of quality control experience to help you use evaluation grades as a reliable reference for judging specialty coffee when purchasing coffee. [more…]

When you get an unfamiliar single-origin coffee bean, how do you accurately judge its flavor performance? Cupping is the industry-standard method. Front Street Coffee conducts cupping on every coffee bean it acquires, whether or not it goes on the shelves. This article uses the SCA cupping system as its benchmark and provides a detailed introduction to the equipment and parameters required for cupping, including sample bean processing, grind size calibration, coffee-to-water ratio, water quality and temperature requirements, as well as the operating procedures for dry aroma, wet aroma, breaking the crust, and skimming. After cupping is completed, the pour-over grind size and brewing water temperature must also be determined according to the roast level. Light-roast and medium-roast coffee beans each have different standards for sieve pass-through rate and water temperature selection. [more…]

As Children's Day approaches, major chain beverage brands are rolling out limited-edition campaigns and merchandise, and 1 Dian Dian has also brought back its cute, compact mini cups for a limited time. However, the launch of these mini cups has sparked considerable controversy: customers have found that when purchasing, the system automatically shows two cups, with identical flavors, sweetness levels, and toppings, and no ability to adjust them freely or order just one. Consumers who wanted to mix flavors or share with friends were disappointed, and some customers complained that the stores provide regular long straws, making the experience less than ideal. In response to the feedback, 1 Dian Dian employees also expressed helplessness, as the company has not provided ingredient ratios for the mini cups, leaving them to simply split a medium cup of tea evenly into two cups. If they were to customize orders according to customer requests, it would not only affect service efficiency but could also lead to waste. This article will sort through the focal points of controversy surrounding this mini cup campaign and the statements from all sides. [more…]

When drinking pour-over coffee, does the shape of the cup really affect the taste? Front Street used three common cup types—wide-mouth, straight-walled, and tapered—to conduct a comparative tasting of the same coffee, and found that aroma, acidity, sweetness, and body all show noticeable differences depending on the rim design. Starting from cup type classification, this article combines the brewing performance of Guatemala Geisha, Brazil Queen's Estate, and Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Gutingding to analyze how different rims guide the flow of coffee liquid in the mouth and temperature changes, and offers cup selection suggestions for acidic, bitter, and aroma-forward coffee beans, helping coffee enthusiasts find a drinking method that suits them better. [more…]

Coffee drinkers often run into a question: those uniquely shaped tasting cups—do they really help us better perceive flavor, or are they just a waste of money? This time, Front Street will start with the origins and design logic of tasting cups, breaking down clearly the reasons why a cup affects taste and smell. It will also discuss whether aroma cups are actually useful, and how we can train our flavor perception in everyday pour-over brewing. If you've ever stood indecisively in front of a row of cups, or want the pour-over in your hands to taste more layered, this article will offer some practical reference. [more…]

If you want to become a professional barista, cupping is a core skill you can't avoid. This article systematically sorts out the scoring standards of the two major cupping systems, COE and SCAA, analyzing the scoring points and deduction rules one by one, from aroma, cleanliness, sweetness, acidity, mouthfeel, flavor, aftertaste to balance. It also explains in detail the tools needed for cupping, the coffee-to-water ratio, and the operating process, and uses [Front Street Golden Mandheling] as an example to compare the cupping performance of three roasting curves. Whether you are a coffee enthusiast or a practitioner, you can learn from it the scientific method of judging coffee quality and understand the true meaning of COE competition level. [more…]

When brewing coffee, should you preheat the cup and pot beforehand? This question has long been debated among coffee enthusiasts. Some believe that warming the cup slows down the cooling of the coffee, while others feel that not warming the cup actually allows you to taste the coffee's full flavor sooner. This article starts from the effect of temperature on the taste buds, combines it with specific brewing data, and analyzes the different tasting experiences brought by preheating versus not preheating the coffee cup and coffee pot. The article also uses the Front Street Coffee Dividing Line Sidra bean for a practical comparison, to see how the same coffee presents its aroma and flavor under the two conditions, helping you make a more suitable choice in different scenarios. [more…]

In recent years, there has been ongoing debate about whether the traditional practice of warming coffee cups is practical. Some believe that warming the cup is an unnecessary step, as the taste of coffee will not change due to the cup's temperature; others insist that warming the cup helps retain heat and prevents the coffee from being cooled by absorbing heat from the cup. Front Street Coffee points out that whether to warm the cup depends on the situation. Although the taste of coffee itself does not change with temperature, our ability to perceive flavor does change with temperature. For example, with pour-over coffee, after preheating the container, the extraction temperature is about 70°C, which is too hot to drink and the flavor is not obvious; when the cup is not warmed, it is about 65°C, which is palatable and rich in taste. Although the temperature difference between the two is small, the initial taste experience is completely different. So, is pour-over coffee better without warming the cup? What are the requirements for milk temperature in a latte? This article will provide a detailed analysis for you. [more…]

Coffee is a widely loved beverage that, beyond its rich aroma, offers numerous benefits to the body. A great cup of coffee depends not only on bean quality and extraction technique—the cup itself is an equally important supporting player. Choose the right cup, and your coffee can present itself at its very best. This article systematically breaks down how to choose a coffee cup from four dimensions: material, rim shape, wall thickness, and capacity. It also reminds you of the small detail of preheating the cup before drinking, helping beginners find the cup that suits them best. [more…]

There are many coffee extraction methods, and each one produces coffee with the character of that method. Therefore, an objective method with as little human intervention as possible is also needed to evaluate coffee's flavor or quality, and that method is cupping. Cupping is an immersion-style extraction, with no manual technique intervening during the process to extract [more…]

Pour-over coffee may seem easy, but brewing a satisfying cup is no simple task. Many enthusiasts are often troubled by coffee that is too strong or too weak: when too strong, the bitterness lingers and irritates the throat; when too weak, the flavor is light as water—not objectionable, yet hardly enjoyable. This article addresses these two common situations. It first analyzes the causes of coffee being too strong—often stemming from a high extraction yield that has not yet reached over-extraction—and introduces a professional adjustment technique called "bypass," which means adding water directly to the brewed coffee to lower its strength while preserving the extraction yield. Front Street Coffee also recommends adding 10-20ml at a time in stages. As for coffee that is too weak, it cannot physically be made stronger, but with the help of cup-color experiments and the visual differences between glass and ceramic cups, a red or coffee-colored ceramic cup can make the brain perceive the coffee as richer, thereby improving the drinking experience. [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…]

Have you also collected a bunch of exquisite and good-looking coffee cups, yet always find yourself unsure which one to pick when brewing coffee? In fact, the material, thickness, and rim shape of a cup each have their own nuances. Although they won't change the concentration or flavor compounds of the coffee liquid, they can influence our visual perception, temperature, and mouthfeel through their structural characteristics. This article follows the perspective of Front Street Coffee, breaking down everything from materials and wall thickness to different forms such as wide-mouth, straight-sided, and tapered cups, helping you understand what kind of coffee each cup is suited for, while also discussing the exceptional strengths and sole weakness of those professional tasting cups used in competitions. [more…]

The scoring criteria for coffee cupping. The cupping of coffee beans was initially to ensure whether the quality of the coffee beans that are about to enter the trade is qualified. With the passage of time, after the concept of specialty coffee was b [more…]

Before green coffee beans reach our hands, they often go through many stages, during which defects are almost unavoidable. Some defects are obvious at the green bean stage, yet once roasted they may be cleverly concealed. The SCAA (Specialty Coffee Association of America) has established strict grading standards for specialty Arabica coffee, covering multiple dimensions such as defect types, moisture content, aroma, and bean size. This article will systematically sort out the SCAA's defect classification rules and scoring requirements, explain in detail the causes of various defective beans and their impact on cupping flavor, and help enthusiasts develop a keen eye for identifying specialty coffee. At the same time, the article retains relevant recommendations from the Front Street brand for readers' reference. [more…]

The Clever Coffee Dripper is a coffee filtration device invented by the Taiwanese company EK INTL. The bottom of the dripper features a controllable switch valve, allowing free adjustment of the steeping time for extraction. It is convenient and easy to use, hence the name "Clever Cup." On the market [more…]

For friends who are just getting into pour-over coffee, the water-flow control required by drippers like the Hario V60 and KONO often feels daunting. The appearance of the Clever Cup, however, lets even complete beginners easily brew a cup of good coffee that won't fail. This article starts with the structure and principles of the Clever Cup, then gradually breaks down the complete brewing process, and also sorts through the origins of pour-over coffee, equipment choices, and standard steps. Finally, using Front Street Coffee's Yirgacheffe Red Cherry as an example, it compares the flavor differences brought by the two brewing methods to help you find the cup that suits you. [more…]