Wednesday, September 16 2026

American Coffee Bean Brand Recommendations | How to Choose Coffee Beans for Making American Coffee at Home? Which Espresso Blend Is Suitable for Iced Americano Black Coffee?

It is generally believed that Americano is simply espresso diluted with water—iced Americano equals espresso plus ice water, while hot Americano equals espresso plus hot water—and the key factor affecting the taste of Americano is the coffee beans. So today let's talk about how to choose beans for making Americano at home according to your own taste. [more…]

Types of Espresso | What Is Single-Origin Espresso (SOE)? How Do SOE and Blended Coffee Differ in Brewing Ratio, Flavor, and Mouthfeel?

For more specialty coffee knowledge, please follow our WeChat official account: Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee). When you usually drink fancy coffee, where does the coffee flavor come from? Actually, it comes from our espresso. The method of brewing coffee quickly under high pressure is called Esp. [more…]

Is SOE Americano sour? Pick beans that suit your taste by roast level

Whether an SOE americano is acidic or not cannot be judged simply by the word "single origin" on the menu. SOE refers to espresso made from single-origin or single-batch coffee beans, and its flavor amplifies the regional characteristics of the beans. When the roast is on the lighter side, citrus, berry, and floral notes are more likely to come through in the cup; as the roast gets darker, the acidity recedes, and caramel, [more…]

Commercial Espresso Coffee Beans | Which Italian-style beans are used for espresso machine extraction? Italian-style coffee bean recommendations for beginners and home coffee machines

Espresso-based coffee is made with espresso as its foundation. Looking at the composition of most espresso drinks, they all require a single or double shot of good-quality espresso. Americano is made by adding a large amount of drinking water to espresso, while a latte is made by adding milk to espresso. Flavored coffees such as mocha, however, are made by adding even more on top of a latte. [more…]

Definition of Espresso | What Are the Differences in Coffee Flavor and Mouthfeel Between Americano, Long Black, and Lungo? What Is the Lungo Long Black Americano Method?

There are many methods for brewing coffee, such as: French press, siphon, pour-over, espresso, cold brew, Americano, etc.; and there are also many names, especially in some regional variations. Next, Front Street will explain the differences between these types of coffee, which are also quite common. For example: Americano, Lo [more…]

American-style black coffee brewing ratio | Is coffee made with an American drip machine American coffee? How much water should be added to espresso to make good American coffee?

When customers who don't usually drink coffee walk into Front Street's offline stores, they often ask Front Street's baristas a question: "What kind of coffee is espresso? What is its relationship with Americano, and how do they differ?" This is a good question. At Front Street, there are only two small blackboards serving as menus—one for pour-over coffee, and the other [more…]

Hand Drip Coffee | What is the difference between hand drip coffee and Americano? Is hand drip coffee tastier than the black coffee made by an espresso machine?

Recently, a fan left a comment asking about the flavor differences when using the same coffee beans to make pour-over coffee versus Americano. In this article, Front Street Coffee will answer this question~ Before we begin, we first need to distinguish the differences between pour-over coffee and Americano. Pour-over coffee in English is pour ov [more…]

SOE Coffee Flavor Characteristics | What Is SOE? Which Coffee Beans Are Suitable for SOE Espresso? Does Ethiopian Yirgacheffe SOE Americano Taste Good?

Nowadays, when you go to a specialty coffee shop, you can always see espresso drinks made with SOE (Single Origin Espresso) on the recommended menu. Is espresso made from single-origin coffee beans necessarily better tasting than espresso made from a blend? Which single-origin coffee beans are suitable for making espresso? In this article, Front Street will answer these questions one by one. [more…]

Coffee Knowledge Explained: The Definition of Black Coffee, Its Scope, and How It Differs from Fancy Coffee

What exactly is black coffee? It is not a specific coffee beverage, but rather a broad umbrella term. As long as a cup of coffee is made with only coffee beans and water, without any additional ingredients such as milk or sugar, it can be classified as black coffee. Americano is certainly a typical representative, but pour-over, siphon, cold brew, French press, and other devices that produce pure coffee also belong to this family. In contrast, coffee with added milk, syrup, alcohol, and other flavorings is collectively referred to as fancy coffee. This article will systematically sort out the definition of black coffee, common categories, and its differences from fancy coffee, helping coffee lovers be clearer when ordering. [more…]

The Origin of Americano | Is Single-Origin Coffee Americano? What's the Difference Between Drip Bag Pour-Over Coffee and American Drip Coffee? Comparing the Flavor, Taste, and Brewing Methods of American-Style Pour-Over

As a frequent coffee drinker, you've surely heard of "Americano." If you order one at Starbucks, it's typically made with espresso as the base, plus about 6–8 times the amount of water. But I've clearly heard that Italians don't drink Americano (which is absolutely true)—so why would it appear on an Italian coffee menu? [more…]

Americano | When making an Americano, do you add water first or espresso first? Does the order of adding water affect the flavor and mouthfeel of an Americano black coffee?

Front Street Coffee has noticed that quite a few friends are still stuck on the question of "should you add water first or espresso first when making an Americano?" Because every time Front Street Coffee serves an Americano, there's always someone who asks: "The most authentic way to make an Americano should be to pour the espresso first and then the water, but why do most Americanos nowadays have the water poured first and the espresso after? [more…]

Latte Coffee Milk Ratio | What Kind of Milk Should Be Paired with Espresso Made from Medium-Dark Roasted Coffee Beans? Introduction to the Water-to-Coffee Ratio and Extraction Parameters for Milk Coffee Lattes

The arrival of autumn and winter has made hot lattes a favorite once again. After all, who wouldn't want to drink a cup of heartwarming coffee in the biting cold wind? And the key is that it's so sweet! Therefore, many friends have started making hot lattes at home. It is precisely because of this that Front Street's backend has received many messages from friends about making la [more…]

The Ideal Temperature for Americano | How Big Is the Difference in Flavor and Mouthfeel Between Hot and Iced Americano? An Introduction to the Standard Recipe for Hot Americano: Coffee-to-Water Ratio and Water Temperature

Because American soldiers during World War II were not used to the extremely strong small cups of coffee local to Europe, they asked the shops to add hot water to dilute it, imitating the taste and flavor of American drip coffee. And because this cup of coffee was widely popular among American soldiers, it was named Americano "America [more…]

Latte Recipe | How to Distinguish Cappuccino, Mocha, and Latte? What Is the Espresso-to-Milk Ratio for Making a Latte?

For more specialty coffee knowledge, please follow: Front Street Coffee (Frontsteet Coffee). Front Street bets that among all the coffee drinks made at home by those who own a coffee machine, milk coffee must be at the top, and among them, the latte is the "face" that is especially favored by everyone. Because [more…]

How to Make a Cappuccino | Why Are Nearly 90% of Cappuccinos Made Wrong? How to Make a Traditional Cappuccino with a Golden Ring?

If you often browse major coffee forums, Front Street believes that when it comes to cappuccino, you will always come across claims like this: "Nearly 90% of the cappuccinos on the market are not made correctly." Many friends are puzzled when they see this: "Isn't a cappuccino just a milk coffee with milk foam? Isn't it just [more…]

The Origin Story of Latte | Which Tastes Better: Iced Latte or Hot Latte? What Is the Proper Way to Drink a Latte? Which Coffee Beans Are Suitable for Making an Espresso Latte?

Among the many espresso coffee choices, if someone asks which espresso coffee has the highest milk content, Front Street Coffee will definitely answer that it is a latte, and latte is further divided into iced latte and hot latte; their methods are slightly different, but the recipe is the same [more…]

Iced Coffee Flavor Description | Which Tastes Better, Ice Drip or Cold Brew? Is There a Big Difference Between Ice Drip and Cold Brew Made with the Same Coffee Beans? Introduction to Grind Size, Coffee Powder-to-Water Ratio, and Parameters

For more specialty coffee knowledge, please follow our WeChat official account: Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee). As classic representatives of cold-extraction coffee, nothing beats ice drip coffee and cold brew coffee. They are different from iced Americano or iced pour-over coffee, which require brewing with a pot of hot water and then adding ice. [more…]