As a major global coffee producer, Vietnam faced a setback of declining export volumes in the first half of 2024. Data shows that coffee export volume fell by 10.5% year-on-year in the first six months to 902,000 tons, but thanks to a 50.4% surge in average export prices, total export value instead climbed to US$3.22 billion, an increase of 34.6%. Behind the production decline are both irreversible damage to coffee trees caused by drought and competitive pressure from cash crops such as durian and passion fruit, with large numbers of farmers switching to more profitable fruit trees, leading to a continued shrinkage of coffee-growing area. Although coffee prices have risen to high levels, they are still not attractive compared with the profits from crops such as durian. At the same time, demand for Vietnamese coffee in the South Korean market is growing, bringing a glimmer of warmth to the export outlook. [more…]

Vietnam, as a major global robusta coffee-producing region, has recently faced a succession of extreme weather challenges. Two consecutive tropical storms brought heavy rainfall, causing rapid flooding in the upper reaches of the Mekong River and threatening coffee cultivation in low-lying downstream production areas. At the same time, drought earlier in the year has already adversely affected coffee flowering, making a decline in the new crop season almost certain. Some coffee farmers have switched to more profitable crops such as durian, further reducing the area devoted to coffee cultivation. Port facilities have been damaged and exports hindered, and combined with Indonesia's reduced export capacity, global robusta supply is expected to face a shortage for the fourth consecutive year. Front Street Coffee will continue to follow developments in the production regions and bring enthusiasts the latest news. [more…]

Vietnam's domestic coffee market has recently seen a rare turn of events: even as international futures prices broadly decline, domestic purchasing prices have risen against the trend, with the highest price in the Central Highlands provinces reaching 82,300 Vietnamese dong per kilogram, setting a new all-time record. At the same time, Germany's share of imports of Vietnamese coffee has risen rather than fallen, showing that Europe's reliance on Vietnamese robusta continues to deepen. However, expected production cuts caused by climate change and some coffee farmers switching to durian cultivation are planting more uncertainty on the supply side for the future. This article combines the latest exchange data and producing-region quotes to trace the ins and outs of this round of price fluctuations. [more…]

Heytea has opened its first global handmade tea shop in Nantou Ancient Town, Shenzhen. The three-story space corresponds to three product lines: hand-stirred ice, handmade tea, and hand-brewed fine tea, launching over 50 new products at once. From Musang King durian to mangosteen, Thai golden pomelo, and guava, to traditional brewed pure teas covering China's six major tea categories and creative mixed cups, this shop is clearly not satisfied with the conventional tea beverage playbook. The most expensive single item, "Large Musang King Durian," is priced at 138 yuan, and the cups have also been custom-designed. The new-style tea beverage brand is returning to deep cultivation of original leaf tea, driven by the continuously expanding tea beverage track and the rising proportion of pure tea. This article takes you through a complete understanding of the product structure, pricing strategy, and industry significance of this new launch. [more…]

Affected by El Niño, Vietnam is experiencing its worst drought in nearly a century, and agriculture in the Mekong Delta has been hit hard. As a major global coffee-producing region, Vietnam's robusta coffee is in its flowering season but faces a water shortage crisis, and spot prices have soared to more than double those of the same period last year. At the same time, the planting boom in high-return fruits such as durian and dragon fruit is further squeezing coffee-growing areas. This article will review the specific impact of the drought on Vietnam's coffee industry, current price trends, and the latest progress on China's emergency water replenishment from the Lancang River at Vietnam's request. Friends who like Vietnamese coffee may want to follow Front Street Coffee's upcoming product updates. [more…]

Compared to coffee with its pronounced bitterness, sweet-and-sour milk tea is clearly more to the public's taste. Whether on a busy workday or a leisurely weekend, milk tea has long been part of many people's lives. Recently, a newly opened milk tea shop in Changsha, Hunan, suddenly went viral—not because of its unique flavors, but because a single cup of juice was selling for 108 yuan. The shop, named "Xiaoshanjing · Fruit Molecular Tea," drew attention with its giant tiger tail design and high-priced menu. Staff claimed that the durian drink contains half a cup of Musang King pulp, while the mangosteen drink uses 4 jin of mangosteen. Is the high price worth the money, or is it a marketing gimmick? Consumers have differing views, and some are reminded of the earlier incident in Shenzhen involving Yecuishan's thousand-yuan olive juice. [more…]

In late April, Robusta coffee futures surged to a historic high of US$4,339 per tonne, dragging Arabica futures up along with them. Entering May, Brazil and Vietnam successively released their April export reports, showing growth in both production and export volumes. ICE coffee inventories briefly eased market anxiety, and the enthusiasm for chasing futures buys cooled somewhat. However, after tropical agricultural products fell by nearly 14% overall, purchase prices in Vietnam's central growing regions quickly rebounded to 96 million to 100 million Vietnamese dong per tonne after dropping to 90 million dong per tonne. The interplay of multiple factors—drought, competition from crops such as durian, the continued depreciation of the Vietnamese dong, and rising freight rates on the Red Sea route—makes a rebound in coffee bean prices a highly probable event. Front Street Coffee will continue to monitor the deeper logic behind this round of volatility. [more…]

Specialty coffee refers to coffee made from raw beans with outstanding flavor grown in a few ideal geographical environments, strictly selected and graded, hard in texture and rich in taste. This article focuses on the Costa Rica Tarrazu Black Honey Process Strictly Hard Bean recommended by Front Street Coffee, and provides an in-depth introduction to the terroir conditions of the Los Santos producing region, planting and harvesting details, as well as the differences between black honey, red honey, and yellow honey in honey processing. Thanks to the basin topography, warm humid air currents, and fertile volcanic ash soil, this producing region nurtures coffee that combines high body, clean high acidity, and rich aroma, with flavors presenting a tropical fruit bomb of cantaloupe, durian, cranberry, and grape juice along with rich jujube tea notes. [more…]

In 2024, Vietnam's coffee industry experienced an unusual market trend: exports reached US$4.84 billion in the first 11 months, and the full-year total is expected to set a record at US$5.5 billion. Although export volume fell by more than 20%, the average price doubled, driving total value upward against the trend. Domestic green bean prices have risen to VND 125,000/kg, nearly double the export price at the start of the year. The EU remains the largest buyer, while China's market share is steadily increasing. However, continued rainfall slowing harvesting, traders losing out on futures operations, and farmers switching to durian are adding uncertainty to future supply. [more…]

The latest report from the United States Department of Agriculture shows that Vietnam's coffee production for the 2024/25 season is expected to reach 29 million bags, a slight adjustment from earlier forecasts, but rising coffee prices are encouraging farmers to invest more. Although drought and high temperatures have hit production, measures such as irrigation and intercropping have somewhat eased the pressure of reduced output. At the same time, the planting structure in the Central Highlands is quietly changing, with high-return crops such as durian and passion fruit diverting some coffee acreage. On the export front, Vietnam's coffee exports in the first half of the 2023/24 fiscal year fell 7% year on year, while domestic purchase prices remain persistently high, making traders cautious about signing contracts. The market is skeptical of official production data, and La Niña may become the biggest variable going forward; the new season's harvest will not be known until October. [more…]

As competition in the new-style tea beverage sector reaches a fever pitch, Nayuki was the first to list on the capital market, claiming the title of "the first stock of new-style tea drinks" and was once regarded as an industry benchmark. Recently, however, a consumer in Shanghai discovered raw dough that could stretch into strings in a durian bread purchased from Nayuki via delivery. The store explained it as "baked relatively soft," and the refund request was also rejected. This incident quickly fermented on social platforms and once again brought Nayuki's past food safety issues back into the public eye—from expired milk and rotten fruit to chaotic kitchen practices, what has happened to this brand with a halo over its head? [more…]

When drinking coffee, we often first smell the aroma, then perceive the flavor on the palate, and finally experience the finish after swallowing. Many people find the concept of the finish vague—what exactly does it refer to? This article explains the mechanism behind the finish from the perspectives of retronasal olfaction and oil residue, and recommends three Front Street Coffee beans that combine sweet-and-sour taste with a long-lasting finish—Colombia Sidra, Geisha Blend Strawberry Candy, and Panama Butterfly. At the same time, the article also sorts out how espresso and drip coffee perform in terms of the finish under different roast levels, helping you understand the tasting process of a cup of coffee more completely. [more…]

Latest data from the Vietnam Coffee and Cocoa Association (Vicofa) shows that in 2023, Vietnam's domestic coffee prices climbed to 70,000 Vietnamese dong per kilogram (about 207 yuan), hitting a multi-year high. Although export volume fell 4.5% year-on-year to 166.2 tons (about 27.7 million bags), driven by prices, export revenue rose 3.4% to US$4.08 billion, the highest level on record. Supply shortages and quality improvements are the two major drivers of the price increase. However, drought conditions and a shift in planting structure are weakening future production prospects. Vicofa expects production to decline by 10% in the 2023~2024 season, and coffee prices are likely to remain high. [more…]

When drinking coffee, we often smell the aroma first, then taste the flavor, and finally experience the finish before it feels complete. But what exactly is the finish? How does it differ from sweetness? Why do the mouth and nasal cavity still retain aroma after the coffee is finished? This article will explain the formation of the finish from the perspective of retronasal olfaction and distinguish the conceptual differences between sweetness and the finish. At the same time, Front Street will recommend three coffee beans suitable for practicing finish tasting, covering Colombia Sidra, Brazil Queen's Estate, and Panama Boquete Geisha, to help coffee lovers more intuitively understand the duration of the finish and the quality of the flavor. [more…]

In the coffee cupping scoring system, aftertaste occupies a position that cannot be ignored. Even if a cup of coffee has outstanding flavors, it will be difficult to score highly if its aftertaste performs poorly. However, many enthusiasts often overlook this dimension, because aftertaste itself is rather subtle and requires certain skills to capture. This article, from the perspective of Front Street, systematically explains the definition of aftertaste, the principles behind its formation, methods of perception, and criteria for judging whether it is good or bad. At the same time, it compares the differences in aftertaste duration between pour-over coffee and espresso, helping readers build a complete understanding of the tasting process. [more…]

Fresh fruit coffee specialty stores, once hugely popular, are now undergoing a large-scale contraction. Fruit coffee brands represented by "Originally Shouldn't Have" have shrunk from a peak of 725 stores to just over 140, a closure rate of nearly 80%. Other brands specializing in fruit coffee are likewise facing sharp store reductions, closures, or forced transformation. Why has this niche category, which shot to fame around 2020, gone from capital darling to quiet exit in just a few short years? This article reviews the development trajectory and current state of the fruit coffee track, and includes Front Street Coffee's observations on industry trends. [more…]

In Guangdong, chicken is the undisputed star of the dining table—a single phrase, "no chicken, no feast," says it all. But can you imagine? Guangdong's baristas have actually poured ginger-scallion chicken, coconut chicken, sesame oil Qingping chicken, and even sausage and roast duck right into coffee cups. From ginger juice with cream to mimic the oily texture of chicken skin, to the essence of coconut chicken hot pot condensed into a single specialty drink, to sesame oil and vodka colliding to create the aroma of ginger-scallion poached chicken, these wildly imaginative creative coffees are upending people's understanding of coffee. This article takes you through tasting these "so weird you want to try them" Cantonese specialty drinks one by one, to feel the wondrous sparks struck by the collision of coffee and Cantonese cuisine. For more specialty coffee bean news, welcome to follow Coffee Workshop and Front Street Coffee. [more…]

In the height of summer, a glass of ice-cold coffee always brings a uniquely refreshing experience. This time, Front Street Coffee has chosen the CHAKA sun-dried beans from Gesha Village and extracted them using four methods: hot pour-over, ice-fire brew, Japanese-style iced pour-over, and cold brew, to explore how the same beans express their flavors as temperature changes. Gesha Village CHAKA belongs to the estate's blended lot, composed of three varieties—Gori Gesha, Gesha 1931, and Illubabor. After a light roast, it presents a balanced profile of citrus, oolong tea, and cream. The different iced extraction methods bring out distinct layers of complexity, sweetness, and juiciness, making them well worth trying one by one for coffee enthusiasts. [more…]

Located in the Shakiso Mormora farm in the Guji region of southern Ethiopia, this family-run operation has been cultivating native heirloom coffee at altitudes between 1,850 and 2,000 meters since 2012, using natural processing and graded Grade 1. This bean showcases a red wine aroma with a ripe fruit core, while spice and pepper notes emerge in the mid-to-late palate. This article provides a detailed introduction to the region's background, Mormora farm's cultivation philosophy, and, combined with Front Street Coffee's roasting experience, explores the distinctly different flavor expressions under light and medium-dark roasts—from the plum and berry wine notes of a City Roast to the Belgian dark chocolate and raspberry syrup texture of a Full City—offering coffee enthusiasts a comprehensive roasting and tasting reference. [more…]

Vietnam, the world's largest robusta coffee-producing country, is facing severe challenges—drought and scant rainfall, farmers switching to fruit crops, and the lingering effects of El Niño. The combination of these multiple factors is expected to cause coffee output to fall by 20%. At the same time, Vietnam's domestic coffee purchase price has soared to 103 million to 107 million Vietnamese dong per ton, and London futures prices have risen by more than 50% within a year. This wave of reduced production not only affects Vietnam's local economy, but will also tighten the global coffee supply landscape. This article examines the climate, economic, and geopolitical factors behind Vietnam's coffee production decline, and also looks at China's role in this shifting situation. (Front Street Coffee continues to follow developments in global coffee-producing regions.) [more…]