As a symbol of American culture, Starbucks rapidly went global after Howard Schultz took over, opening 17,600 stores in 61 countries. However, when Starbucks entered countries with deep cultural traditions such as China, India, and France, it frequently encountered cultural resistance and controversy. From being forced to withdraw from its Forbidden City store, to the long wait in the Indian market, to the French people's steadfast defense of traditional cafés, Starbucks, while exporting American coffee culture, has also had to face the stubborn resistance of local cultures. This article will walk you through Starbucks' path of cultural conflict and integration around the world, and explore the balance between business expansion and cultural respect. [more…]

Latte is probably one of the most misunderstood coffees in the world—many people assume it is an everyday drink for Italians, but in fact the authentic milk coffee that Italians drink is the cappuccino on the breakfast table. The latte, with its "large quantity of milk" form, is a product that evolved after coffee emigrated to the United States. In this history of flavor evolution lies [more…]

Yunnan's coffee planting area has climbed from over 300,000 mu in 2008 to more than 1.4 million mu today, with output once accounting for over 99% of the national total. Yet the expansion of the industry's scale has not been smooth sailing. Since 2012, international coffee futures prices have continued to decline, leaving Yunnan coffee farmers struggling at the edge of the cost line; the 2014 harvest season was hit by a triple blow of drought, cold damage, and the abandonment of harvesting, causing output to plummet from an expected 100,000 tons to less than 60,000 tons, while purchase prices, driven by factors such as drought in Brazil, saw their largest single-month increase in 20 years. Lincang, as an emerging main producing area, rose rapidly, and companies such as Lingfeng Coffee began implementing quality traceability systems. This article will review the cultivation situation, flavor characteristics, and future development trends of Yunnan Arabica coffee beans. [more…]

Brazil is the world's largest coffee producer, with Cerrado and Sul de Minas being its two most core producing regions. This article takes you through the history of coffee cultivation in Brazil, its flavor characteristics, and its unique place in the world of specialty coffee. [more…]

What is Americano? "Americano" (Italian: Caffe Americano) traditionally refers to black coffee made with a drip coffee maker. Because the extraction time is relatively long (about four to five minutes), the coffee flavor is also more [more…]

Recently, the International Coffee Organization (ICO) released the monthly report of the global coffee market in May, showing that the average price of the comprehensive index is 208.38 cents/pound, which has slightly decreased by 3.9% compared to th [more…]

If you often buy beans and brew them at home, you've probably noticed that some coffee beans start to show oil on their surface after sitting for a while. Other beans, no matter how long they're stored, still look dry on the surface. This leads to a rather interesting phenomenon: some people believe that coffee beans [more…]

The flavor map of coffee spans three continents, and each producing region bears a unique imprint of its terroir. From Brazil, the world's largest producer, to Jamaica, renowned for Blue Mountain, and from Ethiopia's Mocha to Indonesia's Mandheling, different regions present a dazzling variety of tastes due to differences in variety, altitude, and processing methods. This article reviews the coffee characteristics of Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, Hawaii, Indonesia, Costa Rica, Angola, Ethiopia, Jamaica, Kenya, Yemen, Peru, Guatemala, and other places one by one, helping enthusiasts build a clear understanding of producing regions. 【Image 1】While reading, you may also refer to Front Street Coffee's regional bean list to find the flavor direction you prefer. [more…]

I. Brazil (South America) Since 1960, Brazil has consistently ranked first in the world in coffee cultivation, with an average annual output of 24.6 million bags (each bag weighing 60 kilograms). According to a November 2002 report by the United States Department of Agriculture, Brazil's actual coffee output in 2002 should have been 51.6 million bags. Brazil is the world's most [more…]

COE (Cup of Excellence) is one of the most authoritative fine coffee competitions globally, and also the first internet auction platform for globally award-winning coffee, which was organized and founded by the Alliance for Coffee Excellence (ACE) in [more…]

Ethiopia is not only the birthplace of Arabica coffee but also one of the world's major suppliers of high-quality coffee beans. Coffee occupies a central position in Ethiopia's economy, culture, and trade. In 2024-2025, Ethiopia's coffee export volume and export revenue both reached historic highs, marking [more…]

Blooming is an important step in brewing coffee, and there's a popular saying that "you can tell if a coffee will taste good just by looking at its bloom." So when people learn to brew coffee, they intentionally or unintentionally "perfect" a flawless "coffee burger." But if you understand the logic behind blooming, you'll discover that blooming is actually [more…]

瑞幸咖啡正式获得马来西亚市场特许经营权，合作方并非此前盛传的成功集团，而是大资工业旗下子公司Global Aroma Sdn Bhd。根据协议，GASB将在10年内以Luckin Coffee品牌在马来西亚开发、开设并运营门店，并有权连续两次续约5年。大资工业主要股东王子铭表示，这是一项策略投资，目标是全国范围内积极扩张，复刻瑞幸的成功。瑞幸咖啡CEO郭谨一亦指出，此举标志着品牌国际扩张迈出重要一步。大资工业计划于2025年第一季在马来西亚开设多家瑞幸门店，初期费用将由内部资金与银行贷款组合支付。 [more…]

In the story of coffee, there is one name almost everyone has heard, yet it is often misunderstood—Mocha. Today it more often refers to a chocolate flavor, or a type of pot, but several hundred years ago, Mocha was a vital hub of the global coffee trade and the starting point from which coffee traveled from Ethiopia out into the world. This journey begins with the Red [more…]

In the story of coffee, there is a name almost everyone has heard, yet it is often misunderstood—Mocha. Today it more often refers to a chocolate flavor, or a type of pot, but several hundred years ago, Mocha was a vital hub of the global coffee trade and the starting point from which coffee spread from Ethiopia to the world. This journey begins with the Red [more…]

Yemen is the birthplace of commercial coffee cultivation, and the port of Mokha was once the starting point of the global coffee trade. This article takes you through the long history of Yemeni coffee, its unique processing methods, and how it performs in the cup. [more…]

While domestic coffee brands are still in a leaderless situation, imported coffee beans still occupy the vast majority of the market. But faced with numerous coffee brands, which one to choose has become a troubling matter for everyone. This article does not discuss coffee bean varieties, nor instant coffee, but only seeks to understand the most common excellent coffee beans in China, [more…]

At the mention of black coffee, people immediately think of the light Americano brewed from dark-roasted coffee beans. Ever since Starbucks began expanding into the global market, Americano has become synonymous with black coffee, which has led many people to believe that black coffee is just Americano. In fact, black coffee simply refers to pure coffee. [more…]

A report released by the European Coffee Federation (ECF) shows that Europe remains the world's largest coffee market, accounting for about 28% of global coffee consumption. The ECF accounts for about 90% of the EU's total coffee imports. The report also found that the coffee industry directly created about 15 [more…]

For more specialty coffee knowledge, please follow: Front Street Coffee (Frontsteet Coffee). When making pour-over coffee, we usually perform the bloom first, which is especially common in filter-style brewing methods. So, is a bloom still necessary in immersion-style coffee extraction? [more…]