Front Street Coffee has frequently introduced ice bock—that is, purified milk—recently, and many friends want to know exactly how it differs from milk coffee made with ordinary fresh milk. Simply put, purified milk tastes richer, and its mouthfeel is fuller and more substantial. Besides buying it directly, you can actually easily make it at home: just freeze fresh milk and then thaw it, using the difference in freezing points among the components to remove some of the water, and you get milk with a higher concentration. In this article, Front Street Coffee will share the specific steps for purifying milk, how to judge the degree of purification, and how to adjust the ratios when using it to make milk coffees such as Dirty and latte, along with recommendations for coffee beans that pair well, to help you make a cup of rich yet not cloying purified milk coffee. [more…]

Front Street has recently been sharing a lot about ice bock (concentrated milk), and quite a few friends are curious about how it actually differs from milk coffee made with regular fresh milk. Simply put, concentrated milk tastes richer and has a thicker mouthfeel. If you haven't tried it yourself, it's hard to imagine the texture, so you might as well make a cup and experience it. Besides buying ice bock online, you can also make it at home with just two steps: freezing and thawing. In this article, Front Street will break down in detail the principles of the freeze-concentration method, the key operational points, and separately explain the ratio strategies for using concentrated milk to make a Dirty and other milk coffees (such as lattes, flat whites, and cappuccinos)—for a Dirty, you can directly replace it in equal amounts, while for blended milk coffees, you need to adjust the amount of milk to avoid masking the coffee's flavor. It also retains product recommendations such as Front Street's classic blend and Queen's Estate SOE. [more…]

Can icebock milk be drunk directly? Is it really difficult to recreate an icebock Dirty coffee at home? This time, Front Street Coffee steps up personally, starting from the principle of freeze distillation and demonstrating step by step how to make rich, mellow icebock at home using a refrigerator and fresh milk, as well as putting its concentration difference against regular fresh milk to the test. The article also shares the complete process of making a Dirty with icebock, including cup size selection, extraction parameters, and flavor performance. If you are also curious about this kind of purified milk with a cheesy, savory note and a viscous mouthfeel, why not follow along with Front Street Coffee and give it a try. [more…]

Dirty coffee is often associated with ice bock milk, but is the pairing between the two inevitable or merely optional? From the perspective of Front Street Coffee, this article sorts out the origins and characteristics of Dirty coffee, the evolution of the ice bock process from beer to coffee, and how industrial production has brought ice bock into coffee shops. It also explains in detail the specific steps for making ice bock milk at home, analyzes why it is better suited for making Dirty rather than other milk coffees, and retains Front Street brand-related recommendations and product information, providing coffee lovers with a complete ice bock Dirty guide. [more…]

Dirty coffee has always existed as a hidden menu item at Front Street Coffee, because in Front Street's view, Dirty is simply a "special" way of drinking a latte. Until one day, I happened to overhear a customer explaining it to his friend, which boiled down to "Dirty is made with ice bock milk [冰博克奶] as the base, then pouring espresso over it." [more…]

In coffee drinks, milk is far more than a supporting player; through clever blending, it can make the flavor of milk coffee achieve an effect where 1+1 is greater than 2. Whether adjusting concentration or enhancing sweetness, blended milk gives baristas more flexible creative space. This article, from the perspective of Front Street, systematically sorts out the common milk blending methods in the coffee world, including the freeze-concentration principle of purified milk, the practice of mixing it with fresh milk in proportion to balance concentration, and the basic concept of plant-based milk blending. The article not only explains the purpose of blending, but also provides actionable DIY ideas to help coffee lovers recreate a professional-grade milk coffee experience at home. [more…]

Morgan Eckroth, runner-up in the 2022 World Barista Championship, did something astonishing on stage—smashing a coffee cup in front of the judges. This coffee influencer with 7 million followers used a metaphor-laden performance to explore the extinction crisis facing specialty coffee. From choosing the endangered coffee variety Eugenioides to incorporating kintsugi craftsmanship and Colombia's national liquor into the creative coffee segment, every choice Morgan made pointed to the same question: as climate change, market shifts, and industry decline converge, is the coffee industry ready? This article will take you through this breathtaking competition and explore how baristas can rediscover the humanistic value and professional charm of specialty coffee in an era obsessed with efficiency. [more…]

The SCA recently published the latest rules and regulations for the 2024 World Barista Championship. Overall, the changes are not extensive; they mainly focus on further clarifying the wording regarding the judging process, conflict-of-interest declarations, and milk selection, while also adjusting the method for evaluating the tactile assessment of espresso. For coffee professionals and enthusiasts who follow the direction of the competition, these detailed changes may directly affect competitors' preparation strategies and judges' officiating standards. This article will sort through the key points of the rule changes one by one to help readers quickly grasp the key adjustment directions of this year's WBC. [more…]

Dirty coffee is loved by many coffee enthusiasts for its layered visual effect and unique drinking experience, but there is often a misconception about whether it must be made with ice-bock milk. This article will sort out the origin and characteristics of Dirty coffee, compare its differences from iced latte in terms of ingredients and taste, and introduce the principles of ice-bock technology and its application in the coffee field. At the same time, regarding the selection of different coffee beans, it provides pairing suggestions related to the Front Street brand to help readers understand why ice-bock is more compatible with Dirty, as well as flexible ways to adapt it in actual preparation. [more…]

Since Dirty coffee rose to popularity in China around 2018, it has not faded away like other trendy drinks. Instead, it has firmly secured a permanent spot on the menus of major specialty coffee shops, standing on equal footing with the latte. There are over 200,000 related posts on Xiaohongshu, with each tag receiving more than 5 million views. This drink, originally created by Japanese barista Katsuyuki Tanaka, forms a layered effect by pouring hot espresso over cold milk. With its unique taste combining hot and cold and the enhancement of ice-distilled purified milk, it has driven the domestic coffee market to pursue higher ingredient quality. This article will analyze why Dirty coffee has become the "beloved darling" of local specialty coffee, from its origin and spread to its production characteristics and market impact. [more…]

In recent years, coffee-themed films and television works have gradually increased, but "Coffee Wars" takes a unique perspective—focusing on the situation of vegetarians and plant-based milk in coffee competitions. The film tells the story of Jo, a highly skilled vegan barista whose business is struggling because the shop only offers plant-based milk, yet she resolutely leads her team into the finals of the World Coffee Championship, attempting to prove that plant-based milk can also create outstanding coffee. At the same time, in reality, the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) also revised the WBC rules at the end of 2022 to allow plant-based milk to compete, a change that coincides with the film's theme. This article will guide you through the film's highlights, the evolution of WBC rules, and Front Street Coffee's continued attention to specialty coffee culture. [more…]

Cold brew coffee is often served in limited quantities at cafés, precisely because its production cycle usually exceeds eight hours. This type of coffee, which originated in Europe and gets its name from the Dutch invention of a distillation apparatus, is also called Dutch Coffee, distilled coffee, or water-drip coffee. It relies on condensed natural osmotic water pressure to let cold water drip through the coffee grounds one drop at a time, continuously extracting at a low temperature of about 5°C for several hours. The flavor of the finished product varies depending on the roast level, water volume, water temperature, drip rate, and grind coarseness. It has a rich, smooth, and refreshingly icy taste, making it the foundation for drinking straight in summer or for making iced coffee. Front Street Coffee's cold brew recipe also emphasizes the coordination between drip rate and grind. Below, we'll break down its extraction principles and time control. [more…]

For those who want to systematically train their coffee senses, aroma kits are often mentioned, but their price tag of several thousand yuan also makes people hesitate. This article focuses on the 36-note "Coffee Nose" kit, introducing the origins and evolution of aroma kits, their use in SCA courses, and detailing the specific flavors in the four major categories: enzymatic, caramelization, dry distillation, and defective. It also shares methods of use, from memorizing by category and group blind testing to mixed blind testing, helping beginners calibrate their sense of smell and taste. At the end, Front Street also offers rational advice: an aroma kit is not a necessity—smelling more, drinking more, and feeling more is what really matters. [more…]

At the recently concluded United States Barista Championship, Morgan Eckroth from Portland, Oregon, took the crown. Unlike most competitors, she was already a coffee influencer with over 7 million followers before the competition, and she made her entire preparation and competition process public through vlogs and livestreams. Taking the home coffee community that emerged after the pandemic as her theme, she shared her recipes and approach in advance, advocating that coffee should be delicious, replicable, transformative, and easy to make at home. This article will walk you through her competition journey, bean selection strategy, and creative recipes, and use them to explore the bottlenecks facing the Barista Championship and the shift in coffee consumption patterns in the post-pandemic era. [more…]

Every year, the world drinks over 400 billion cups of coffee, making it one of the most widely consumed beverages. But no matter how many varieties there are or how different the brewing methods, the pleasure brought by good coffee and the disappointment caused by bad coffee are often separated by just one small sip. This article is compiled from COSTA Perfect Coffee Family, systematically sorting out the key points for judging the quality of coffee—from coffee bean ratios, freshness, extraction timing, handcrafting, volume, appearance, aroma, and temperature to mouthfeel—and providing the "coffee golden rules" for espresso, cappuccino, and latte, to help coffee lovers quickly identify a good cup of coffee when ordering in daily life. [more…]

The SCAA Coffee Flavor Wheel is a core tool for specialty coffee enthusiasts to identify flavors, yet many people are still unfamiliar with it. This article systematically breaks down the left-right structure of the flavor wheel: the right side, the normal flavor spectrum, reveals the three major aroma sources of fermentation, sugar browning, and dry distillation, while the left side, the negative flavor spectrum, corresponds to the defective flavors produced by improper green bean processing, storage, and roasting. It also explains in detail the deduction rules for different defects in SCAA cupping—serious defects deduct 4 points, minor defects deduct 2 points—and how roasting and organic matter loss, although not deducting defect points, can lower flavor performance. The article includes the latest high-definition Chinese-English flavor wheel images and retains Front Street Coffee's communication channels, making it suitable for readers who want to gain a deeper understanding of coffee sensory evaluation. [more…]

Coffee consumption is becoming increasingly popular in China. In addition to the common Italian-style categories, many brands have launched creative coffees with unique flavors, such as Luckin's sauce-flavored latte, which once sparked widespread discussion. In fact, long ago, the Irish combined their local distilled spirit, whiskey, with coffee to create the world-famous Irish coffee. This article will guide you through the principles, recipe, and preparation steps behind this classic creative specialty drink, and share how changing the coffee beans can deliver a completely different taste experience. It also recommends related products from Front Street Coffee for enthusiasts' reference. [more…]

The allure of coffee often begins with that intoxicating whiff of aroma. Many people, even if they don't drink coffee regularly, are drawn to the dry fragrance released the moment the beans are ground. At Front Street Coffee's stores, we frequently encounter customers like this—who prefer the dry aroma of coffee grounds and the wet aroma of the brewed liquid over the taste on the palate. So, what exactly makes up coffee's aroma? And what reactions occur during roasting? This article will explore the over thousand volatile compounds in coffee, categorized into the enzymatic, caramelization, dry distillation, and defect groups, to analyze the difference between dry and wet aromas, and discuss why coffee often smells better than it tastes, guiding you to rediscover the flavors in your cup from both olfactory and gustatory perspectives. [more…]

Many people are drawn in by the aroma of coffee, yet find that the flavor once it hits their palate is not as enchanting as it smells. This gap—"smells great, tastes bland"—is in fact closely tied to the more than 1,200 volatile aromatic compounds in coffee, the difference between dry and wet aromas after grinding, and the way retronasal olfaction perceives flavor. Starting from customer feedback at Front Street Coffee's shops, this article sorts through the four major aroma categories—enzymatic, caramelized, dry-distillation, and defective—and explains why a gap exists between coffee's aroma and its taste experience. Front Street then brews the 2025 new-crop natural Hambela Guji using 15 grams of grounds, a 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, 91°C water, and a three-stage pouring method, and introduces the background of this champion bean from Ethiopia's Hambela, guiding you through the complete, true flavor of a cup of pour-over coffee. [more…]

In Java, Sumatra, Bali, and Sulawesi in Indonesia, Kopi Luwak is a highly distinctive traditional beverage. The raw material for this coffee comes from beans excreted by civets after they eat coffee cherries, and because it is difficult to obtain and the processing is cumbersome, the yield is extremely low. Indonesian pavilion staff member Shengzhen introduced that farmers will keep civets in cages, and some merchants even rent an entire island to let them range freely, but they cannot force them to eat or excrete, so the coffee beans obtained are especially precious. Only about 500 pounds are produced globally each year. After multiple strict hygiene processes such as sun-drying, roasting, and brewing, the finished coffee has a unique aroma, and the price is naturally high. The site also demonstrated the distillation method: 12 grams of Kopi Luwak with 50 to 55 grams of water produces the richest result, and the remaining coffee grounds are smooth with no small holes. At the Expo Indonesian pavilion, a 4-ounce cup of Kopi Luwak is priced at US$168, 20 grams costs 380 yuan, and a cup in Hong Kong also costs 220 to 298 yuan, which shows just how expensive it is. [more…]