Wednesday, September 16 2026

Beans for Both Espresso and Pour-Over: How to Configure a Single Machine for Two Brewing Methods

Players who have both an espresso machine and a pour-over kettle at home often fall into a kind of happy dilemma: when buying beans, they're always torn over "should this one be for pour-over or for espresso?" Actually, the mature approach is a dual-purpose bean lineup—within the same purchase batch, some beans are dedicated to espresso, some are dedicated to pour-over, and some can pull off both faces. This article talks about [more…]

The Purpose of Blending Coffee Beans | What Is Blended Coffee (blending coffee)? How Many Single-Origin Coffee Bean Varieties and What Proportions Are Suitable for a Blend?

Many people don't understand how blended beans are formulated. Now Front Street Coffee will guide you through the thinking behind blended coffee beans and how to blend coffee. Reasons and purposes for blending: People blend coffees from different origins together for several different purposes. The most ideal purpose, of course, is to blend a flavor [more…]

The Purpose of Blending Coffee Beans | What Are the Characteristics of SOE Coffee? Which Is Better: SOE Single-Origin Beans or Espresso Blends, and What's the Difference?

Many friends have asked the baristas at Front Street Coffee what SOE coffee is, and why so many specialty coffee shops now offer SOE coffee, yet Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) has not put SOE coffee on its menu. Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet C [more…]

Espresso Drinking Guide | What Are Espresso Blends and SOE Coffee? Which Tastes Better in an Americano: SOE Beans or Blend Beans?

Blended coffee beans, as a common type of coffee bean used in espresso, have received high praise from many coffee drinkers for their rich coffee flavor. The recently popular SOE is also contrasted with blended coffee, so what advantages does blended coffee still have now? Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee [more…]

Blooming Method | What Is the Purpose and Significance of Blooming in Pour-Over Coffee? How Much Water for Blooming? Calculating Blooming Time for Coffee Extraction

In freshly roasted and freshly brewed coffee, there is a crucial small detail: baristas emphasize the need to "bloom." There is even a saying in the coffee community: "Bloom well, and brewing will be trouble-free," forming a positive link between blooming and brewing. So what is blooming, and how do you bloom? Careful [more…]

Coffee Blooming | Is blooming a must for pour-over coffee? What is the purpose of blooming coffee grounds? Does blooming or not have a big impact on coffee flavor?

After yesterday's Front Street article "How to Achieve a Perfect Bloom" was published, a friend became curious about this question—"Can pour-over coffee be made without blooming?" Undoubtedly, of course it can! But this "can" requires certain conditions. First, we need to clarify one point, that is [more…]

Espresso Coffee Beans | Why Blend Coffee Beans? What Do Raw Blending and Roasted Blending Mean? What Should Be Noted When Blending Coffee Beans?

Many people don't understand how blend beans are formulated into a blending plan. Now Front Street Coffee will guide you through the ideas behind blending coffee beans and how to blend coffee. The reasons and purposes for blending: people need to combine coffees from different origins for several different purposes. The most ideal purpose, of course, is to blend a kind of flavor [more…]

Principles of Blending Coffee Beans | What Are Blended Beans? What Is the Difference Between Espresso Blend Coffee Beans and Single-Origin SOE Beans? How Do You Blend Coffee Beans?

Many people don't understand how blended coffee beans are formulated. Now Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) will guide you through the concepts behind blended coffee beans and how to blend coffee. For more specialty coffee knowledge, please follow our WeChat official account: Front Street Coffee (FrontSt [more…]

Basic Knowledge for Pour-Over Coffee Beginners | Is Blooming Essential in Pour-Over Coffee? What Is the Purpose of Blooming Coffee Grounds by Pouring Water? How Do You Adjust the Coffee-to-Water Ratio in Pour-Over Coffee?

Front Street Coffee often encounters many pour-over beginners who ask a question: Why does pour-over coffee need blooming? The most indispensable step in pour-over coffee is the blooming stage. The purpose of blooming is to allow the coffee to release gases and ensure even extraction, and it also clearly reveals whether the beans being brewed are fresh. Front Street Coffee focuses on fresh [more…]

Cupping Slurp

Cupping is one of the core tasks of coffee industry professionals, and it is a way to help people evaluate coffee flavors and characteristics in a relatively fair and systematic manner. Cupping takes place throughout the entire coffee supply chain, not only at the consumer end in coffee shops, but also at the production end, including mid- and upstream roasteries and places of origin. So how do you perform a cupping? [more…]

Build Your Home Coffee Bean Library by Brewing Method

Many people have only one bag of beans at home—they use it for espresso, they use it for lattes, and they still use it for americanos. This one-size-fits-all approach isn't necessarily wrong, but if you want to bring out layers of flavor in home espresso drinks, building a bean library based on drinking methods is a smarter approach. The logic behind dividing a bean library by drinking method is simple: different coffee drinks [more…]

How to Make a Flat White at Home | What Is a Flat White? Flavor Characteristics of a Flat White, Latte, Dirty, and Cappuccino

For more specialty coffee knowledge, please follow: Front Street Coffee (Frontsteet Coffee) Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) is a bit rustic, from the decor to the offerings, everything gives off an old-fashioned feel—this should be many people's first impression of Front Street. Espresso is Front [more…]

Espresso Blend Recommendations | What Are the Benefits of Blended Coffee? How to Determine the Espresso Brewing Ratio of Coffee Grounds to Water?

Espresso has a thicker texture and richer crema than drip coffee, and making high-quality espresso is inseparable from good espresso beans. Generally speaking, espresso beans are made by blending coffee from several origins to achieve a balanced flavor. Front Street Coffee (FrontStr [more…]

Iced Pour-Over Coffee Bean Recommendations | How Can Coffee Beginners Make Iced Pour-Over Black Coffee? What Is the Water-to-Coffee Ratio for Iced Pour-Over Coffee?

For more specialty coffee knowledge, please follow our WeChat official account: Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee). As the temperature warms up, iced coffee is gradually making its way back into everyone's sight. A refreshing and palate-cleansing iced coffee is very appealing. Common iced coffees include cold drip coffee and cold brew coffee. [more…]

Coffee Grind Size Levels | What Grind Settings Are Suitable for Pour-Over, Ice Drip, Cold Brew, Espresso, Moka Pot, and French Press?

For more specialty coffee knowledge, please follow our WeChat official account: Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee). No matter what equipment is used to brew coffee, the coffee beans need to be ground, and the purpose of this is to allow the coffee's flavor substances to dissolve more quickly. Of course, not all of the coffee's soluble [more…]

Coffee Bean Grind Size Levels | How to Determine Coffee Ground Coarseness for Pour-Over? What Are the Grind Size Parameters for Pour-Over, Ice Drip, Cold Brew, and Espresso?

For more specialty coffee knowledge, follow our WeChat public account: FrontStreet Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) No matter what equipment is used to brew coffee, the coffee beans must be ground, the purpose being to allow the coffee's flavor compounds to dissolve more quickly. Of course, not all of the coffee's soluble [more…]

Yirgacheffe SOE | What is SOE coffee? Does SOE refer to single-origin beans? What are the differences in taste characteristics between SOE beans and blended coffee beans?

In recent years, SOE coffee has become especially popular. Basically, newly opened small community coffee shops will be equipped with more than two espresso grinders: one filled with traditional-flavor coffee beans (usually a blend), and the other loaded with SOE coffee beans. SOE is generally seen as an advanced version of traditional (blended) coffee beans, and requires an additional [more…]

Bean Choices for Latte: From Classic Blends to Fruity Blends

The choice of beans for a latte determines the flavor direction of the final drink. From classic rich blends to fruity blends, different bean types each have their own characteristics when used in a latte. Understanding how different beans perform in a latte gives you a richer range of options when selecting beans. Classic rich blends are the traditional choice for a latte. Front Street Coffee's classic blend is made from [more…]

Espresso Blend Coffee Bean Recipes | Why Are Espresso Beans Mostly Blends? What Grind Size for Espresso Beans?

Until now, the vast majority of coffee shops still focus on espresso blends as their main product. The reason blended beans have become the mainstream of the market is not only that they can reduce the cost of raw materials, but also that they provide stable extraction for daily output and, as much as possible, ensure the flavor of drinks based on espresso. Simply put, coffee shops choose blends in order to [more…]

Portable Mini Manual Coffee Maker Review: A Solution for Enjoying Freshly Brewed Hot Coffee Anywhere

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…]