The environmental problems of single-use paper cups are becoming increasingly severe, and the coffee industry has been searching for alternatives. From the failed attempt with cone cups in 2014, to the brief popularity of KFC's cookie cups, and then to the unexpected revival of oat cups during the pandemic, edible coffee cups have gone through three generations of technological iteration. This article will review the development history, technological breakthroughs, and market dilemmas of edible cups, and explore whether they can truly replace single-use cups and become a new environmentally friendly choice for coffee shops. [more…]

M Stand once went viral online with an oat cookie latte that you can eat together with the cup. Now the brand has innovated further on this basis, launching a limited-edition Combo paired with a medium-roast Ethiopian blend bean, achieving two drinks from one bean. The black-and-white edible cups respectively hold a hot americano and a hot latte. The cup bodies are made from oat fiber grain, with the white cup being original flavor and the black cup cocoa flavor. However, this new product, which must be enjoyed on-site and cannot be delivered, has sparked polarized reviews on social platforms—beyond the coffee's taste drawing attention, the texture of the oat cup itself has become a hot topic of discussion. Many netizens complain that it is dry and hard like paper, difficult to swallow, and some even had their mouths cut. [more…]

In recent years, with the advancement of plastic restriction policies, plastic straws have gradually exited the food service scene, replaced by paper straws and PLA straws. However, paper straws easily become soggy, and PLA straws are not heat-resistant, greatly diminishing the consumer experience. A team led by Academician Yu Shuhong of the University of Science and Technology of China has taken a different approach, using bacterial cellulose combined with sodium alginate to develop an edible nata de coco straw. Its strength, modulus, and toughness are more than twice those of paper straws, it is thinner, and it can be made in different colors. Buried in soil, it nearly disappears in 45 days and completely degrades in 60 days. Can this new material save the afternoon tea joy of office workers? This article will provide a detailed interpretation. [more…]

Recently, a latte decorated with an image of the Zhengyangmen Gate Tower in Beijing sparked heated discussion on social media. The exquisite edible color-ink printing amazed many netizens with the café's ingenuity, but some also frowned at the colorful design on the surface of the liquid. What materials are actually used to make this type of color-printed coffee, jokingly called "graduate-exam level"? Does it add brilliance to the drink, or has it become a photogenic prop that looks good but is useless? Judging from shares by coffee lovers in various places, printing scenic spots, portraits, or brand logos on the surface of lattes is already nothing new, yet controversy over its taste and food safety has never ceased. This article will guide you through the production principles behind this visually stunning coffee, as well as consumers' true attitudes of love and hate toward it. [more…]

For coffee lovers, spilling liquid coffee and staining clothes has always been a minor but persistent annoyance. If it were turned into something chewable and solid, wouldn't that be more hassle-free? Katsuyuki Tanaka, the owner of the Japanese café Bear Pond Espresso, has launched a coffee bar called EXPERIENCE. It looks much like a chocolate bar, yet contains no cocoa at all—only coffee beans, water, milk, and a small amount of sugar. Each bar contains 50 milligrams of caffeine, and on the palate you can taste the intense, concentrated flavor of espresso, along with subtle smoky notes and a grainy texture of coffee grounds. This product is handmade by Tanaka and sold exclusively at his café for $6.25, offering a new way to consume coffee as food. [more…]

Coffee has become a mainstream daily beverage, and instant and capsule coffee occupy an important place among derivative categories thanks to their convenience. Companies such as Nestlé have driven the popularity of capsule coffee machines, and capsule coffee has grown rapidly worldwide. But the disposable metal and plastic shells have created a huge amount of waste. In response to this pain point, Swiss retailer Migros launched a new capsule coffee system, Coffee B, in Zurich on September 6, replacing traditional capsules with brown coffee balls. The outer layer uses a colorless and tasteless algae-based film, which can be composted after use and fully degrades within a few weeks. The accompanying coffee machine will first go on sale in Switzerland and France, and enter Germany in 2023. Algae packaging has also appeared in recent years in scenarios such as edible water bags, offering a new idea for reducing plastic in coffee packaging. [more…]

When drinking iced coffee in summer, it tends to become diluted toward the end, so some people have thought of using stainless steel ice cubes instead of traditional ice. Are these reusable metal ice cubes really suitable for coffee? Front Street conducted an actual comparison test, analyzing the structure of stainless steel ice cubes, their cooling speed, and their impact on flavor. The results show that although stainless steel ice cubes have the advantage of not melting, their cooling effect is far inferior to homemade ice cubes, especially performing poorly in the ice pour-over step. The article also shares a pour-over plan using a mix of the two types of ice cubes, and explores why coffee shops rarely use stainless steel ice cubes. [more…]

After Laba, the Spring Festival approaches, and young people are eager to seek wealth. A coffee shop in Hangzhou launched God of Wealth Latte, combining God of Wealth New Year pictures with coffee, quickly triggering a check-in craze. However, this drink has also drawn questions: Is the glutinous rice paper decoration hygienic and edible? Is it disrespectful to "drink the God of Wealth into your belly"? Previously, Heytea's "Buddha Joy Tea" was summoned for talks and taken off shelves due to religious elements. Will God of Wealth Latte repeat the same mistake? This article sorts out the ins and outs of the incident and introduces alternatives such as the coffee latte art version of God of Wealth Latte. [more…]

Cold brew coffee is a popular method for making cold coffee in hot weather, and choosing the right beans often determines the quality of the final product. This article uses Front Street Coffee's Brazil Queen's Estate beans as an example to document in detail the key parameters for cold brew production, including the ratio, grind size, and drip rate, and explains step by step the complete process from adding grounds and pre-wetting to refrigerated oxidation. At the same time, the article will explain why medium-dark roasted coffee beans are more suitable for making cold brew, and how Queen's Estate cold brew ultimately presents chocolate, nut, and peanut aromas, with a smooth mouthfeel, low acidity, and a sweet aftertaste. If you are looking for a bean suitable for cold brew, or want to improve the consistency of cold brew extraction, this content will provide specific and actionable references. [more…]

Iced Americano has always been the best-selling item with the lowest barrier to entry in coffee shops, requiring only a simple combination of espresso, ice cubes, and water. But if you take a few extra steps on this basis, you can get a cup of quicksand iced Americano with a completely different visual effect and taste. Its core lies in using steam to whip the crema of the espresso into a golden, fine foam, which naturally layers after resting, presenting a scene of fine sand slowly sliding down. This article will completely break down this drink from principles, operational steps to flavor performance, and also introduce the presentation method of waterfall iced Americano, as well as the practical suggestions summarized by Front Street Coffee during production, to help coffee lovers replicate at home a creative Americano that combines both visual appeal and drinking pleasure. [more…]

The water you use to brew coffee has a far greater impact on the final flavor than you might imagine. Tap water tends to have a high mineral content, which not only easily builds up scale on the inner walls of a coffee machine and hinders its normal operation, but also interferes with the extraction of coffee flavor. Drawing on Front Street's practical experience, this article first explains PPM and the criteria for judging soft and hard water, then explains why espresso machines should not use tap water directly, and afterward gives a hands-on demonstration of how to mix your own brewing water using baking soda and food-grade Epsom salt (magnesium sulfate), along with a brewing comparison against Nongfu Spring, for coffee lovers' reference. [more…]

Autumn has arrived, and a cup of coffee with the fragrance of osmanthus is the perfect way to match the season. This article revolves around the combination of osmanthus and coffee. It first explains why osmanthus is suitable for coffee and the key points of processing before use, then focuses on the extraction techniques for osmanthus espresso—including why soaking is not recommended, how to avoid channeling, and the conclusions of comparative experiments placing osmanthus above and below the coffee puck. It then provides specific recipes and steps for osmanthus latte, osmanthus flat white/cappuccino, and osmanthus Dirty in turn, along with bean selection, brewing parameters, and flavor description for a cup of osmanthus pour-over. The article retains Front Street Coffee's recommendations and product information, making it suitable for coffee enthusiasts to follow step by step. [more…]

The well-known tea beverage brand Yihotang has been exposed by media undercover investigations at multiple stores in Zhengzhou for serious food safety issues: ingredients that should have been discarded after closing were used again the next day, expired materials had their labels swapped to extend their shelf life, moldy strawberries were washed and used as usual, flying insects that fell into toppings were fished out and still used in products, and even prepared drinks in which bugs were found were resealed and continued to be sold. Even more shockingly, the staff were indifferent to this, claiming that "as long as it doesn't kill people, it's fine." After the incident was exposed, Yihotang issued an apology statement, and the stores involved were closed for rectification. Lawyers pointed out that the relevant actions have violated multiple provisions of the Food Safety Law. Netizens reacted differently, with some saying that chaos in franchise stores is common, while others called on the brand to effectively fulfill its regulatory responsibilities. [more…]

The oil-washing method originated in the cocktail world and has now been introduced into the specialty coffee scene, becoming a new favorite among many coffee enthusiasts. It exploits differences in the freezing points of oils and fats to extract aromas from the oils into the coffee liquid, thereby giving the coffee a softer mouthfeel and richer layers of flavor. In this article, Front Street will walk through the origins of the oil-washing method, material selection, step-by-step procedures, and precautions one by one, and will use butter oil-washed Golden Mandheling and coconut oil-washed cold brew coffee as examples to demonstrate the specific production process in detail. Whether you want to DIY at home or want to understand the logic behind those oil-washed specialty drinks in coffee shops, this article can provide practical reference. [more…]

Costa Rican coffee is famous for its sweet, honey-like flavors, and the Tarrazú region is especially representative of specialty coffee. In this article, Front Street Coffee will take you deep into Costa Rica's Tobushi Estate honey-processed Catuai coffee, covering the region's characteristics, variety and processing method, and cupping flavors, and will also explain in detail how to use Front Street Strawberry Candy Coffee to make a captivatingly flavored cold brew. Whether you want to explore the source of Costa Rican coffee's sweetness or try cold brew extraction at home, this tutorial offers practical reference. [more…]

A moka pot concentrates the oils, roasted sweetness, and strength of coffee beans into a single small cup, so whether the beans are at the right stage of flavor release often matters more to the result than the flavor notes on the packaging. Freshly roasted, gradually stabilizing, or opened for a while, the same single-origin beans can show different aroma intensity and mouthfeel. [more…]

Darjeeling black tea is famous for its distinctive aroma, but which tea plant varieties are its raw materials actually sourced from? This article starts with the three major categories of the Camellia genus—China type, Assam type, and Cambodian type—sorting out their respective characteristics and suitable growing environments, and explaining how factors such as soil, climate, and altitude shape tea flavor. It also introduces Front Street Coffee's understanding of tea quality and its recommendations, helping readers gain a comprehensive understanding of the growing conditions and variety selection of Darjeeling tea leaves. [more…]

As Halloween approaches at the end of October each year, major coffee brands rush to launch their limited-edition festive specials. This year, Starbucks, Peet's Coffee, Costa, and other brands have all rolled out new offerings. The visual designs are certainly eye-catching, but the flavors have left many consumers crying "dark." From dragon fruit cloud-topped lids to bamboo charcoal black sauce Frappuccinos, from sesame almond tofu to Pirate's Treasure Lattes—how do these Halloween special drinks actually perform? Netizens' reviews are mixed: some are sold on the aesthetics, while others are put off by the taste. This article will review the highlights and sore points of these festive new releases to see which one is truly worth a try. [more…]

Recently, a video of an employee preparing drinks at a Mixue Bingcheng store in Xi'an circulated on social media, sparking widespread discussion. In the video, the employee holds two takeout cups in one hand, adds ice cubes, and then directly places them under a water bucket labeled "direct drinking water" to fill them. The water splashes onto the ice cubes, and some liquid runs down the employee's arm toward the ice cart below. The door of the ice cart cabinet remains open the whole time, prompting onlookers to say the ice has been contaminated. After the incident gained traction, the store involved responded that the company is handling the matter urgently and that the employee has been dismissed. This controversy has once again pushed Mixue Bingcheng's food safety issues into the spotlight, with many consumers calling on the brand to strengthen store operating standards. [more…]

Recently, a coffee with a unique design has gone viral on social media: perched atop the drink in the cup is a lifelike "white cut chicken" decoration, with chicken skin texture so detailed it's astonishing. When espresso is poured over it, the visual effect instantly transforms from white cut chicken to soy sauce chicken, sparking lively discussion among netizens. This is actually a creative decoration made by the coffee shop using corn panna cotta, available to customers for just 5 yuan with any drink purchase. Due to the large number of people wanting to take photos, it often sells out during the afternoon rush. Is this drink just a gimmick or a creative highlight? Let's find out. [more…]