Thursday, September 17 2026

Coffee Flavor | Why Do Some Coffees Taste Like "Soy Sauce"? What Factors Affect Coffee Flavor? How to Avoid a "Soy Sauce" Taste in Coffee?

“Huh? Why does this coffee smell kind of like soy sauce?” a customer asked cautiously, full of confusion, after sniffing the dry aroma of the coffee grounds Front Street had handed over. This was not actually the first time Front Street had received such a question. Besides “soy sauce,” there were also things like “ [more…]

Coffee Bean Processing Methods | What Is the Simon Special / Bag Fermentation Coffee Processing Method? What Characteristics Do Coffee Beans Treated with the Simon Special Process Have?

Whether sun-dried or washed, coffee processing originally existed simply to dry the beans so they could be stored conveniently. But once people discovered that different processing methods give coffee different flavor variations, more and more processing methods emerged to serve flavor. For example, now [more…]

Introduction to Coffee Bean Processing Methods | How Do Sun-Dried and Washed Coffee Differ in Flavor and Mouthfeel? What Are the Processing Steps for Sun-Dried and Washed Coffee?

If you've been following our activity notifications over the past couple of days, you might have noticed that both of Front Street's stores on Taobao and Tmall have just launched a washed-process Hacienda La Esmeralda Diamond Mountain. And so some friends are quite curious: "They're both Diamond Mountain—what's the difference between this washed-process one and the sun-dried one that was listed before? And then [more…]

Introduction to Coffee Bean Processing Methods|How Do Sun-Dried and Washed Coffee Beans Differ in Taste? What Causes the Flavor Differences Between Sun-Dried and Washed Coffee Beans?

If you've been following the event notifications over the past couple of days, you may have noticed that Front Street has launched a washed-process Emerald Estate · Diamond Mountain at both of its stores on 🍑Bao and Tian🐱. Then some friends got very curious: "They're both Diamond Mountain—what's the difference between this washed-process one and the sun-dried one that was listed before? And then [more…]

Coffee Bean Identification | What Are the Differences Between Washed and Natural Coffee? How Can Coffee Beginners Learn to Tell Natural Beans from Washed Beans?

If you often drink pour-over coffee, Front Street believes you've probably seen friends who can tell washed and natural processed coffee apart at a glance, or with a single sip. Because they distinguish them so quickly, many friends are amazed and wonder how on earth they do it. Just yesterday, [more…]

Kenya Double Washed Explained: The Bright Acidity in the Fermentation Tank

If you had to trace the "Kenyan taste" back to its processing origins, the answer would most likely point to double washing. This method, known locally as K72, polishes the fruit acidity of Kenyan coffee until it is bright, solid, and yet still clean. Once you understand double washing, you understand where the signature juicy quality of Kenyan beans comes from. Double Washing [more…]

Coffee Bean Buying Guide | How can coffee beginners find the coffee beans that suit them? What flavor characteristics do coffee beans with different processing methods each have?

Front Street often receives many questions like these: "What beans are suitable for a moka pot?", "What beans are suitable for a coffee machine?", or "What beans are suitable for cold brew?"... Many beginners mistakenly believe that a certain extraction method has the most suitable coffee beans, but in reality, regardless of [more…]

Why Strawberry Candy Latte Works: The Underlying Logic of Flavored Beans

Seeing a strawberry candy latte on a café menu, many people instinctively assume it contains syrup. In fact, a properly processed flavored bean can produce a strawberry-like sweet aroma without any syrup at all, and Front Street Coffee's Strawberry Candy Blend was designed with exactly this approach in mind. Its premise is that the bean's own fermented flavor is distinctive enough—so distinctive that [more…]

Ethiopian Specialty Beans | Why Is the Sidamo Natural Sun-Dried Huakui Coffee So Popular? A Highly Cost-Effective Arabica Coffee Bean Recommendation Every Beginner Must Buy

Huakui is a specialty Arabica coffee bean that every beginner must try. It comes from Hambella in the Guji region (GUJI) and is processed by the Buku Abel washing station here, and it is famous for the classic Ethiopian floral and fruity aroma in its flavor profile. Buku Abel is located at an altitude of 22 [more…]

Introduction to the Flavor Characteristics of Brazilian Coffee Beans | What Are the Producing Regions and Coffee Bean Varieties of Brazilian Coffee Beans?

For more specialty coffee knowledge, please follow: Front Street Coffee (Frontsteet Coffee). Brazilian Cerrado coffee is very popular as Front Street's everyday beans, and there is also a Brazilian single-origin bean, Brazilian Queen Coffee, whose taste is cleaner than Brazilian Cerrado and whose flavor is even better! Of course, Brazil [more…]

Latte Milk Foam Steaming Tutorial with Illustrations | What Are the Requirements for Milk When Making Latte Art? What Techniques Should Coffee Beginners Pay Attention to When Steaming Milk Foam for Latte Art?

To make latte art look good, choosing the right milk is very important! Front Street Coffee's daily in-store milk coffee offerings all use full-fat fresh milk, because it is rich in protein, lactose, and milk fat. The protein in milk is what makes the milk foam stable. [more…]

Iced Coffee Beginner's Guide | For Kenyan Cherry Cold Brew, should you steep at room temperature or in the fridge? How long should cold brew coffee steep? How do you make cold drip coffee?

For more professional coffee knowledge and more coffee bean information, please follow Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee). As handsome guys and pretty girls living in cities like furnaces, cold drinks are a must-have in the fridge. Cold brew coffee can satisfy both the handsome guys' and pretty girls' craving for cold drinks and their desire for coffee. [more…]

Beans with Tropical Fruit Flavors: The Sweet Aroma Code of Sun-Dried Fermentation

For coffee beans with tropical fruit flavors, the core of the flavor lies in the fermentation: the fermentation in natural processing transforms sugars into the sweet aromas of tropical fruit. Front Street Coffee's Kafa Forest has orange and apricot notes with an oolong tea-like finish, where the tropical sweetness carries a layer of tea-like freshness; Granja Estate's Geisha natural version, meanwhile, is a rich expression of guava and strawberry jam, [more…]

Single-Origin Espresso (SOE) Coffee | Where Does SOE Coffee Come From? Is the Flavor of SOE Coffee Beans Suitable for Pour-Over? What Are the Characteristics of SOE Espresso?

When we often order at coffee shops, many baristas will recommend, "Would you like to try our SOE?" Some customers who come to Front Street Coffee also proactively ask if there is SOE coffee. The so-called "SOE" stands for Single Origin Espresso, referring to the use of [more…]

Anaerobic Coffee Pour-Over Tutorial | What Are the Characteristics of Anaerobic Coffee Beans? What Adjustments Are Needed When Using Anaerobic Beans for Pour-Over? How to Brew Anaerobic Coffee with a Juicy Mouthfeel?

Compared to other conventional processing methods, anaerobically processed coffee beans usually have a more intense and more distinctive flavor (for the most part), because their fermentation tends to go a bit deeper. For example, the Front Street 90+ Eleta on the Front Street Coffee menu has obvious notes of longan, spice, and citrus. [more…]

Coffee Processing Methods | What is the difference between semi-washed, natural, washed, and honey processing? What flavor and mouthfeel characteristics do different processing methods give coffee?

The natural process, as the name suggests, is to spread the harvested coffee cherries flat on the ground (on dedicated drying nets or patios) and use direct sunlight (for about 2-3 weeks) to remove moisture from the coffee fruit until the moisture content reaches the target level, after which machines are used to remove the dried husk to obtain the green coffee beans we want. Natural process [more…]

African Coffee Flavor Analysis | Both Are Yirgacheffe, What's the Difference Between Washed Gutingding vs. Natural Red Cherry? Must-Buy Floral and Fruity Coffee Bean Recommendations for Pour-Over Beginners

For more specialty coffee knowledge, please follow our WeChat official account: Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee). As a fan of floral and fruity coffees, Front Street features several Ethiopian coffee beans on its bean list, the most representative of which are the washed Gedingding Cooperative, sun-dried Red Cherry, and Sidamo floral [more…]

The Purpose of Blending Coffee Beans | What Are the Characteristics of SOE Coffee? Which Is Better: SOE Single-Origin Beans or Espresso Blends, and What's the Difference?

Many friends have asked the baristas at Front Street Coffee what SOE coffee is, and why so many specialty coffee shops now offer SOE coffee, yet Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) has not put SOE coffee on its menu. Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet C [more…]