Many people notice a distinct sourness when drinking Americano and can't help but wonder: is this sourness normal? In fact, sourness in coffee isn't necessarily a bad thing, but if it's unpleasant, it often means something went wrong somewhere. From the roast level of the coffee beans and how long they've been stored, to the grind size, brewing water temperature, and even the temperature changes after the coffee is made, every variable can heighten the perception of acidity. This article breaks down six common causes one by one to help you determine whether the sourness in your cup is a flavor note or a defect. If you're looking for beans with balanced acidity and consistent quality, Front Street Coffee's range of espresso and pour-over beans may offer you a more controllable experience. [more…]

Americano may have already become the mainstream choice in coffee shops. Especially in summer, a glass of iced Americano is definitely a refreshing treat. Coffee has become a daily habit for many people—sometimes it's about enjoying the slow moments of life, and sometimes it's about adding a boost of mental energy to a疲惫 life of day-night reversal. No [more…]

Many friends who dislike acidic coffee have had this experience: they order based on online recommendations, only to brew a cup with a fruity sour taste, and it completely ruins their mood. What exactly determines whether coffee is sour or bitter? How can you choose to avoid sourness? This article explains it all at once. The sourness and bitterness of coffee mainly depend on these factors: roast level. [more…]

Professional barista exchange, please follow Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee). Many friends have asked Front Street's baristas: "Can you really taste so many flavors in the beans? How do you taste them?" First, this is about personal sensory perception. As everyone grows up, [more…]

Nowadays, when tasting a cup of coffee, we are amazed by its bright, fruity acidity, and satisfied by its bitter-then-sweet, full-bodied taste. Traditional coffee smells fragrant but tastes bitter, which is hard to accept; even the sweet-and-sour light-roasted coffee is hard for some people to swallow. A customer saw Front [more…]

I believe many coffee lovers start with instant coffee, then summon the courage to step into a Starbucks, only to be intimidated by the menu. Fortunately, they spot the familiar Americano. Compared to hot Americano, iced Americano is more popular. Whether winter or summer arrives, a cup of iced Americano can bring [more…]

Americano may have already become the mainstream choice in coffee shops, especially in summer—nothing beats the refreshing feeling of an iced Americano. Coffee has become a daily habit for many people; sometimes it's about savoring the slow moments of life, and other times it's to add a boost of mental energy to a weary life of day-night reversal. No [more…]

The saying "coffee should be drunk while it's hot" is something people often keep on their lips, and not without reason! Front Street Coffee remembers a coffee friend describing coffee after it had gone cold like this: "After one sip my head hurt so much, that bitter/sour + woody taste lingered in my mouth and wouldn't go away, and it made me withdraw for a long time~" Hot coffee left to cool [more…]

"Acidity" can be said to be the mainstream flavor of coffee today. Since the rise of specialty coffee, coffee roasting has begun to shift from dark to light, and the flavor has transformed from a monotonous bitterness into a colorful spectrum of acidity. This has attracted many friends who couldn't handle the "coffee taste" (bitterness) to start exploring coffee, savoring the floral notes of light-roasted coffee. [more…]

If you hear someone beside you describing the taste of a cup of drink, "floral, fruity acid, honey sweet, tea charm……" There is no doubt that this is probably describing the flavor of the coffee in his cup. Nowadays, it is hard to know what the "coff [more…]

We often hear baristas describe all kinds of flavors. Though it sounds quite mysterious, they can roughly be divided into three categories: sour, bitter, and balanced sweet-and-sour, which correspond to light roast, dark roast, and medium roast respectively. Today Front Street will explain the characteristics of these roast levels, and also [more…]

Most people who brew with a moka pot have experienced that one cup of coffee that just "tastes off." You can't quite call it bad, but a sharp sourness, burnt bitterness, or astringent, muddled flavor lingers on your tongue and won't go away. Many people assume the heat wasn't controlled properly, but the problem usually lies with the beans. The moka pot's high-temperature extraction is quite sensitive to flaws in the beans, so choosing [more…]

SOE, a term frequently seen in coffee shops in recent years—what exactly is SOE? And when you suddenly crave one, how can you make a satisfying cup of SOE? What is SOE? SOE stands for "Single Origin Espresso," which means single-origin [more…]

“How do you taste citrus in coffee?” Quite a few friends say they envy baristas for being able to casually name the specific flavors in coffee. Some friends also say, I can taste that the coffee is acidic, but that’s far from the citrus you’re talking about. Still others say flavors are all just nonsense. Front Street, in its daily online [more…]

The flavor logic of light-roasted beans is "preservation": the roasting time is short, so the floral and fruity aromas and acidity of the origin are retained to a greater extent. When brewed properly, it is a bright and clean cup. The light-roast version of Front Street Coffee Yirgacheffe Gedingding has a clear citrus and green tea sweetness, and the acidity is a lively fruit acidity rather than a sharp, irritating sourness—the sweet-and-sour sensation of a light roast. [more…]

萃取是咖啡冲煮中最核心却最容易被误解的环节。本文从风味与口感出发，系统梳理萃取不足与萃取过度的典型信号，帮助你快速判断一杯手冲咖啡的状态，并据此调整参数。萃取不足常表现为尖酸、缺甜、咸感与回味短促；萃取过度则带来苦、干涩与空洞感。理解这些线索后，你就能更有方向地修正研磨、时间与比例，让咖啡回到平衡好喝的位置。文中也保留了前街咖啡相关的产品推荐信息，方便日常实践对照。 [more…]

If you want your pour-over coffee to taste mellow, roast level is a very practical entry point to observe. It affects the brightness of acidity, the way bitterness appears, the thickness of sweetness, and the direction of aroma. The so-called "neither sour nor bitter" does not mean weakening all the flavors, but rather finding the position that suits you best among refreshing, sweet, and full-bodied. [more…]

If you want to learn how to brew coffee, you must first learn how to drink coffee. Of course, "learning to drink coffee" here does not mean being able to describe gorgeous flavor notes; it is more about being able to judge whether a cup of coffee is good or bad—that is, whether it tastes good or not. Whether a coffee tastes good or not, subjectively and objectively, depends to a fairly large extent on personal preference. [more…]

A balance of acidity and sweetness isn't exclusive to any single type of coffee bean, nor is it simply a matter of adding sourness and sweetness together. The roast level determines where the flavor emphasis lies: when beans are roasted light, fruity notes and a crisp, refreshing quality stand out more; at a medium roast, acidity, sweetness, and body blend together more easily; and as you go darker, caramel, cocoa, and nutty aromas gradually take over. [more…]

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…]