Vietnamese coffee is not simply about coffee beans grown in Vietnam; it represents a unique local beverage culture. After the French introduced coffee to Vietnam, it gradually became part of daily life. Vietnamese coffee is usually made from dark-roasted Robusta, paired with condensed milk to balance the intense bitterness, and extracted using a metal drip filter known as a "phin." Starting from Front Street's hands-on practice, this article explains in detail the structure of the phin, the key points of tamping, extraction parameters, and suggested condensed milk amounts, guiding you through the complete process of recreating an authentic cup of Vietnamese drip coffee, and sharing a layered tasting approach that goes from strong to sweet. [more…]

For more specialty coffee knowledge, please follow the WeChat public account: Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee). Many friends who have drunk coffee may not necessarily understand or even have heard of SOE coffee, but seasoned coffee connoisseurs certainly know SOE coffee. Is it that when it comes to SOE coffee [more…]

In specialty coffee shops, Dirty and Flat White are often treated as the default options for testing a barista's skills, even surpassing Americano and Latte in popularity. Someone has put forward an interesting claim: Dirty is just a cold version of Flat White, with the only difference between the two being temperature. Does this viewpoint hold up? To find out the truth, Front Street Coffee decided to put these two milk coffees together for a comprehensive comparison. From bean selection, extraction parameters, and cup volume control, to milk foam condition, temperature management, and the flavor layers on the first sip, we will break down one by one the similarities and differences between Dirty and Flat White in production details and taste experience, to see whether they really are the hot and cold sides of the same cup of coffee. [more…]

Luckin Coffee is about to launch a new product, "Big Watermelon Raw Coconut Cold Brew," across its stores nationwide on April 7. However, even before this product officially goes on sale, it has already triggered widespread complaints among staff. The reason is that its coffee liquid needs to be manually steeped for as long as 18 minutes, and the production process is cumbersome with many quality-control details, putting even more pressure on already busy frontline employees. What troubles them even more is that a single packet of coffee powder can produce only 4.5 cups of the finished product, yet stores are not allowed to stop selling it. Once orders surge, they can only negotiate with customers to wait. This article compiles frontline employees' genuine feedback and operational details, presenting the "worker's dilemma" behind this new product. [more…]

Recently, an iced Americano method called "flash extraction" has become quite popular in the coffee community. It bears some resemblance to the all-ice Americano, also using only ice cubes and espresso, but the amount of espresso poured in is much larger—almost equivalent to the total liquid volume of a regular hot Americano. Put simply, this method involves rapidly extracting a large amount of espresso all at once, essentially yielding a "long shot" espresso—a Lungo. The difference is that this shot does not come with an excessively high extraction rate, and contains fewer bitter compounds, so when made into an Americano, it has low bitterness and a pronounced sweetness. For those who don't have an espresso grinder, or whose grinder can't grind fine enough, this method is especially friendly—you just need to appropriately increase the water amount to compensate for the lack of extraction efficiency caused by coarser grinding and insufficient puck resistance. Below, Front Street Coffee will discuss the specific parameter ratios and recommend a few medium-light roast beans suitable for this method. [more…]

For more specialty coffee knowledge, please follow the WeChat official account: FrontStreet Coffee. In different European countries, iced coffee is also different! Some add ice cubes to hot coffee, some add ice cream to hot coffee, and some use cold water immersion extraction. For example, in Amer [more…]

Anaerobic coffee has been appearing on coffee bean lists frequently in recent years. Although many people have tried it, they only have a vague understanding of its specific process, and some even develop an aversion to it due to unfamiliarity. In fact, anaerobic processing is not as complicated as imagined. In most cases, it simply adds an extra anaerobic fermentation step before traditional natural or washed processing. The depth of fermentation is precisely the key that determines the direction of coffee flavor. From the perspective of Front Street, this article sorts out the basic principles of anaerobic processing, common methods, and their connection with traditional processing. Combined with three specific beans, it helps readers understand the flavor differences brought by different anaerobic treatments, so they can find the cup that suits their taste. [more…]

On a scorching summer day, a refreshing glass of iced coffee never fails to perk you up. Cold brew coffee has a low barrier to entry—simply combine coffee grounds with cold water, seal and refrigerate, and leave the rest to time to complete the extraction. This article centers on cold brew coffee, first tracing its origins and basic principles, then sharing Front Street Coffee's hands-on experience with grind size, extraction time, and water, and explaining how cold brew and hot brew differ in flavor expression. Finally, following three styles—fresh floral, citrus and berry, and subtle honeyed sweetness—it recommends Front Street Coffee beans suited to making cold brew, helping you easily craft a layered, smooth, low-bitterness iced coffee at home. [more…]

As the weather turns cooler, a warm, sweetly fragrant hot latte becomes many people's go-to daily choice once again. But many friends always run into the same problems when recreating it at home: the latte they make either has bitterness that steals the show, or has such a heavy milk flavor that it overwhelms the coffee aroma, making it hard to achieve the balanced, rich, and sweet taste found in cafés. In fact, a delicious hot latte is not just a simple mix of espresso and milk—bean selection, milk choice, extraction, and ratio all directly affect the final flavor. This article will start from two dimensions—ingredient selection and the production process—to sort out the key ideas for making a balanced, rich hot latte at home, including the roast level and blending direction of coffee beans suitable for milk coffee, the logic of pairing milk with beans, reference formulas for espresso extraction, and methods for adjusting the ratio of milk to coffee, helping you find your own golden recipe at home. [more…]

The classifications within the coffee world often leave people puzzled—what exactly is the logic behind names like espresso, latte, and americano? Today, Front Street Coffee will discuss the definition boundaries of black coffee and how to easily make an authentic latte at home. Simply put, as long as the cup contains only coffee itself, without any additional ingredients, whether it's espresso or americano, it can be categorized as black coffee; once milk is added, the flavor direction may evolve into a latte. This article will start from the basic concept of espresso, sort out its relationship with black coffee, and then break down the process of making a latte step by step, including extraction parameters, milk foam handling, and latte art techniques, so that coffee enthusiasts can replicate café-level results in their own kitchens. [more…]

Freshness is the foundation of good-tasting coffee, but faced with Front Street Coffee's "30% off for 2 items, 50% off for 3 items" promotion, it's hard not to buy a few extra bags. As a result, questions keep pouring in about whether coffee beans can be frozen, how long they can be frozen, and whether they need to be thawed after taking them out. Starting from Front Street Coffee's actual testing, this article first clarifies the difference between freezing and refrigeration, then explains the impact of freezing on flavor, and finally offers specific operational advice such as freezing after resting, sealed portioning, and whether to thaw. If you also want to keep your stockpiled beans as tasty as possible, this article is worth reading to the end. [more…]

Ordering an iced Americano with extra ice and no water has become increasingly common in coffee circles in recent years. It is not simply equivalent to drinking espresso directly; rather, through the collision of ice cubes with hot espresso, it produces a cup of iced coffee with higher concentration, lower bitterness, and more fully preserved aroma. This article will start from the basic composition of an Americano, explain the difference between a water-free iced Americano and a regular iced Americano, and detail the order of production, the principle of extraction cooling, and practical techniques such as shaking to cool down, helping you make a better-tasting all-ice Americano. [more…]

Luckin Coffee's weekly Thursday operational notice once again put store employees on edge, as the company officially announced several new products, including "Triple Cheese Thick Matcha," "Coconut Trio Latte," and "A Whole Coconut." Among them, the preparation method for "A Whole Coconut" completely overturns previous operating habits. Employees need to wear gloves to take out frozen coconut eggs and pour the prepared coffee liquid into the coconut shell for serving. The process involves more than ten steps, prompting many workers to call it absurd. What troubles them even more is that these new products may be launched nationwide, and morning shift staff must complete a large amount of prep work within half an hour. Many worry that they simply cannot handle it when running the store alone. [more…]

Many coffee enthusiasts have encountered this dilemma: they impulsively bought too many coffee beans, or for various reasons delayed drinking them, only to find that the beans have passed their optimal flavor period. So, can unopened expired ground coffee still be consumed? How will the flavor change? This article will analyze the safety of drinking expired ground coffee from the perspectives of food safety and flavor performance, and share brewing adjustment plans for stale coffee beans. In addition, if the coffee has passed its shelf life, we will also introduce three practical and eco-friendly ways to reuse it, so that every coffee bean can be put to good use. [more…]

SOE stands for Single Origin Espresso, and it has become increasingly popular in recent years amid the espresso boom. This article will help you clarify the definition and characteristics of SOE, explain why it costs more than ordinary espresso, and analyze its advantages of pure flavor and clear layers, as well as its difficulties such as the challenge of nailing the roast level and obvious batch variations. It will also introduce the blending logic of espresso blends, and include espresso extraction parameters for blends such as Front Street Strawberry Candy and for Huakui SOE and Ethiopian Konga SOE, along with the water-to-coffee and milk-to-coffee ratios for making Americanos and lattes with SOE, helping you consistently produce a good cup of coffee at home. [more…]

Pre-infusion is a frequently discussed feature in espresso extraction. Simply put, it involves soaking the coffee bed with a small amount of hot water or a low-pressure flow before the main high-pressure extraction begins, giving the coffee grounds time to degas and expand. Many people feel that their espresso is already good enough and that pre-infusion seems optional, but in specific scenarios, it can genuinely improve extraction quality. This article starts from the principles of pre-infusion, explaining how it increases extraction yield, reduces channeling, and which coffee beans are suitable for using the pre-infusion function. [more…]

What exactly is the difference between cold brew coffee and iced pour-over coffee? This is a question Front Street gets asked every day. Simply put, cold brew is a low-temperature slow extraction, while pour-over is a high-temperature fast extraction, and the two present distinctly different characteristics in flavor and mouthfeel. This article will start with the influence of temperature on extraction, analyze in detail the respective features of high-temperature extraction and low-temperature extraction, then use the Sherry coffee beans from the Honduras Mocha estate selected by Front Street Coffee as a sample to demonstrate the complete brewing processes of cold brew coffee and iced pour-over coffee, including key technical parameters such as coffee-to-water ratio, grind size, and pouring technique, and compare the flavor differences ultimately presented by the two methods, helping coffee lovers find the cup of icy good coffee that suits them. [more…]

As soon as the temperature rises, iced coffee returns to the top of the sales charts. Iced pour-over lets you choose your own beans and comes with a refreshingly cold taste, making it the first choice in hot weather. However, if you simply add ice cubes to a hot pour-over recipe, the concentration gets diluted and it tastes as bland as water. The core problem to solve is: how to maintain a moderate concentration after cooling down. Using Front Street's medium-light roasted Ethiopia Kaffa Forest as an example, we've put together four highly practical iced pour-over methods—high-concentration high-extraction, ice-flushing, stirring, and ice-bath cooling—breaking down the parameters and techniques one by one, and comparing their flavor performances, to help you find the cup that suits you best. [more…]

Many people think that simply putting single-origin beans into an espresso machine will produce a SOE, but the result is either sputtering or acidity so sharp it's undrinkable. In fact, the problem usually lies in the roast level—not all single-origin beans are suitable for espresso. On Front Street Coffee's bean list, there are two SOE versions to choose from: the strawberry-scented Front Street Huakui and the classic Yirgacheffe-flavored Front Street Konga Red Cherry. Just check the espresso roast option when ordering. This article uses Front Street Ethiopia Natural Konga as an example to share in detail the complete process for making a SOE Yirgacheffe latte, including key parameters such as grind setting, dose-to-yield ratio, and extraction time, as well as how to steam dense microfoam and integrate it with the espresso. The resulting latte tastes like lemon-flavored cookies at first sip—rich, fragrant, and smooth—and leaves you feeling warm all over after drinking it. [more…]

Many friends who have drunk coffee may not necessarily understand or even have heard of SOE coffee, but seasoned coffee connoisseurs certainly know about SOE coffee. Doesn't it seem that when SOE coffee is mentioned, friends who are new to coffee or even new to espresso coffee don't quite understand it, yet SOE sounds like it's pretty high-end? [more…]