Before green coffee beans reach our hands, they often go through many stages, during which defects are almost unavoidable. Some defects are obvious at the green bean stage, yet once roasted they may be cleverly concealed. The SCAA (Specialty Coffee Association of America) has established strict grading standards for specialty Arabica coffee, covering multiple dimensions such as defect types, moisture content, aroma, and bean size. This article will systematically sort out the SCAA's defect classification rules and scoring requirements, explain in detail the causes of various defective beans and their impact on cupping flavor, and help enthusiasts develop a keen eye for identifying specialty coffee. At the same time, the article retains relevant recommendations from the Front Street brand for readers' reference. [more…]

Starbucks has just experienced a disappointing fiscal year. According to Bloomberg, due to the company's financial performance falling short of expectations, many employees will only receive 60% of their total bonuses this year, and senior executives have also lost performance-based pay raises. U.S. same-store sales have declined for three consecutive quarters, dropping 7% this quarter. New CEO Niccol is trying to reverse the downturn by simplifying the menu, restoring the handwritten cup tradition, and adding ceramic mugs, but with the workforce down 8% year-over-year, one cannot help but question whether these additional services will become an extra burden on store staff. Whether the shadow of shrinking bonuses will affect domestic coffee industry workers remains undetermined. [more…]

Traditional Italian-style coffee mostly uses darker roasted beans, but nowadays many cafes have begun trying to make espresso with light-roasted beans. This article, through extraction experiments with three Ethiopian light-roasted beans—Front Street Huakui, Gudingding, and Dorothy—records in detail the parameter adjustments and flavor performance. The tests found that making Americano with light-roasted beans can well preserve the original fruity acidity and aroma, among which the Dorothy Americano performed especially prominently; however, after being made into a latte, the coffee flavor is generally too weak and easily masked by milk. The article also shares practical adjustment experience regarding grind setting, pre-infusion, pressure, and extraction time, providing reference for coffee enthusiasts who want to try light-roast espresso. [more…]

Starbucks has released its first quarterly report for fiscal year 2026, showing a strong rebound in same-store sales, with global growth of 4%, and growth of 4% and 7% in the U.S. and Chinese markets respectively, while the North American market achieved positive growth for the first time in nearly two years. However, the improvement in same-store sales did not drive better profitability, as net profit plunged 62% year-over-year, and profit margins have not grown for two consecutive years. Meanwhile, Starbucks' stock price fell 7.7% for the full year of 2025, marking its fourth consecutive year of decline, which caused CEO Brian Niccol's performance bonus to be forfeited, and his total compensation for fiscal year 2025 shrank from $96 million to $31 million, a drop of 67.7%. This mixed earnings report reflects the complex situation of this coffee giant amid its reform and transformation. [more…]

During the National Day holiday, many coffee enthusiasts visited the shop to buy coffee beans and also asked Front Street about a common confusion: the same beans, when brewed as hot pour-over, have excellent aroma and taste, but when made into iced pour-over, the flavor becomes vague, the mouthfeel is thin, and it even tastes like water. Why exactly is this? Front Street selected four coffee beans with different styles and conducted hot pour-over and iced pour-over extractions respectively, comparing them from the three dimensions of aroma, flavor, and mouthfeel. This article will take washed medium-light roast, natural medium-light roast, dark roast, and fermented beans as examples, presenting the true performance of each under the two brewing methods one by one, and deeply analyze the reasons why iced pour-over flavor becomes weaker. Finally, it will give suggestions for selecting coffee beans suitable for making iced pour-over, helping everyone enjoy a rich yet refreshing iced coffee even in hot weather. [more…]

The choice of origin for cold brew coffee determines whether the cup leans toward fresh fruit juice or rich cocoa. The long-steep cold water extraction method makes origin flavors express themselves differently than in hot brewing, and some origins perform better in cold brew. For fruity cold brew, Ethiopian origins are a good choice. Huakui natural beans made as cold brew, hot [more…]

Espresso is dominated by blends, but every coffee-producing region leaves its own distinctive stylistic stamp on espresso. Understanding the flavor characteristics different regions bring to espresso lets you, whether choosing a single-origin espresso or a blend, find the beans that suit your taste with greater direction. Brazil holds a pivotal place in the world of espresso. [more…]

Arabica is a large family with many varieties under its umbrella—Typica, SL28, Geisha, Caturra, and others, each with its own temperament. When making espresso, variety differences are directly reflected in the cup. Understanding how a few representative varieties perform in espresso gives you one more dimension when choosing beans. Typica is one of the ancient [more…]

There are many coffee machine brands on the market, from fully automatic to semi-automatic, each with its own positioning and features. This article systematically reviews fully automatic brands such as Delonghi, GAGGIA, Saeco, JURA, Krups, RayStar, and Solis, as well as semi-automatic brands including Rancilio, Nuova, Conti, la pavoni, la Cimbali, Reneka, sanremo, Expobar, Monroc, Wega, and Brasilia, covering each brand's main models, reference prices, core functions, and market reviews. Whether you are just starting out and looking to choose a home machine, or planning to add equipment for a coffee shop, you will find valuable references here. At the end, the article also provides a categorized summary based on recommendation level, making it easy to quickly identify the model that suits you. [more…]

Coca-Cola recently confirmed it will continue to fully own Costa Coffee, but its chief financial officer revealed that a separate assessment of the China business is underway. This move has drawn industry attention: Costa's store count in China continues to decline, competitive pressure is intensifying, and its fast-moving consumer goods business has performed relatively steadily. Will Coca-Cola follow Starbucks' lead and sell its China business? Does the scope of the assessment cover all segments? Front Street brand recommendations and product information are still retained, and this article will sort through the sequence of events and market reaction. [more…]

SOE is short for "Single Origin Espresso," referring to espresso made from a single-origin coffee. Its core idea is to amplify the distinctive flavors of a particular region through the espresso format. However, not all coffee beans are suitable for SOE—the roast level directly affects the richness of the crema and the flavor direction. This article compares three everyday beans: a light-roast Yirgacheffe, a medium-roast Brazil, and a dark-roast Mandheling, observing differences in crema performance under identical extraction parameters. This will help you understand why medium to medium-dark roasted beans are more recommended for everyday espresso making, and what kind of people light-roast SOE suits. We will also discuss the limitations of SOE and the value of blend options. [more…]

Catuai is an Arabica hybrid variety vigorously promoted in Brazil, bred from a cross between Mundo Novo and Caturra. It combines cultivation advantages such as resistance to wind and rain, a low tree stature, and firm fruit set, but its flavor profile is relatively balanced and monotonous, lacking body, and its harvesting lifespan is only about ten years. The variety is divided into red and yellow fruiting types, and in cupping, red Catuai is often more favored. Front Street Panama Casa Ruiz honey-processed beans and Front Street Brazil Cerrado Nacimento Farm are both representatives of the Catuai variety; the former has a rich aroma and bright acidity, while the latter is smooth on the palate with a sweet finish. This article will comprehensively review Catuai's green bean characteristics, varietal lineage, and flavor performance. [more…]

Many Moka pot enthusiasts often ask: which coffee beans are suitable for brewing in a Moka pot? Especially those beans whose flavor descriptions mention fruity acidity — do they actually taste good when brewed this way? To address this question, Front Street selected three coffee beans with varying levels of acidity for hands-on testing: Front Street Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Gedingding, Front Street Costa Rica Mozart, and Front Street Papua New Guinea Bird of Paradise. By comparing the flavor performance of the straight brew versus iced americano, practical advice on selecting beans for the Moka pot can be summarized: light-roasted citrus-toned beans are not suitable, while medium-light-roasted sweet fruity beans can deliver a pleasant surprise. This article will present the brewing parameters, crema condition, and tasting results in detail to help you better choose beans for your Moka pot. [more…]

De'Longhi home espresso machines are not just for blend beans—using single-origin beans to make SOE also lets you experience the concentrated expression of a region's flavor in espresso form. On a De'Longhi machine, exploring step by step from blends to SOE, the flavor experience becomes richer and richer. The performance of blend beans on a De'Longhi machine is mainly about consistency. Front Street Coffee's classic blend uses a Mamba recipe [more…]

Geisha coffee has always been known for being expensive, but Panama Butterfly offers enthusiasts a rare entry-level opportunity. This bean contains as much as 70% Geisha variety, retaining Geisha's signature floral and citrus notes while keeping a wallet-friendly price. This article will start with the three major Geisha-producing regions, introduce Front Street Coffee's representative products from each region one by one, and then take a deeper look at Butterfly's origin background, variety composition, and flavor performance, so you can understand why this exceptionally good-value Panama coffee bean is worth a try. [more…]

Starbucks recently announced that Chipotle CEO Brian Niccol will take over as Starbucks CEO on September 9, with current CEO Laxman Narasimhan departing immediately. Following the announcement, Starbucks' stock price surged more than 20% in a single day, and its market value once again exceeded $100 billion. Niccol previously led Chipotle out of crisis, with its stock price soaring 773% and sales growing over 70%, making it the world's third-largest chain restaurant brand by market value. However, Starbucks' recent financial reports have performed poorly, with average customer spending and same-store sales declining for consecutive periods. Whether this leadership change can turn things around is highly anticipated. Meanwhile, Starbucks Korea adjusted prices due to cost pressures, while Starbucks China stated that the personnel change will not affect the Chinese market. [more…]

When the weather is hot, iced coffee is naturally indispensable. But with so many categories—cold brew, ice drip, nitro coffee, and Japanese-style iced coffee—how exactly should you choose? Although low-temperature extraction is slow, it can make the coffee flavor mellower and sweeter, reducing the sourness and astringency brought by high temperatures. Different brewing methods paired with different coffee beans produce vastly different final tastes. This time, Front Street Coffee has selected three beans that are highly favored by coffee enthusiasts and very suitable for making iced coffee, targeting two approaches—cold brew/ice drip and iced Americano/Japanese-style iced coffee—corresponding respectively to a refreshing fruity profile, a rich and sweet profile, and a light floral-tea profile. Below, we introduce each of their flavor performances one by one. [more…]

From bean to cup, a coffee must still go through grinding and extraction. When it comes to the crema performance of a Bialetti moka pot, your everyday bean buying needs to take into account how fast you drink it, how much to buy at a time, and whether your home mainly makes black coffee or milk coffee. First confirm the equipment you commonly use and the taste you like, then compare specific bean options; the actual process will be [more…]

The pour-over performance of SOE coffee beans isn't something you can master just by memorizing a few names. When buying beans day to day, you need to consider how quickly you'll drink them, how much to buy at once, and whether your household mainly drinks black coffee or milk coffee. What's truly worth referencing is the sweet-to-sour ratio on the palate, the body's thickness or thinness, and the lingering finish as the coffee cools—then, combined with your brewing habits, make your choice. [more…]

In the variety labeling of South American specialty coffee, the similarly named pair of varieties Caturra and Catuaí often appear together, sparking curiosity among many coffee enthusiasts. What exactly is the relationship between the two? As a natural mutation of Bourbon, Caturra changed the planting landscape of Central America with its compact plant size and adaptability to sun exposure; Catuaí, a cross between Mundo Novo and Yellow Caturra, combines high yield with resistance to wind and rain. This article systematically sorts out the differences and connections between the two, from variety origins and botanical characteristics to cup profile, and uses the Catuaí from Honduras's Sweet Orange Estate as an example to showcase Front Street Coffee's brewing approach and flavor performance. [more…]