Wednesday, September 16 2026

Coffee Bean Names and Their Meanings | How Are Green Coffee Beans Named? Which Coffee-Producing Regions Do Yirgacheffe, Bourbon, Geisha, and Mandheling Come From?

Years ago, coffees were named quite simply, mostly just after the region where the producer was located. For example, coffee from Yirgacheffe was called Yirgacheffe coffee, coffee from Honduras was called Honduras coffee, coffee from Brazil was called Brazil coffee... But [more…]

Indonesian Mandheling Coffee Buying Guide: From the Origin of the Name to Flavor Characteristics, Which Front Street Coffee Is Worth Buying

Friends who enjoy drinking coffee may have noticed that Indonesian coffees are usually named directly after their producing islands, such as Java, Sulawesi, and Sumatra. But one well-known coffee is an exception—Mandheling from the island of Sumatra. Behind this name lies an interesting historical misunderstanding, while its unique flavor comes from the local special wet-hulling process. This article will guide you through the origin of the name Mandheling, the reasons behind its flavor, and recommend two products—Front Street Indonesia Mandheling G1 and Front Street PWN Golden Mandheling—to help you choose fresh, clean beans with no off-flavors. [more…]

Ethiopian Huakui Coffee Beans | Are all coffees from Ethiopia's Hambela region called Huakui coffee?

This year marks the 9th year since "Huakui Coffee" rose to fame. If the previous naming conventions were followed, the Huakui released this year should logically carry a "9.0" suffix. But more than half the year has passed, and many friends have noticed that "Huakui 9.0" is almost nowhere to be seen on the menus of offline coffee shops! [more…]

The Origin of the Mantenin Coffee Name and Its Producing Region's Planting History, Flavor Characteristics, and Front Street Golden Mantenin Brewing Recommendations

Mandheling is a perennial staple on café menus, but many people are puzzled when they first encounter it: with its herbal flavor notes and dark bean surface, does it taste like Chinese medicine? In fact, a high-quality Mandheling, with proper roasting and extraction, can present a solid, mellow sweetness and a lasting finish rather than a burnt bitterness. This article begins with the misunderstanding surrounding the name "Mandheling," then reviews the cultivation history of the Sumatra producing region and the origins of the wet-hulled processing method, and introduces the grading standards and brewing parameters of Front Street Coffee's PWN Golden Mandheling, helping coffee lovers truly understand this bean. [more…]

Origin of the name PWN Golden Mandheling coffee beans | What are the characteristics of the Ateng variety of Golden Mandheling coffee beans? What is the Indonesian wet-hulling coffee processing method?

Mandheling is not the name of a region, place, port, or coffee variety. Its name actually comes from a mispronunciation of the Indonesian Mandailing ethnic group. During World War II, when Japan occupied Indonesia, a Japanese soldier drank a rich and mellow [more…]

Coffee Bean 74 Series | What Are Ethiopian Coffee Varieties 74110 and 74158? Introduction to Sidamo Santa Vini Coffee Flavor, Mouthfeel, and Pour-Over Brewing Parameters

(Top left) Among the thousands of different coffee varieties, it's inevitable that some beans have rather unusual names! Unlike most beans such as Bourbon and Typica, which have conventional names, these are like secret agents, each with their own code number. For example, varieties named with letters plus numbers. [more…]

Ethiopian Sidamo Sun-Dried Huakui | Single-Origin Coffee Bean: Are Huakui, Gesha, and Geisha the Same Coffee Variety? What Is the Difference Between Huakui and Geisha?

If a customer is looking for the most cost-effective coffee beans, then Huakui is definitely one of Front Street's top recommendations. But whenever Front Street mentions Huakui, some customers will say something like: "Oh, I know Huakui—it's a variant of Geisha / a variety of Geisha!" As you can see, even today there are still many people [more…]

Origin of the Golden Mandheling Name | What Are the Characteristics, Flavor and Mouthfeel of the Ateng Variety Mandheling Coffee Bean? What Is the Difference Between Golden Mandheling and Regular Mandheling?

Mandheling is not the name of a producing region, a place, a port, or a coffee variety. Its name actually comes from a mispronunciation of the Mandailing ethnic group in Indonesia. Mandheling coffee: during World War II, when Japan occupied Indonesia, a Japanese soldier drank a rich and mellow [more…]

Huakui Coffee Beans | Ethiopia's Original Sidamo Guji Region Sun-Dried Huakui Coffee: Region, Flavor Characteristics, and Is It Related to Geisha?

How did Geisha coffee get its name? Front Street Coffee believes that from a literal sense, Geisha coffee is a coffee bean full of floral fragrance, but this is not actually the case. Geisha's floral aroma is not strong; instead, its fruity aroma is more intense, such as passion fruit, strawberry, mango, jackfruit, and citrus. According to what Front Street Coffee has learned: Geisha [more…]

Gesha Village Coffee Grades | What Are the Differences in Flavor and Mouthfeel Between Ethiopia's Gesha Village Gold Label and Red Label Coffee?

Besides Hacienda La Esmeralda's Red Label and Green Label Geisha, there is another group of somewhat well-known "labeled" Geishas on Front Street Coffee's bean menu board. These are the Gold Label Geisha and Red Label Geisha from Ethiopia's Gesha Village. Front Street Coffee has previously shared the grading system of Hacienda La Esmeralda, and has also shared about two estates. [more…]

Specialty Mandheling Recommendation | How to Describe the Characteristics, Taste, and Flavor of PWN Golden Mandheling Coffee? How to Make Moka Pot Black Coffee with Indonesian Lintong Mandheling?

The origin of Mandheling coffee can be traced to the fact that many single-origin coffees that can be named are generally named after the coffee bean's producing region, place name, variety, or the name of the green bean processor, but the naming of "Mandheling" is rather special, and it begins with a story of misunderstanding. During World War II, the Japanese army [more…]

Exploring the Origin of the Name Mandheling: Port or Producing Region? Also Discussing Front Street Golden Mandheling Flavor

Mandheling coffee has low acidity and a rich, bittersweet body, making it an irreplaceable classic in the minds of many coffee lovers. But where exactly does the name "Mandheling" come from? Does it refer to a port, a region, or an ethnic group? This article will trace the historical origins of the name Mandheling and introduce Front Street Coffee's PWN Golden Mandheling, covering everything from growing region, variety, and processing method to brewing parameters, giving you a comprehensive understanding of what makes this rich, full-bodied coffee so unique. [more…]

Kafa Forest: The Place Where the Name "Coffee" Was Born

Every cup of coffee's family tree can ultimately be traced back to a rainforest in southwestern Ethiopia—the Kafa Forest. The etymology of the word "coffee" comes from the name of the ancient Kingdom of Kafa. This article discusses this holy land of coffee. Where It All Began The Kafa Forest is located in southwestern Ethiopia and is a [more…]

Indonesian Hand-Brewed Single-Origin Bean Recommendations | What Is the Origin of Mandheling? An Introduction to the Flavor, Taste Characteristics, Quality, and Price of Indonesian Specialty Coffee Golden Mandheling

The Origin of Mandheling Coffee We can find that many named single-origin coffees generally take their names from the growing region, place name, variety, or the name of the green bean processor, but the naming of "Mandheling" is rather special, and it begins with a story full of misunderstanding. During World War II in the last century, the Japanese army [more…]

PNG coffee | Why does Papua New Guinea coffee have the name "Little Blue Mountain"? What are the flavor characteristics of the Sigri Estate Bird of Paradise washed Typica?

Because Blue Mountain coffee was overly famous in the last century, many related "borderline" products appeared on the market at that time. For example, Blue Mountain flavor coffee, Blue Mountain blend coffee, and so on—they almost all have nothing to do with Blue Mountain and are purely products that profit off the Blue Mountain name. And yesterday, a customer, while purchasing [more…]

Yirgacheffe Region Full Analysis: Grading System, Native Varieties, and Washed vs. Natural Flavor Comparison

Yirgacheffe is a name that cannot be overlooked on the global specialty coffee map, and almost every single-origin coffee shop reserves a place for it. This high-altitude town located in the Sidama region of southern Ethiopia—what exactly is it about this place that has captured the taste buds of countless coffee lovers? From the perspective of Front Street Coffee, this article systematically sorts out Yirgacheffe's production region background, grading logic, variety characteristics, and the flavor differences brought by the two major processing methods, washed and natural, and also includes specific recommendations and brewing suggestions for Front Street's Yirgacheffe series products, helping you gain a comprehensive understanding of this classic production region from beginner to advanced level. [more…]

The Origin of Geisha Coffee | What Are the Flavor and Taste Characteristics of Panama Geisha Coffee? What Is the Difference Between Geisha and Yirgacheffe, and Which One Tastes Better?

We know that Geisha coffee is very delicious and famous, but do you know how Geisha coffee got its name? There are many ways to name coffee—some are named after the producing country or region, and some are named after the estate—while Geisha is the name of a coffee variety. Geisha refers to a coffee variety, called Geisha in English. [more…]

Ethiopian Geisha Coffee | What is the origin of Gesha Village? How does Gesha Village grade Geisha coffee? What are the characteristics of different grades of Geisha?

In the past, when some friends who wanted to taste Geisha coffee came to Front Street Coffee and ordered Geisha, the baristas at Front Street would carefully ask, "Do you mean Ethiopian Geisha or Panamanian Geisha?" Everyone would be confused about the difference between these two Geishas. Nowadays, the name of Panamanian Geisha [more…]