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…]

The price gap between manual espresso makers and semi-automatic espresso machines often reaches 10 to 20 times, but is the espresso they extract really worlds apart? This time, Front Street uses actual data to answer this question. We took a Star Grain 3 manual espresso maker purchased in 2022 and now discontinued, and compared it with the Lelit V3 semi-automatic espresso machine used in the shop for espresso output. We extracted three shots from each, measured the concentration and extraction yield, averaged the results, and then judged the differences in flavor and mouthfeel through tasting. The beans used were still the Warm Sun blend used for shop output, with a dose of 19.5g, a Galileo Q18 grind setting of 1.0, and a target liquid weight of 38ml. What will the results be? Can a hundred-yuan-level manual press serve as a daily substitute? The article will also share usage details for key parameters during manual extraction, such as water temperature, grind size, pressure, and water volume, to help everyone avoid common pitfalls like insufficient concentration and rough crema. [more…]

When you want a freshly brewed cup of coffee while out and about, but carrying bulky equipment is inconvenient, a hand-press portable coffee maker solves this problem perfectly. It has a simple structure and a compact size, yet can provide a stable pressure of 15–20 bar. This article will take the actual operating process as its main thread, showing every detail from loading grounds and pouring water to pressing and extracting, and will verify whether it can make espresso close to the standard of an espresso machine, as well as its performance when making milk coffee. Friends who like traditional-style Americano or latte can also refer to the Front Street Classic Blend and Front Street Commercial Blend recommended in the article, and experience the rich flavor of butter, nuts, spices, and dark chocolate interwoven together. [more…]

The hand-press portable espresso machine, with its space-saving advantage, has become the top choice for many coffee lovers on the go. Combining a pump lid, hot water tank, and portafilter bottom lid, it can hold 18–22g of coffee grounds, be filled with 120–180ml of 94°C hot water, and freely adjust pressure within the 15–20bar range via a pressure regulating valve. This article starts with recommended bean varieties, detailing the flavor profiles of three beans: Front Street Classic Blend, Front Street Commercial Blend, and Front Street Strawberry Candy Espresso, then demonstrates step by step the complete process from loading grounds, adding water, to pressing and extracting, and finally uses 40ml of espresso with 200ml of hot milk to make a latte, testing the smoothness of the crema. [more…]

For friends who love coffee but are often on the go, how to enjoy a freshly brewed cup while traveling has always been a challenge. The portable mini hand-press coffee maker was born precisely for this purpose—compact in size and simple in structure, yet capable of easily completing an espresso extraction outdoors. Through actual use, this article will demonstrate in detail the operation process and extraction performance of this device, from loading grounds and pouring water to pressing out the liquid, verifying step by step whether it can reproduce the rich taste of an espresso machine. If you are also looking for a lightweight outdoor coffee solution, why not follow our steps and see its true strength for yourself. The article also recommends Front Street Classic Blend and Commercial Blend coffee beans that pair well with it. [more…]

As is well known, manual espresso machines have become extremely popular in recent years. Although they can't match the versatility of semi-automatic espresso machines, they can still extract similarly concentrated coffee! Moreover, with their affordable price and the convenience of not needing to be plugged in, manual espresso machines have successfully carved out a place for themselves in the coffee world. So [more…]

Flat White, commonly known as Australian White coffee, is one of the most iconic espresso milk drinks from Australia and New Zealand, and in recent years it has become almost ubiquitous on café menus in China. However, its place of origin is still debated between Australia and New Zealand; and the relationship between Starbucks' "Fu Rui Bai," the colloquial "Ao Rui Bai," and the flat white often confuses coffee enthusiasts. This article will walk you through the origins of the flat white, how it differs from a latte and a cappuccino in terms of milk foam and cup size, why Australian White is usually not served iced, and share espresso extraction approaches for recreating Australian White at home along with Front Street Coffee's espresso blend bean options, helping you gain a more complete understanding of this classic milk coffee with its rich body and velvety microfoam. [more…]

Cold brew coffee, put simply, is coffee extracted with cold water. Because it is very easy to make and has outstanding flavor and mouthfeel, cold brew coffee has always been a favorite that most people keep on hand at home. But cold brew coffee is not without its drawbacks; for example, the long time required to make it is [more…]

The Front Street official account has insisted on daily updates for many years, accumulating a massive amount of educational content covering every area of coffee. From the origins of coffee beans to the birth of a finished cup of coffee, from basic terminology to advanced brewing techniques, the articles have touched on virtually every question a coffee lover might encounter. This article reorganizes that content along a learning path, dividing it into sections such as must-reads for beginners, tasting methods, brewing techniques, advanced improvement, and Front Street's random musings on industry topics, making it easy for readers to quickly locate the knowledge they need based on their own stage, and also convenient for systematically filling in gaps. Whether you are a novice just getting into coffee or an advanced player hoping to hone your skills, you can find corresponding content here. [more…]

Pour-over coffee is gaining strong momentum in China, and many enthusiasts are rushing to buy pour-over gear. For one thing, pour-over equipment is relatively affordable; for another, this method brings out the flavor of the coffee beans themselves to the greatest extent. But the factors affecting the pour-over result are numerous, and the same beans often taste completely different in different hands. This article focuses on the brewing ideas of the top six competitors at the 2015 World Brewers Cup, going through one by one the bean varieties, equipment, parameters, and techniques they chose, to see how the top experts interpret a good cup of coffee in their own ways. It also includes Front Street Coffee's recommendations and interpretations regarding competition beans and brewing logic. [more…]

As the winter strawberry season arrives, major chain tea brands are launching strawberry-related drinks one after another. ChaPanda has brought back its signature strawberry drink in response to fan demand, while also keeping up with the fruit-and-vegetable juice trend by launching a strawberry version of its Light & Refreshing Kale drink and a brand-new item, Divine Beauty Strawberry. Among them, Divine Beauty Strawberry is made fresh with ingredients such as roselle, strawberries, and pineapple, and has been dubbed a "natural liquid blush" by the official brand, attracting many consumers to try it. However, a production video released by an employee revealed the cumbersome and labor-intensive manual juicing process behind this drink—a full pot of ingredients can yield only two cups after manual squeezing, and the filter bags frequently burst from the pressure, prompting collective complaints from staff. The inefficient production method has also led some netizens to worry about hygiene conditions. [more…]

Espresso is a must-have beverage in every café. Many people's first impression of espresso is that it's unbearably bitter. In fact, espresso isn't limited to such bitter shots. If you want an espresso that isn't bitter and suits your taste, the first thing you need to understand is the different types of espresso. Front Street Cof [more…]

Italian coffee is far more than a cup of bitter espresso. Starting from Espresso as the core base, adding water, milk, milk foam, chocolate, or caramel gives rise to a rich variety of drinks such as Americano, Latte, Cappuccino, Mocha, Macchiato, Caramel Macchiato, and Dirty. Understanding the ingredient composition, classic ratios, and flavor characteristics of each Italian coffee is the key to finding one that suits your taste. This article takes espresso as its starting point, systematically sorting out the names, ingredient proportions, and preparation details of common Italian coffee varieties found in cafés, and shares Front Street Coffee's specific approach to each drink, helping coffee lovers gain a clearer understanding of the large family of Italian coffee. [more…]

Walk into any café, and espresso is almost always the star of the menu. Many people's first reaction when tasting espresso is that it's bitter and intense, but in reality the espresso family is far more than just this one flavor. To find the cup that suits your taste—neither bitter nor astringent—you first need to understand what the common types of espresso drinks actually are. In this article, Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) sorts out the most common espresso drinks found in cafés, from the extraction parameters of espresso and the blending logic of coffee beans, to the ingredient ratios and preparation details of Americano, latte, cappuccino, mocha, macchiato, caramel macchiato, and Dirty coffee, explaining one by one their differences and connections, to help coffee lovers understand the espresso system more systematically and find the cup that belongs to them. [more…]

Walk into any café, and espresso is almost always a core option on the menu. When many people first encounter espresso, they often come away with nothing but the impression that it is "bitter," but in reality, the family of espresso-based drinks that has grown out of espresso as a foundation is far richer than one might imagine. From the pure, intense Espresso, to the Americano diluted with hot water, to the latte and cappuccino that blend milk and milk foam, and even the Dirty coffee that has become popular in recent years, each one has its own unique logic of ratios and layers of flavor. This article will systematically sort out the common types of espresso drinks, their preparation parameters, and their flavor characteristics, to help coffee lovers find the cup that suits their own taste. Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) will also share the specific preparation methods for each drink for everyone's reference. [more…]

For more specialty coffee knowledge, please follow: Front Street Coffee (Frontsteet Coffee). Espresso is a must-have beverage in every café. Many people's first impression of espresso is that it's just bitterly awful, but in fact Italian coffee isn't limited to such bitter espresso. If you want to drink something not bitter [more…]

For more specialty coffee knowledge, please follow: Front Street Coffee (Frontsteet Coffee). Espresso is the soul of Italian coffee, commonly called Italian-style espresso. As the name suggests, it comes from Italy, with high concentration and a strong taste. A good espresso is like a good base liquor, [more…]

In the espresso coffee system, there exists a soul core, and that is espresso. Drinks like lattes, Americanos, and cappuccinos are all espresso-based coffee beverages made with espresso as the foundation. Next, Front Street Coffee will introduce you to espresso. What is espresso? [more…]

Many people think espresso is very bitter, but actually you just haven't learned how to taste espresso. Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) teaches you 5 steps to easily savor the charm of espresso. Espresso, in Italian, means "fast," that is, [more…]

For more specialty coffee knowledge, please follow: Front Street Coffee (Frontsteet Coffee). Espresso is now commonly used as the base for espresso-based drinks, such as the familiar latte, cappuccino, and mocha. Their difference lies in the varying ratios of espresso to milk, which creates different flavors. [more…]