Recently, some Starbucks stores in Guangdong have introduced a "Starbucks Study Room" service, offering air conditioning, Wi-Fi, and free power outlets, sparking heated discussion online. Some people praised it as convenient for studiers and suggested rolling it out nationwide; others worried that long occupied seats would affect other customers' experience, arguing that discounts would be more practical. Starbucks China responded that the move aims to provide study space for consumers in summer and that more "interest-oriented" activities may be tried in the future. Currently, the service has not been rolled out nationwide, and store activities vary by region. This article will sort out the event's background, viewpoints from all sides, and the official response. [more…]

For professional coffee knowledge exchange and more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Studio (WeChat public account: cafe_style). For more specialty coffee beans, please add the private WeChat of Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee), WeChat ID: qjcoffeex. Recently, Hainan Yeshu Group has sparked widespread controversy due to its Douyin livestreaming style. The market supervision bureau has responded that it has received multiple reports and is studying a handling plan. The Yeshu livestream room features a female anchor in tight clothing dancing enthusiastically to sell products. The livestream has repeatedly been cut off by the platform, with average transaction volume of only a few thousand yuan per session. Previously, the brand was fined twice for violating good social customs, and was also questioned for false marketing over claims such as "breast enhancement miracle tool." This article will sort out the course of the incident, the regulatory response, and the brand's historical penalty records. [more…]

In recent years, a growing number of students have been treating coffee shops as study rooms, ordering a single drink and staying for seven or eight hours at a time—a situation that has left many café owners scratching their heads. Faced with the dual pressures of declining table turnover and rising operating costs, owners must both protect their reputation and find effective management strategies. On social media, discussions about how to politely encourage long-staying customers to leave are heating up. Some suggest posting time-limit notices, others choose to adjust the ambiance or require refills, and some shops have borrowed from Hong Kong's practice of implementing a two-hour seating limit. This tug-of-war over café space usage and consumer rights reflects the real dilemmas facing the food and beverage industry today. [more…]

Recently, students near Shanghai's University Road discovered that the Tims Coffee University Road store, which had accompanied them for over five years, was dismantling its signage and quietly closing down. When it opened in 2019, this store was the largest location Tims had in Shanghai after entering the city. Comprising a two-story North American-style wooden cabin with a total area exceeding 400 square meters, it was not only a landmark meeting spot for nearby residents but also a carrier of youthful memories for many university students who studied, dated, and prepared for exams off campus. Its sudden closure has sparked widespread attention and regret, as well as various speculations about the reasons behind it. This article will revisit the unique features of this store, present the real reactions of customers, and sort out the possible reasons for its closure. [more…]

Starbucks recently launched the "Star Student Card" for domestic college students, offering free card activation upon identity verification. Students who spend at least 30 yuan in a single in-store purchase can receive a free coupon for a medium Americano valid for 3 hours, 30 minutes later, along with drink discounts. However, there are quite a few restrictions in the fine print: only one free refill coupon per month, and it must be used within 3 hours by drinking two cups consecutively. Additionally, with Starbucks covering only 15.53% of areas around universities, and affordable brands like Luckin, Cotti, Lucky Cup, and Manner being more cost-effective, whether this student card can truly retain student customers remains to be seen. Front Street Coffee is also continuously monitoring this development. [more…]

September marks the start of the school season, and the campus coffee market is ushering in a new round of competition. Luckin Coffee is accelerating its penetration into universities with a "targeted location franchise" model, having opened more than 1,282 campus stores and rolled out over a hundred targeted locations. Its 9.9-yuan low-price strategy, creation of a third space, and campus culture collaborations have made university students an important force in coffee consumption. At the same time, brands such as Front Street Coffee are also paying attention to this trend. This article reviews Luckin's campus expansion path, the details of its franchise model, and five notable characteristics of campus coffee shops, analyzing the new campus battlefield amid the coffee industry's fierce competition. [more…]

Many coffee professionals have encountered the same dilemma: while in school, they worked part-time at a coffee shop, and their family supported it; after graduation, when they decided to become a full-time barista, their parents strongly opposed it, believing this job had no future. Faced with this disagreement, should you listen to your family or stick to your own choice? Starting from the real situation of the barista profession, this article helps you clarify the relationship between your motivation for entering the industry, professional accumulation, and future planning, and also offers specific ideas for communicating with your parents. Whether you are a prospective barista still hesitating or a professional who has already entered the industry but encountered doubts from family, you can find useful guidance here. [more…]

Starbucks has long positioned itself around the "third space" concept, offering customers a place to study, work, and socialize. However, as the phenomenon of occupying seats without making a purchase becomes increasingly common, many paying members report that store seating is taken up by non-consumers, greatly diminishing their experience. Recently, some netizens revealed that certain stores have begun "politely asking" non-purchasing customers to leave, requiring anyone who sits down to place an order, sparking widespread discussion. Supporters argue this helps maintain operational order, while opponents worry it damages the brand image. Starbucks customer service responded that all stores welcome customers to sit, regardless of whether they make a purchase. How will this debate over the boundaries of the "third space" ultimately affect Starbucks' future direction? [more…]

Ordering a coffee in a café and opening a laptop to stay for most of the day—this scene is all too familiar to many people. Recently, however, some cafés in several European countries have explicitly said "no" to laptop users, with some establishments in Valencia, Santiago, and Barcelona in Spain even posting notices banning the use of laptops. Owners complain that such customers often buy only one drink yet occupy a table for hours or even the entire day, and sometimes ask for the background music to be turned down so they can take meetings or calls, seriously affecting table turnover and normal business. In response, cafés in various places have been rolling out countermeasures, and similar restrictions have also appeared in France, Germany, Portugal, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, and elsewhere. Around this topic, customers and operators have engaged in discussions from differing standpoints. [more…]

When and by whom was cream first added to coffee? This article begins with the origins of Viennese coffee, traces its connection to the coachman's Einspänner, and follows the coffee localization practices of Kolschitzky, founder of the Blue Bottle House, after 1684, revealing how cream coffee spread from Vienna to the world. It includes both detailed brewing and preparation steps for traditional Viennese coffee and an introduction to the diverse modern ways of enjoying cream coffee, along with product suggestions and brewing parameters for Front Street Dark Cocoa Blend, PWN Golden Mandheling, and more, balancing historical interest with practical reference. [more…]

In recent years, the camping style has swept through urban life, and many cafés have brought camping chairs and low tables indoors, where a few folding chairs arranged around a plastic crate form a seating area. Such a setup is indeed relaxing for sunbathing and sipping coffee, but for customers who need to work, read, or study, sitting at low tables and chairs for long periods leads to back and waist pain, and some even find it hard to get up after sinking into them. Regarding whether cafés should use low tables and chairs, netizens hold different opinions: some believe this is a deliberate move by owners to increase table turnover, while others feel that the café's environment itself is part of what customers pay for, and owners should take into account the experience of the majority of users. Front Street Coffee has observed that behind this debate, what is actually reflected is the difference in positioning and customer needs among different cafés. [more…]

Recently, the coffee consulting platform Perfect Daily Grind published a report pointing out that Robusta coffee prices have climbed to their highest level in 29 years, mainly driven by multiple factors including growing global demand, supply shortages, and transportation bottlenecks. From Brazil to Vietnam, purchase prices in major producing regions have risen in tandem, and the Red Sea crisis has further intensified trade pressure on routes from East Asia to Europe. At the same time, the popularity of coffee blends has brought more attention to Robusta in the specialty coffee sector, and its climate-resistance advantages are also attracting increasing investment. Front Street Coffee believes that unless there is a fundamental shift in the supply-demand landscape, Robusta prices are likely to remain volatile at high levels and will be difficult to bring down quickly in the short term. [more…]

In the third quarter of 2022, Luckin Coffee delivered a remarkable report card: its total store count reached 7,846, surpassing Starbucks in one stroke to become the brand with the largest number of chain coffee stores in China. From filing for bankruptcy protection to completing its turnaround, Luckin took only a little more than a year. Behind this was not only the sustained pull of hit products such as coconut latte and cheese latte, but also the combined efforts of social media marketing, reverse holiday co-branding, refined user operations, and a youthful R&D team. This article will analyze Luckin's store data, product logic, marketing tactics, and user strategy, while also exploring the significance of the affordable chain model for the popularization of coffee consumption in China. For readers who follow developments in the coffee industry, Luckin's path to breaking through is undoubtedly a sample worth studying. [more…]

Many people have noticed that photos of celebrities holding iced Americanos are appearing more and more on social media. Behind this, besides the refreshing taste, is the fact that drinking black coffee in moderation can help with fat loss. This article begins with the history of Americano, introduces Front Street Coffee's recipe and parameters for making Americano, compares the methods for hot and iced Americano, and analyzes the changes in flavor after skimming off the oils. At the same time, drawing on multiple studies, it sorts out the relationship between caffeine and fat oxidation and exercise performance, and offers more reasonable drinking suggestions. Whether you are drinking coffee for fat loss or simply because you like it, you will find useful references here. [more…]

Starbucks officially announced recently that its seventh store in Shanghai—the standalone Shikumen building store located at the main entrance of the Xintiandi commercial area, opened after the company entered Shanghai in 2000—will permanently close on December 16. This landmark coffee shop, which has accompanied Shanghai residents for 24 years, was renovated multiple times and upgraded to a Reserve store in 2021, holding countless memories of dates, study sessions, and daily coffee runs for many people. The closure announcement has sparked widespread regret, with netizens speculating that it may be due to failed rent negotiations after the lease expired. Meanwhile, several long-operating Starbucks stores in Shanghai have also closed one after another, prompting sighs that an era is quietly coming to an end. [more…]

Yirgacheffe Kochere G2 is a classic among Ethiopian specialty coffees, renowned for its vivid floral aromas and fruity acidity. This article focuses on Front Street Yirgacheffe Kochere G2, outlining its cup profile and flavor performance, its growing region background, and its processing method, while also providing a grinding setting reference. Kochere is located about 25 miles southwest of Yirgacheffe town, where local smallholders deliver their coffee lots to a cooperative for centralized processing. The so-called "Yirgacheffe flavor" is often described as jasmine florals, lemon or lime-like acidity, and peach, almond sweetness, or tea-like notes. This season, Front Street's lot stands out with a particularly pronounced blueberry note in the dry aroma, and after grinding, the whole room fills with blueberry fragrance. The article also introduces Ethiopia's coffee industry and growing elevations to help readers fully understand the source of this bean's flavors and approaches to brewing it. [more…]

To achieve good flavor, we should choose freshly roasted coffee beans—this is a consensus we reached long ago. Based on experience, when coffee beans are in the "too fresh" stage (0–2 days after roasting), we "rest" them, meaning leaving them untouched until they have degassed slightly before brewing and extracting, so that the coffee's flavor will [more…]

Many coffee enthusiasts encounter a common confusion while self-studying: when searching for cold brew coffee, they always come across a bunch of terms that look similar yet are all different—ice drip, ice brewed, cold steep, Dutch coffee, Kyoto coffee—leaving people baffled. Do these names actually refer to the same thing, or do they each have different craftsmanship and history? This article starts from the broad concept of cold brew coffee, sorting out layer by layer the difference between cold steep and ice drip, tracing the origins of the two alternative names Dutch coffee and Kyoto coffee, and analyzing the true meaning of the term ice brewed. If you've also been dizzied by these terms, why not follow Front Street and clarify them all thoroughly together. [more…]

Luckin Coffee recently relaunched last year's hit Coconut Cold Brew, and has announced that in May it will bring back popular products such as Orange Golden Sparkling Americano in phases. However, the reformulated zero-sugar version has sparked polarized reviews among consumers—some complain it's like "waiting for a cheating scumbag to change," with a taste vastly different from what they remember, while others question the medicinal taste brought by artificial sweeteners. From packaging updates to health controversies, this round of comebacks reflects the brand's difficult balancing act between the sugar-reduction trend and faithful flavor reproduction. This article sorts through the details of the product iterations and genuine feedback from netizens, and cites a University of Southern California study on how artificial sweeteners affect appetite, to explore whether zero-sugar drinks are truly healthier. [more…]

Decaf coffee is often seen as a friendly alternative for people sensitive to caffeine, but is it really healthier than regular coffee? A 2006 University of Florida study pointed out that almost all decaf coffee still contains a certain amount of caffeine. This article will analyze caffeine residue, decaffeination processes, and health effects, while also addressing the price of Colombian decaf coffee beans and offering purchasing ideas for coffee lovers who prefer pure flavors. [more…]