In Ipoh, Malaysia, the rich aroma of white coffee cannot be separated from the support of local coffee powder factories, and the Hock Kee (Elephant Brand) coffee powder factory, which has been in operation for a full eighty years, is one of the most representative old establishments among them. This coffee powder factory, founded in the 1930s by Hainanese Fu Hechang, roasts coffee beans using semi-traditional techniques, and has won the trust of three generations of locals with its pure, fragrant quality. Many tea houses in Ipoh have long purchased its coffee powder to make white coffee. However, as the third-generation operators grew older and manpower became scarce, and the fourth generation each had their own careers and no intention of taking over, the family finally decided to cease operations. After the news spread, longtime customers rushed to stock up as mementos, with some even traveling dozens of kilometers just to taste the flavor remembered from years past. This old factory bearing the elephant trademark, after completing its final batch of orders, will officially pass into history. [more…]

As the specialty coffee wave sweeps the globe, with pour-over, espresso, and golden cup extraction dominating the conversation, is there still anyone willing to pause for a cup of the most traditional coffee? In Pathum Thani Province, Thailand, a century-old café named Zhang Lirong quietly tells a different kind of coffee story through a single stainless steel coffee pot, a cheap drip filter spoon, and three generations of perseverance. There are no specialty beans here, no intricate techniques—only charcoal-roasted Robusta, a humble menu annotated in Teochew dialect, and the warmth of a ten-baht cup. This article takes you inside this century-old Siamese establishment to experience the cultural heritage that transcends flavor behind traditional brewing methods, and to glimpse similar steadfast traditions such as Hong Kong charcoal-roasted coffee. [more…]

Located near the Barú Volcano in Boquete, Panama, Elida Estate was founded by Robert Lamastus in 1918 and named after his wife. For over a century, the Lamastus family has passed down their passion for coffee from generation to generation, and it is now in the hands of the fourth generation, with the addition of El Burro Estate as the family's fifth farm. The Elida Natural Geisha roasted by Front Street Coffee shows in cupping a rich layering of pomegranate, peach, white florals, grape, and black tea, with extremely high sweetness, rounded acidity, a silky mouthfeel, and a pronounced tea-like finish. This article will take you through the historical trajectory and flavor expression of this legendary estate. [more…]

In the naming of coffee varieties, combinations of letters and numbers are not uncommon, but F1 is not a single variety—it is a collective term for a class of hybrid progeny. It originated from a breeding program promoted jointly by the French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development and the Coffee Institute of Costa Rica, among other institutions, after the major leaf rust outbreak of the 1970s, aimed at cultivating a new generation of coffee that is high-yielding, disease-resistant, and excellent in flavor. Although F1 varieties possess many advantages, they are also difficult to promote on a large scale due to the difficulty of propagation and high costs. This article will guide you through the background of F1's creation, its selection process, its main characteristics, and important commercialized representatives such as H1 and Ruiru 11, while combining recommendations from Front Street Coffee to present this innovative achievement in the field of coffee breeding. [more…]

Starbucks officially announced recently that its seventh store in Shanghai—the standalone Shikumen building store located at the main entrance of the Xintiandi commercial area, opened after the company entered Shanghai in 2000—will permanently close on December 16. This landmark coffee shop, which has accompanied Shanghai residents for 24 years, was renovated multiple times and upgraded to a Reserve store in 2021, holding countless memories of dates, study sessions, and daily coffee runs for many people. The closure announcement has sparked widespread regret, with netizens speculating that it may be due to failed rent negotiations after the lease expired. Meanwhile, several long-operating Starbucks stores in Shanghai have also closed one after another, prompting sighs that an era is quietly coming to an end. [more…]

Elida Estate is one of the most prestigious coffee estates in Panama, belonging to the Lamastus family. Since its founding, Mr. Robert has made producing high-quality coffee his core pursuit, and this passion has been passed down through generations, now continuing into the family's fourth generation. In recent years, the Lamastus family has acquired El Burro Estate, bringing the number of estates under its umbrella to five, though only three actually produce coffee: besides Elida, there are also El Burro Estate and Elida Estate Luis Quiel, each with its own distinctive character shaped by differences in terroir. Elida covers 65 hectares, more than half of which lies within the protected area of Barú Volcano National Park, where logging is prohibited, leaving an actual planted area of about 30 hectares. The superior microclimate, volcanic soil, and high altitude, combined with the family's strict control over harvesting and processing, give Elida coffee its unique flavor. This article will also share the cupping performance of Front Street Coffee's Panama Elida Estate Natural Geisha. [more…]

During the Qingming holiday, visiting graves and paying respects to ancestors is a traditional custom, but getting up early to climb the mountain is quite a struggle for many young people. This year, temporary coffee stalls and coffee carts appeared in some cemeteries, providing refreshing drinks and simple meals for those who came to pay their respects, solving the inconvenience of scarce dining options around suburban grave sites. Some young people even brought coffee as an offering to their ancestors' graves, using this trendy way to share their current life with their forebears. In the comments section, netizens enthusiastically imagined what coffee they would drink a hundred years from now, with some even asking the next generation to bring pour-over equipment or a coffee machine. This phenomenon reflects the younger generation's innovative interpretation of traditional grave-sweeping practices, and also demonstrates the deep penetration of coffee culture into contemporary life. [more…]

Can a manual hand-press espresso machine extract espresso with a rich crema? With this question in mind, Front Street conducted a complete unboxing and hands-on test of the Starpler third-generation hand-press espresso machine. From disassembling the structure and the principle of water-injection extraction, to adjusting parameters with 18 grams of coffee paired with 120 milliliters of hot water, and finally pressing out golden crema and making a hot latte, the playability of this small machine was verified step by step. The article retains the structural details of the Starpler hand-press coffee machine, the official pressure parameters, the recommended coffee dose and water volume, as well as bean recommendations such as Front Street Specialty Blend, Commercial Blend, Classic Blend, and Dark Cocoa Base Blend, making it a useful reference for coffee enthusiasts interested in hand-press espresso equipment and crema extraction. [more…]

In the 2022-2023 coffee year, Guatemala's coffee industry generated US$944 million in export revenue, firmly maintaining its position as the country's leading agricultural export. Although export value declined compared to the previous year due to international price fluctuations and the El Niño phenomenon, the industry remains optimistic about the outlook for 2024. At the same time, Guatemala has officially joined the free trade agreement between South Korea and the Central American countries, injecting new momentum into coffee exports. The president of Anacafé predicts that coffee production in the 2023-2024 coffee year is expected to reach 4 million quintals, and Guatemala's coffee competitiveness and position in the international market will be further enhanced. [more…]

In August 2026, the 30th Best of Panama awards were held in Boquete. Elida Estate took first place in the washed Geisha category with a score of 96.25, which was also the highest score of the entire competition, while its natural Geisha placed third with 95.25. For Lama [more…]

At this year's World Brewers Cup, blend beans became a favorite among many competitors, but traditional blends often require repeated debugging, which is time-consuming and labor-intensive. A Finnish roastery named Kaffa took a different approach, partnering with an AI company called Elev. After inputting flavor information for all the coffee beans in the roastery into a model similar to ChatGPT, they had the AI directly design a blend formula aimed at mass-market tastes. Surprisingly, the formula the AI provided differed considerably from the usual thinking of baristas, yet it won unanimous approval in blind tastings and even thoughtfully generated a packaging label. The integration of AI into the coffee industry is nothing new, but this time, can the blending answer it delivered shake the professional status of baristas? This article takes you through this interesting experiment, along with related observations from Front Street Coffee. [more…]

Latest data from the Brazil Specialty Coffee Association (Cecafe) shows that Brazil's coffee exports performed strongly in April this year, with a total of 4.222 million 60-kg bags exported, up 53.3% year on year, setting a record high for that month and generating US$935.3 million in foreign exchange earnings, an increase of 52.6% year on year. In the first four months of this year, cumulative exports reached 16.242 million bags, with revenue of US$3.444 billion, both setting all-time records. Arabica still accounted for 76.77% of total exports, while robusta export volume rose 528% year on year. Tight global supply, reduced production in Vietnam and the Red Sea crisis pushed up market demand and coffee prices. However, severe delays at major ports such as Santos, combined with the risk of frost in the south, mean subsequent exports still face the dual challenges of logistics and weather. [more…]

Moving from an entry-level De'Longhi to a mid-to-high-end model is a rite of passage for many home users. After the upgrade, grinding is finer and more controllable, extraction temperature is more stable, and in theory the ceiling for what you can produce is higher. But if you're still stuck with the commercial blend you grabbed on a whim back then, the new machine's capabilities go to waste. Upgrading is exactly the moment to re [more…]

Espresso may appear simple, yet it conceals numerous variables and a great deal of knowledge. From the perspective of Front Street Coffee, this article reviews the evolution of the espresso machine from its first-generation model in 1901 to modern semi-automatic equipment, and provides a detailed breakdown of nine major influencing factors: water pressure, boiler pressure, water temperature, tamping force, grind size, dose, extraction time, extraction yield, and crema. At the same time, using a classic Italian blend as an example, it gives specific operating steps and parameter standards for extracting 40 ml of espresso from 20 g of grounds, helping coffee enthusiasts understand how to consistently make a cup of Espresso with thick crema and balanced flavor. [more…]

In the dazzling galaxy of Panama's specialty coffee, the Kotowa family occupies an important place with its century-old heritage and outstanding quality. From the pioneering story of first-generation estate owner Alexander Duncan MacIntyre to the careful management of the current third-generation head Ricardo Koyner and his daughter Victoria, this family has witnessed the rise and glory of Panamanian coffee. This article will take you into Duncan Estate under Kotowa, to learn about its historical origins, terroir conditions, and processing techniques, and to deeply taste the sun-dried Caturra brought by Front Street Coffee—a bean that displays the rich layers of floral notes, red grapes, dried fruit, and prunes, showcasing the unique terroir charm of the Boquete producing region. [more…]

Panama occupies a key position on the international coffee map thanks to Geisha, and the many estates that nurtured it are equally worth exploring. This article focuses on the Kotowa family—from Joseph McIntyre's purchase of Caroline Farm in Boquete in 1916, to Alexander Duncan McIntyre's move to Panama in 1925, the renaming to Carolina and the building of a processing plant, to the third generation's Ricardo Koyner and his daughter Victoria running it together, a four-generation planting history unfolds. The article also explains in detail the origin of the Duncan estate's name, the layout of its seven farms, the ancient water-powered processing equipment, and the sun-dried Caturra that Front Street Coffee sourced: 1,650–1,750 meters elevation, medium-light roast, with a cup profile showing floral notes, red grape, candied fruit, prune, and brown sugar nuances. [more…]

In the Boquete production region of Panama, there is a legendary estate named after the estate owner's wife—Elida Estate. Since its founding by Robert Lamastus in 1918, four generations of the Lamastus family have remained committed to the cultivation and production of high-quality coffee, and today they have even expanded their holdings to the family's fifth estate, Trompo Estate. In 2017, Elida Estate's Geisha Natural competition lot won the Best of Panama award, and Front Street Coffee conducted a cupping immediately after completing the roast. This coffee displays rich layers of pomegranate, peach, white floral notes, grape, and black tea, with extremely high sweetness, rounded acidity, a silky mouthfeel, and a pronounced tea-like finish. As the temperature changes, the flavor transitions from peach sweetness to apricot, and the juicy quality becomes increasingly full. This article will take you deeper into the history and heritage of this century-old estate and the complete flavor expression of this competition lot. [more…]

In this year's Panama BOP Geisha auction, Elida Estate's natural Geisha set a new record at $10,013 per pound, becoming the top lot. This is not the estate's first time at the top—it has won the BOP championship multiple times and was the first-ever double champion in Geisha history, with a number of wins second only to Hacienda La Esmeralda. Elida Estate was established in 1918 and officially upgraded to a century-old prestigious estate in 2018. It is now managed by the fourth generation of the Lamastus family, and in recent years it has also acquired the high-altitude El Burro Estate as the family's fifth estate. The Elida Geisha cupped by Front Street Coffee this time displays rich flavors of pomegranate, peach, white florals, grape, and black tea, with extremely high sweetness, rounded acidity, and a silky mouthfeel. This article will take you deeper into the history and charm of this legendary estate. [more…]

The Coffee Taster's Flavor Wheel is an important tool for every coffee enthusiast and professional to understand coffee flavors. From the first edition of the flavor wheel published by the SCAA in 1995 to the comprehensively revamped new flavor wheel in 2016, the two generations differ significantly in structure, classification logic, and sensory description. This article will compare the design concepts and methods of use of the old and new flavor wheels from a professional perspective, analyze the background and significance of the birth of both versions, and help you cup and taste coffee more accurately. When you come to Front Street Coffee, you can see physical displays of both versions of the flavor wheel in the shop, and follow this article to gain a deeper understanding of the evolution of the Coffee Taster's Flavor Wheel. [more…]

At the 2024 Panama BOP Geisha auction, Elida Estate's natural Geisha once again set a new record with a sky-high price of $10,013 per pound, claiming the top lot. This century-old renowned estate is not reaching the summit for the first time; it is not only the first double-crown Geisha champion in BOP history, but also second only to Hacienda La Esmeralda in number of wins. Elida Estate was founded in 1918 and has now been passed down to the fourth generation of the Lamastus family. In addition to Elida, the family also owns well-known plots such as El Burro Estate and Luisito Estate, and in recent years has even purchased the high-altitude El Toro Estate. Front Street Coffee cupped this champion bean this time, and it displayed the captivating flavors of pomegranate, peach, white floral notes, and black tea. This article will give you a comprehensive understanding of Elida Estate's history, plot distribution, and flavor performance. [more…]