In today's world, where consumer decisions increasingly rely on visual perception, packaging design has become a key touchpoint for brands to establish a first impression with customers. Excellent coffee packaging must not only possess strategic thinking but also integrate popular aesthetics, allowing the target audience to develop recognition and emotional resonance. This article examines representative coffee packaging cases from multiple dimensions, including character imagery, hand-drawn illustrations, gift coffee, can design, and takeaway paper bags and cups, exploring how different design approaches convey functional features and brand philosophy, and revealing current trends in coffee packaging. [more…]

Starbucks recently undertook a comprehensive packaging update for 13 of its regular coffee beans, and on August 29 it was the first to unveil the new designs for 5 of them. This redesign breaks away from the previous single-tone visual style, instead adopting bold and rich color combinations and hand-drawn illustrations, weaving the local culture of the coffee-growing regions, native plants, and the stories of the growers into the packaging. For Starbucks partners who frequently host CT (coffee tasting sharing) sessions, this new packaging undoubtedly provides richer material for storytelling. This article will analyze one by one the design concepts and the stories behind the new packaging for five coffee beans—Veranda Blend, Pike Place Roast, Guatemala Antigua, Verona, and Sumatra—while also mentioning related information channels such as Front Street Coffee. [more…]

Last year, Starbucks' new CEO launched the "Back to Starbucks" strategy, and one element of it—hand-drawn doodles on takeaway cups—was first revived in North America starting in March of this year, with domestic stores following suit. More and more customers are receiving paper cups adorned with cute designs or greetings when they pick up their orders, and many say it brings back the familiar feeling from more than a decade ago. However, this added service, intended to enhance the in-store experience, has put considerable pressure on baristas who aren't good at drawing, with some saying outright that it's more of a headache than memorizing recipes. At the same time, some consumers have raised concerns about the hygiene of hand-drawn cups. Behind a cup of doodles, is it a warm return or a sweet burden? [more…]

On Christmas Eve, the festive atmosphere in coffee shops is not only reflected in the drinks and decorations—the takeaway cups have also become a canvas for baristas to unleash their creativity. From the initial casual sketches of Christmas trees and Santa hats to the later non-stop fancy doodles, hand-drawn Christmas cups have gradually spread throughout the independent coffee scene. Some draw on cups while making coffee, while others have turned doodling into an assembly-line operation to meet customer expectations. This low-cost, heartfelt holiday merchandise not only gives customers a unique keepsake but also allows baristas to find the joy of handmade craft amid their busy schedules. This article will take you through how this hand-drawn trend evolved from a fleeting whim into a Christmas season staple. [more…]

A silent coffee shop in Shanghai, staffed mainly by hearing-impaired baristas, published an article titled "Please rest assured, we are still alive. But..." on June 14, quickly gaining over 80,000 views. Under the impact of the pandemic, dine-in service was suspended, delivery communication was hindered, and masks obscured lip-reading, plunging the shop into a situation of zero revenue and zero foot traffic. The baristas hand-drew 12 touching moments from those months into illustrations and launched an original themed drip-bag coffee set as a self-rescue effort. The article reviewed the real difficulties this special coffee shop faced, its self-rescue methods, and business adjustment ideas that coffee shops could draw on during the pandemic, including joining delivery platforms, ensuring product quality, designing offline discounts to bring customers back, and developing peripheral products such as drip bags and coffee beans to meet consumers' shifting demand from "going to the shop" to "having it at home." [more…]

To systematically learn about coffee, reading is the most solid path. Compiled by Front Street Coffee, this article reviews 15 quality books suitable for coffee enthusiasts, from beginner to advanced to professional development. Whether you are a newcomer just getting into coffee or a professional hoping to refine your skills, you can find a learning direction that suits you. The article covers multiple dimensions including basic coffee knowledge, bean varieties and origins, brewing techniques, sensory tasting, and roasting science, helping you efficiently build a coffee knowledge framework. [more…]

To become a professional barista, hands-on practice alone is far from enough—systematic reading is equally indispensable. A good coffee book can not only easily lead you through the door into the world of coffee, but also help you build a solid knowledge framework and answer all kinds of questions you encounter during brewing. Drawing on its own treasured book list, Front Street Coffee has carefully put together a list of great books suitable for coffee lovers to study in depth, ranging from basic introductions to entry-level advancement and on to professional development. Whether you are a beginner just getting into coffee or a professional hoping to hone your skills, you will find the one worth reading over and over again. [more…]

Every year when Frappuccino粽子 hit the market, Starbucks stores enter a tough battle. Although the flavors have been improved this year, consumers' old impressions of the little zongzi still linger, and the pressure on frontline employees doubles. To meet sales targets, partners resort to all sorts of tricks—from buy-a-bag-get-a-zongzi-free, hand-drawn customizations, to exaggerated copywriting, and even paying out of their own pockets to subsidize. Meanwhile, scalpers have also set their sights on redemption vouchers, buying low and selling high, and the brand recently appears to be cracking down on violations. This article takes you through the panorama of sales surrounding Frappuccino zongzi. [more…]

Recently, the coffee brand WHATEVER COFFEE, founded by actor Daniel Wu, opened its first physical store on Dongda Road in Chengdu, sparking a wave of social media check-ins. This shop-in-shop, sharing space with a barbershop, features a minimalist black, white, and gray aesthetic. Its menu focuses on classic coffees and simple flavored drinks, priced between 20 and 34 yuan. The brand logo, a mask hand-drawn by Daniel Wu, symbolizes shedding pretense and returning to authenticity. In fact, the brand entered the coffee market as early as last June. Now, with the Chengdu store serving as a test outlet, a second independent location is already being scouted. Celebrities opening coffee shops is nothing new—from JJ Lin to Jay Chou—but behind the built-in traffic, whether the products and services themselves can withstand market scrutiny remains a topic worth watching. [more…]

Chagee once launched a free custom cup sticker printing campaign, allowing users to upload images to create milk tea cup stickers. However, many fans used third-party tools to bypass the review process and printed photos of celebrities such as Zhang Linghe as cup stickers, sparking widespread discussion online. Recently, the official function for printing cup stickers was suddenly shut down, with the page displaying "Custom Fu Stickers Are Being Upgraded," catching many fans who had not yet printed their exclusive cup stickers off guard. Lawyers pointed out that unauthorized reproduction of photographic works carries infringement risks, and if used for dissemination, exchange, or sale, it clearly infringes on celebrities' portrait rights and photographers' copyrights. The brand may also bear joint liability for failing to establish an effective review mechanism. This article sorts out the entire incident and analyzes the legal issues and responsibilities of all parties involved. [more…]

Recently, an illustrator publicly accused the new Chinese-style coffee brand Jueke Coffee of unauthorized use of their artwork, involving three illustrations including "Watermelon and Lotus," and plans to file a lawsuit. Jueke Coffee responded that the packaging design is original, there is no infringement, and refused to apologize or pay compensation. Both sides hold their own views, and the incident has sparked widespread attention. This article reviews the course of the incident, the positions of both parties, and netizen reactions, and includes relevant recommendations from Front Street Coffee. [more…]

As a classic representative of Italian coffee, the cappuccino uses espresso as its base, blending steamed milk and a rich milk foam to present a layered taste experience. Following Starbucks' professional coffee operating standards, this article will break down the cappuccino-making process step by step, from tamping the coffee grounds and pulling the espresso to controlling the steamed milk temperature and incorporating the milk foam, covering ten key steps in total. At the same time, the article also distinguishes the differences between dry cappuccino and wet cappuccino in the ratio of milk foam to steamed milk, and emphasizes easily overlooked details such as cleaning the steam wand. Whether you want to recreate the Italian flavor at home or hope to refine your coffee skills, this illustrated tutorial can provide clear and practical guidance. [more…]

When the rich aroma of coffee meets the sweetness of pastries on paper, what kind of visual delight will they create? This article takes you into a series of watercolor illustrations themed around coffee and small pastries, experiencing the everyday moments captured by the artist with a brush on a leisurely afternoon. From a cup of pour-over coffee to delicate little cakes, each painting radiates warmth and comfort. If you also enjoy finding inspiration during coffee time, why not follow these illustrations and savor that ease and beauty together. The article also specially recommends a variety of beans from Front Street Coffee, adding more flavor choices to your daily coffee routine. [more…]

The reason hot lattes captivate so many coffee lovers often comes down to latte art. Tulips, swans—a beautifully poured design never fails to lift the mood. Most of the time, the pattern is left to the barista's discretion, but some baristas compile a menu of designs for customers to choose from. With so many options, some people find themselves spoiled for choice, and so the latte art spinner was born—the customer gives it a gentle spin, and wherever the pointer lands, the barista crafts that design. It's as fun as opening a blind box. The customer has a great time, but the barista may be breaking into a cold sweat: if the spinner lands on a complex pattern they haven't quite mastered, a botched pour would be pretty embarrassing. [more…]

The content of defective beans directly affects coffee quality and grade classification. Taking Brazil as an example, the local system uses a "deduction method," grading based on the number of defective beans per 300 grams of main beans. In addition, coffee usually requires hand sorting during processing, and only by fully mastering the types and characteristics of defective beans can they be effectively removed. So exactly how many types of defective beans are there? This article will use illustrated explanations to introduce ten common defective beans one by one, including shell beans, stones, moldy beans, fermented beans, dead beans, immature beans, shell beans, insect-damaged beans, black beans, and cocoa beans, explaining their causes, appearance characteristics, and negative effects on coffee flavor, laying the foundation for subsequent learning about defective bean selection. [more…]

The manual coffee grinder is the first piece of equipment many coffee enthusiasts acquire when starting out. It is simple in structure and affordable, yet it directly determines the extraction quality of a cup of coffee. This article uses eight steps with images to explain in detail the complete method of using a manual coffee grinder, including how to unscrew the top screw, remove the nuts in sequence, adjust the grind size via the bottom nut, and reattach the clasp, add coffee beans, and turn the handle evenly. It also explains that grinding enough coffee for one cup takes about 2 to 3 minutes, helping you easily grind coffee powder suitable for different coffee pots at home and laying a solid foundation for subsequent brewing. [more…]

Want to learn latte art but don't know where to start? This article uses illustrations to break down the core principles and practical techniques of latte art, from integrating milk foam with coffee to controlling the landing point when pouring the design, helping you build muscle memory step by step. It also answers the common question of "what milk to use for latte art" and recommends espresso bean recipes suitable for latte art. Drawing on years of experience, Front Street Coffee tells you that learning a basic pattern usually takes 4 days: the first day to understand the principles, the second day to practice hands-on, the third day to review the key points, and the fourth day to consolidate and improve. As long as the milk foam quality is up to standard, pouring a beautiful pattern is not difficult. The article also shares the landing-point patterns for basic designs like hearts and leaves, as well as practice suggestions for using real milk and real coffee to get a feel for it. [more…]

Cupping is a professional method used in the tea industry to evaluate quality and determine flavor characteristics, and it is also the best way for tea enthusiasts to gain an in-depth understanding of a tea. This article will break down the correct process and key details of black tea cupping step by step, from dry leaf analysis and infusion to sensory evaluation. Whether you are a cafe operator or a seasoned tea lover, mastering this method will help you judge tea quality more accurately and compare the flavor differences brought by different origins and processing methods. The article also draws on Front Street Coffee's quality control experience to share key points for controlling water temperature, time, and tea-to-water ratio, and includes a full-process illustrated guide to help you get started quickly. [more…]

During the use of a De'Longhi coffee machine, the various indicator lights on the panel will display different states to indicate the machine's current issues. This article uses diagrams to explain one by one the meanings of the water shortage light flashing and staying on, the coffee grounds container indicator light flashing and staying on, the extractor abnormality represented by the triangular exclamation mark indicator light, and the excessive bean amount issue when the grounds container and exclamation mark flash simultaneously. It also introduces the meanings of the display icons on mid-to-high-end models, including water shortage, bean shortage, full grounds container, and descaling prompts. If the problem still cannot be resolved after troubleshooting step by step, it is recommended to contact a professional repair technician. We hope this is helpful to friends who are currently using De'Longhi coffee machines. [more…]

Making milk foam is a crucial step in latte art, and the quality of the milk foam directly determines whether the latte art will succeed. This article, through diagrams and a video tutorial, explains in detail the principles of latte art and the specific techniques for making milk foam. It covers how to choose the position of the steam wand, how to judge the timing for introducing air and texturing the milk, and how to use the temperature of the milk pitcher and the sound as auxiliary indicators. It also provides two practical workflows for making milk foam—steaming first and then texturing, and steaming and texturing at the same time. In addition, the article recommends practicing alternately with dish soap and milk to help coffee enthusiasts quickly master the skill of consistently producing high-quality milk foam. Whether you are a beginner or an enthusiast hoping to refine your skills, you will find practical guidance here. [more…]