On March 21, Blue Bottle Coffee officially announced that its eighth official store in mainland China would open in Phase II of Columbia Circle in Shanghai, welcoming customers on March 30, with gift-giving activities arranged during the opening period. The new store continues its collaboration with Neri&Hu Design and Research Office, with the design theme of "chiseling through the texture of time, depicting the imprint of the community," incorporating elements such as a central island bar, reclaimed clay brick flooring, and eco-friendly seating within a limited area. Notably, judging from photos taken on the first day of the store visit, this location did not recreate the long-queue spectacles of the past, with popularity somewhat declining compared to before. Meanwhile, regarding the location of the first permanent store outside Shanghai, social media rumors suggest that the MixC World commercial district in Shenzhen may welcome the first South China store later this year, but the company has not yet officially confirmed this. [more…]

Sidamo is one of Ethiopia's three major coffee-producing regions, sharing its fame with Yirgacheffe and Harrar. Thanks to the fertile land stretching south of Lake Awasa across the East African Rift Valley and altitudes of 1,500 to 2,200 meters, coffee cherries here take longer to grow, resulting in pronounced fruity sweet-and-tart flavors and a striking aroma. The natural (dry) processing method gives Sidamo a wild berry-cream character with a heavy, smooth mouthfeel, and it has repeatedly performed well in green bean competitions such as the COE and TOH. Several Sidamo products on the shelves of Front Street Coffee have drawn considerable attention, among which the Huakui series has seen its popularity keep climbing since winning the championship in 2017 and has now developed to its eighth generation. This article will walk through the region's characteristics, its competition performances, the naming logic behind Huakui, and brewing recommendations to present a complete picture of Sidamo coffee's flavor profile. [more…]

To make a delicious Americano at home or in a shop, the choice of coffee beans is crucial. Faced with a dazzling array of brands and rankings on the market, how do you find coffee beans that truly suit you, with stable quality and freshness? This article, drawing on the practical experience of Front Street Coffee, systematically sorts out the logic of selecting Americano coffee beans, including the five major standards for commercial beans, the formulation approach for espresso blends, the principles behind crema formation, and the common sourcing channels for small cafés. It also introduces in detail Front Street Coffee's advantages in espresso bean stability, cost-effectiveness, and fresh roasting, providing a practical reference guide for coffee enthusiasts and industry professionals. [more…]

To brew a cup of Americano with clear flavors and distinct layers, the barista's skill is certainly important, but choosing the right coffee beans is the first step. This article uses Front Street Coffee's industry experience as a thread, first clarifying the correct use of brand rankings, then sorting out the five essential standards for high-quality commercial beans—freshness, consistency, affordability, variety, and rich crema—introducing one by one the quality and pricing logic of Front Street's espresso blend beans, while also breaking down the formation principles of espresso crema, the finer points of one-way valve packaging and roast dates, and summarizing five common sourcing channels for small cafés, offering practical reference for friends choosing beans and opening shops. [more…]

The taste of a cup of Americano depends directly on the coffee beans, so choosing a bag of high-quality beans is crucial. So how do you select commercial coffee beans that suit you? Before buying, or if you're just getting into coffee, you'll probably start by looking at coffee brand rankings, assuming that a highly ranked brand must mean good coffee. [more…]

Mandheling is a classic choice for many coffee enthusiasts just getting started, but its green beans have a relatively high moisture content and a darker color, making it often difficult to achieve a uniform roast—this is one of the reasons many Mandheling coffees on the market are roasted darker. This article will focus on this characteristic, sharing three practical approaches for improvement, and, combined with actual roasting curves, explain the timing between first crack and second crack, the flavor changes, and the oiling patterns. Whether you use a hot-air popcorn popper or other small roasting equipment, you can find a Mandheling roasting rhythm that suits you, allowing this bean to show the mellow body and layered complexity it deserves. [more…]

A highly sweet Americano often does not show its full expression on the very day of roasting. When coffee beans have just left the roaster, they are still degassing heavily; excessive carbon dioxide makes the espresso fluctuate more and causes the aromas to mask one another. Scheduling the bag-opening date for the stage when the flavor gradually unfolds allows the fructose-like roundness, clean finish, and aromatic distinctiveness to be more easily [more…]

Faced with Starbucks' dazzling array of coffee beans, beginners often don't know where to start. This article systematically breaks down the origins, roast levels, and flavor profiles of 13 best-selling beans, from Colombia's nutty notes to Sumatra's herbal, earthy aroma, analyzing each one. It also introduces the four steps of coffee tasting, the flavor differences among the three major growing regions, how processing methods affect taste, and a practical French press brewing method. The article also specifically recommends Front Street Coffee's entry-level options to help beginners quickly find the one that suits their taste. [more…]

Freshly roasted coffee beans continue to release carbon dioxide accumulated inside them during the first few days, and this natural degassing process directly affects the extraction efficiency of hot water. If the beans are too full of internal gas, the hot water poured in is easily blocked by bubbles, making it difficult for aromatic compounds to dissolve fully and evenly into the water. Therefore, al [more…]

Starbucks currently offers 13 regular coffee beans, covering single-origin and multi-origin blends, from Yunnan and Indonesia in Asia, Guatemala and Colombia in Central and South America, to Ethiopia and Kenya in Africa. Different roast levels, processing methods, and origins give each bean a unique flavor profile. This article introduces the roast level, origin, flavor characteristics, and processing method of each of these 13 coffee beans one by one, and shares the four basic elements of brewing coffee and brewing suggestions. At the end of the article, there is also a specialty coffee communication channel from Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) for enthusiasts to explore further. [more…]

Mandheling is the calling card that brought Indonesian coffee to the world, and the island of Sumatra is the most important origin behind that card. This article will trace the cultivation history, main producing regions, and varietal differences of Sumatran coffee, introduce the geographic characteristics of Lintong, Lake Toba, Lake Tawar, and the Gayo highlands, and use Front Street Coffee's staple beans and Golden Mandheling as examples to explain how to make a full-bodied iced Americano with espresso and water. Whether you are a beginner just getting to know Indonesian coffee or an enthusiast looking to refine your extraction, you will find useful origin knowledge and brewing parameters here. [more…]

Opening a small coffee shop means that the coffee bean sourcing channels and supplier choices directly determine product quality and operating costs. This article outlines five common coffee bean sourcing methods for small coffee shops, including local ingredient suppliers, professional coffee bean suppliers, training institutions, online brands, and self-purchased green beans for roasting. It also explains the conditions that high-quality commercial coffee beans should meet across five dimensions: freshness, quality consistency, value for money, variety richness, and crema performance. At the same time, drawing on the practical experience of Front Street Coffee, it introduces packaging one-way valve design, roast date labeling, blend recipe stability, and the cost advantages of commercial blends, providing a reference for coffee shop operators looking for a suitable coffee bean wholesaler. [more…]

Ethiopia, as the birthplace of coffee, has nurtured a wealth of exceptional coffees with widely varying styles. The Sidamo region, with its wild and intense berry-cream character, has won a large following in China's coffee community. The Hambela Gesha coffee beans from this region have become a phenomenon, thanks to winning the TOH competition and the Luckin SOE controversy. This article will systematically sort out the terroir characteristics of the Sidamo region, review the naming evolution of Gesha coffee from 1.0 to 8.0, and use Gesha 6.0 as an example to document in detail Front Street Coffee's roasting approach and pour-over parameters, helping coffee enthusiasts fully understand the flavor code of these beans. [more…]

Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee has long ranked among the world's most prestigious coffees, thanks to its balanced acidity, sweetness, and bitterness along with its smooth, full-bodied mouthfeel. However, the domestic market is a mixed bag, with products labeled "Blue Mountain flavor" bearing little resemblance to authentic Blue Mountain coffee. From the perspective of Front Street Coffee, this article systematically organizes eight practical methods for verifying the authenticity of Blue Mountain coffee, covering dimensions such as taste, certification, origin, packaging, grade, appearance, grind, and aroma, and provides a detailed introduction to the flavor profile of Clifton Mount Estate Blue Mountain No. 1 along with a Kono dripper brewing recipe, helping coffee enthusiasts make accurate judgments when purchasing. [more…]

For more specialty coffee knowledge, please follow the WeChat official account: Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee). Mandheling coffee is a specialty coffee of Indonesian coffee and also synonymous with Indonesian coffee. At Front Street, Mandheling coffee, as the representative coffee of Indonesian coffee, is listed on the daily drinking bean coffee menu. [more…]

Mandheling is a single-origin coffee that appears with extremely high frequency in specialty coffee shops, highly praised for its full-bodied richness and low acidity. This article begins with the cultivation history of Sumatra, recounts the origin of the name Mandheling and its connection to the PWN company, explains in detail the differences between Golden Mandheling and regular Mandheling, the characteristics of the Lintong producing region, as well as the unique wet-hulling process and the Ateng variety. At the same time, Front Street Coffee shares brewing parameters and purchasing suggestions for Golden Mandheling, taking you through a comprehensive understanding of this classic coffee. [more…]

Mandheling is synonymous with Indonesian coffee and serves as the introductory choice for many coffee enthusiasts getting to know Indonesia's coffee-growing regions. It is neither a place name nor a variety name, but rather stems from a historical misunderstanding. This article will trace the coffee-growing history of Sumatra, its main production areas and varietal composition, explain the origins of Mandheling's unique flavor, and introduce Front Street Coffee's recommendations and pour-over methods for Lintong Mandheling and PWN Golden Mandheling, giving you a comprehensive understanding of this classic coffee known for its rich body and low acidity. [more…]

Mandheling coffee is a single-origin coffee commonly found in specialty coffee shops. It is said that before Blue Mountain coffee was discovered, Mandheling was once regarded as the finest of coffees and swept the world for a time. Mandheling coffee is considered the most full-bodied coffee in the world; when tasting Mandheling, you can distinctly feel the tongue [more…]

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…]

Sumatran coffee is the calling card of Indonesian coffee, and Mandheling is especially well known around the world. But many people don't know that Mandheling is neither a region name nor a variety name, but rather a term left behind by a historical misunderstanding. This article will guide you through the cultivation origins of Sumatran coffee, its main producing regions, variety composition, and unique processing methods, with a focus on introducing the brewing parameters and flavor performance of Front Street Golden Mandheling. Finally, it will also explain the key points for making Mandheling Americano, making it suitable reading for enthusiasts who want to systematically understand Indonesian coffee. [more…]