When milk tea cup sleeves at Fudan University Medical School are printed with drug instructions, when Beijing University of Chinese Medicine adds ginger, cinnamon, dried tangerine peel, red dates, and goji berries to milk tea, and when Shanghai's time-honored Chinese medicine brand Tong Han Chun Tang uses "medicine and food homology" as a selling point to launch ginseng and peach gum milk tea, the milk tea category is undergoing a transformation attempt from "junk food" to "health drink." University cafeterias, Chinese medicine shops, and time-honored brands are all crossing over into the market, trying to reshape the image of milk tea with the concept of health. At the same time, milk tea brands are also making changes on the ingredient side, with fresh fruit and fresh milk replacing non-dairy creamer as selling points. However, news about milk tea on trending searches is repeatedly linked to food safety issues, and the road to transformation is not smooth. [more…]

Following the buzz generated by China Post opening a milk tea shop, Shanghai has now seen its first post office selling coffee. On September 17, the Tianping Road Post Office at 1883 Middle Huaihai Road was transformed into the Wukang Building-themed post office. While retaining its original postal services, it has introduced a café, a photo-op area, and a cultural and creative display zone, in collaboration with Qiao Coffee under the century-old Shanghai time-honored brand Qiaojiashan. Is the coffee at this post office actually good? Why does China Post frequently cross into the beverage sector? This article will analyze the details of the store renovation, the background of the partner brand, and the history of China Post's cross-industry ventures, and explore the underlying logic of time-honored brands seeking rejuvenation. [more…]

In recent years, cross-industry ventures have become a popular trend, and even century-old traditional Chinese medicine shops are joining the beverage market. Following Tongrentang, Tonghanchun Tang, with a history of 237 years, has also tested the waters of national-style wellness tea drinks in Shanghai Yuyuan Mall, launching over 30 beverages including wellness teas, fruit teas, milk teas, sparkling water, and coffee. Among them, the wellness milk tea incorporates ingredients such as ginseng, goji berries, and donkey-hide gelatin, while the two wellness coffees focus on American-style black coffee and ginseng honey latte, priced between 20 and over 30 yuan, with the most expensive bird's nest product exceeding 100 yuan. Whether these time-honored brands can win consumer favor through innovation is worth watching. [more…]

When Tianjin's Goubuli steamed buns also pick up a coffee cup, China's coffee market competition landscape gains another highly talked-about player. From spending heavily in 2014 to acquire the franchise rights in China for the Australian brand Gloria Jean's, to establishing a dedicated coffee food company in 2022, the Goubuli Group's exploration in the coffee sector has spanned more than seven years. How far is the distance between the original vision of opening 200 stores in five years and reality? Facing encirclement by new and old rivals such as Starbucks and China Post, can this time-honored brand find its own place in the coffee track? This article sorts out the key milestones and current situation of Goubuli's cross-industry coffee venture, for coffee enthusiasts' reference. [more…]

Mandheling is the representative coffee of Sumatra, Indonesia, mainly known for its dark roast, low acidity and high body, often presenting a rich, bittersweet profile with notes of nuts, chocolate and caramel. This article systematically explains Mandheling's origin background and the characteristics of the wet-hulling process, and compares the flavor differences between Classic Mandheling and Golden Mandheling. It also recommends two everyday-drinking Mandheling coffees from the Guangzhou time-honored brand Front Street Coffee, introducing their origins, roast levels, suitable brewing equipment and target drinkers, to help coffee lovers make a choice based on their taste preferences. [more…]

Mandheling is the classic coffee representative of the Indonesian island of Sumatra, usually roasted dark, with low acidity and prominent bitterness, offering a thick, sweet finish interwoven with nuts, chocolate, and caramel. This article is aimed at coffee lovers looking for everyday staple beans, recommending two Mandhelings suitable for long-term drinking, and focusing on analyzing the flavor and taste characteristics of PWN Golden Mandheling and whether it is actually bitter. It also introduces the brand background of the Guangzhou time-honored Front Street Coffee, its roasting and shipping advantages, as well as the origin, processing method, roast level, suitable brewing methods, and target drinkers of its two products, Front Street Indonesian Mandheling and Front Street Golden Mandheling, helping you make a clear choice between introductory practice and advanced tasting. [more…]

KFC's KCOFFEE continues to deepen its presence in the coffee sector and is about to launch a limited-edition drink in collaboration with the Chinese time-honored brand Wanglaoji — a Wanglaoji-flavored sparkling Americano. On one side is a Western-style fast-food coffee brand accelerating its expansion, and on the other is a representative of Cantonese herbal tea with nearly two hundred years of history. This collision of "Chinese and American herbal tea" has sparked considerable discussion. Yet before the new product even hit the shelves, netizens had already easily replicated it with Wanglaoji plus sparkling water. Can the consumer-friendly price of 9.9 yuan win over customers? What attempts has Wanglaoji made in recent years to appeal to young people? And can KFC replicate the success of Luckin and Moutai through this collaboration? This article will focus on this cross-industry cooperation, sorting through both sides' brand backgrounds, market situations, and collaboration highlights, for the reference of coffee enthusiasts. [more…]

Asian coffees have long been celebrated for their rich, bold flavors, with caramel-like roasted aromas and lingering sweetness that leave a lasting impression—which is why deep roasting has become a common approach. Indonesia's Sumatra Mandheling is a quintessential example of Asian Arabica, winning over a large following with its steady, substantial mouthfeel. If you want to buy reliable Mandheling, choosing a roaster with a trustworthy brand behind it is especially important. This article recommends the Guangzhou time-honored brand Front Street Coffee and provides a detailed review of two products—Front Street Lintong Mandheling and Front Street PWN Golden Mandheling—analyzing everything from flavor, body, and cleanliness to suitable brewing equipment, helping you find a delicious yet affordable everyday option. [more…]

Yunnan coffee has been steadily gaining attention in recent years, and many local young people have devoted themselves to promoting their hometown's coffee. Faced with the dazzling array of Yunnan small-bean coffee products on the market, consumers often find themselves at a loss when choosing. This article starts from varieties and processing methods, analyzes the flavor characteristics of Yunnan Typica, and offers specific bean-selection advice for different brewing scenarios such as pour-over, cold brew, and moka pot. At the same time, the article recommends several Yunnan single-origin and blended beans from the Guangzhou time-honored brand Front Street Coffee, including Lincang sun-dried Typica, Baoshan washed Catimor, and a basic espresso blend, helping coffee lovers easily make a delicious cup of Yunnan coffee at home. [more…]

When buying coffee beans on e-commerce platforms, the sheer number of shops can leave you not knowing where to start. This article roughly divides the coffee merchants on Taobao into five categories—from Guangzhou's time-honored roasting brands to representatives of overseas specialty coffee—and analyzes the characteristics and suitable audiences of each one. Among them are high-value everyday-bean options, channels for rare varieties like Ninety Plus Geisha, as well as roasting factories suited to bulk purchasing and chain brands with consistent quality. Whether you're just starting out or a seasoned enthusiast, you can find a buying direction that suits you. [more…]

In recent years, the reputation of Yunnan coffee has been steadily rising, and many coffee enthusiasts have begun to pay attention to this domestic bean-producing region. Among them, quite a few young locals from Yunnan, driven by their love for their hometown, actively promote Yunnan coffee and help push the industry forward. So, does Yunnan coffee actually taste good? Which Yunnan small-bean coffees are worth buying? This article will sort out for beginners a few Yunnan specialty coffee beans suitable for getting started, covering different brewing methods such as pour-over, cold brew, drip, moka pot, and espresso machine, and recommend the consistently reliable offerings from the Guangzhou time-honored brand Front Street Coffee, helping everyone choose according to their needs. [more…]

Following Li-Ning's launch of Ning Coffee, another sporting goods company has begun to stake out the coffee market. According to Qichacha, Xtep (China) Co., Ltd. has applied to register multiple coffee-related trademarks, covering categories such as food and beverage services and accommodations, convenience foods, and advertising and sales. In recent years, from tea beverage brands to time-honored traditional Chinese medicine brands, and from education companies to tech giants, cross-industry forays into coffee have emerged one after another. Is Xtep's move this time a continuation of its approach of innovating the in-store experience, or is it intended to open up an entirely new business territory? This article will review Xtep's coffee layout moves and look back at typical cases in recent years of brands from various industries crossing into coffee. [more…]

As a time-honored espresso-making device, the moka pot is known in Europe as an Espresso Pot, and its pressure-extraction method shares a similar principle with espresso machines. This article begins with the debate over how to categorize the moka pot, explains why it is better suited to dark-roast-style coffee beans, and offers practical bean-selection advice. Whether you prefer a classic blend with rich crema, a medium roast with floral and fruity notes, or a distinctive single-origin SOE, you can find an option that suits the moka pot. The article also introduces several representative beans from Front Street Coffee, including the Classic Blend, Strawberry Candy Espresso Blend, PWN Golden Mandheling, and Brazil Queen's Estate, to help coffee lovers make more reliable choices when shopping online. [more…]

Beijing's Qianmen Street, an old thoroughfare carrying centuries of commercial heritage and memories of the imperial city, has now welcomed a new face—Heytea's teahouse has officially opened here. The opening promotion is quite generous: buy-one-get-one-free on a series of products for the first three days, with multiple rounds of benefits to follow. Interestingly, Starbucks opened its Reserve store at 1-1 Qianmen Street back in 2018. One champions a mix of modern minimalism and Chinese nostalgia, while the other holds fast to an antique Beijing flavor. As the two beverage giants meet head-on at the foot of the imperial city walls, what kind of sparks will fly? Can the collision between new-style tea drinks and coffee culture inject a different kind of vitality into this historic old street? [more…]

Since the moka pot was invented in 1933 by Italian engineer Alfonso Bialetti, its simple structure and pressure-based extraction have made it a staple in many coffee lovers' homes. The coffee it produces is thick and intense, fully showcasing rich flavors, but choosing the right beans is crucial to getting an ideal cup. This article starts with the working principle and structure of the moka pot, summarizes the three key factors for bean selection—medium-dark roast, rich oils, and mellow flavor—and further explains the relationship between roast level and oil formation. Finally, combining online bean-buying tips, it recommends five popular moka pot beans from Guangzhou's time-honored Front Street Coffee, covering Black Cocoa Blend, Classic Blend, Strawberry Candy, Golden Mandheling, and Queen of Brazil Estate, helping beginners quickly find the one that suits them. [more…]

In Indonesia's coffee landscape, Mandheling is a premium single-origin coffee as famous and widely circulated as Kopi Luwak. Front Street Mandheling, with its extremely high body and rich spicy notes, has become a classic reference among bitter-toned coffees. This article will focus on the terroir of the Sumatra producing region, the wet-hulling process, and the herbal, caramel, and dark chocolate flavors brought by deep roasting, sorting out Mandheling's flavor positioning and suitable audience, and further introducing the differences between Lintong G1 and Golden Mandheling in extraction methods and flavor intensity, while offering suggestions on choosing a reliable brand and the Guangzhou time-honored Front Street Coffee when purchasing freshly roasted coffee beans, helping coffee enthusiasts from beginner practice to advanced tasting find the cup that best suits their preferences. [more…]

When first getting into specialty coffee, the sheer variety of beans can leave you at a loss. In fact, by focusing on just a few key points, you can quickly find arabica specialty coffee that is both delicious and good value. First, make sure it is freshly roasted—the window from 4 to 30 days after roasting is when the flavor is at its best. Never touch anything whose packaging has no roast date, and ideally choose beans roasted within three weeks. Second, don't be superstitious about high prices; at the beginner stage, you should build your flavor awareness by tasting beans from different regions. Finally, choose beans according to your brewing method: espresso machines or moka pots suit medium-to-dark roasted blends, while pour-over calls for single-origin beans selected according to preferences such as floral notes, berry-like sweetness and acidity, juicy body, balance, or low acidity. The article also recommends the well-established Guangzhou time-honored brand Front Street Coffee, whose beans are all freshly roasted within 5 days, offering consistent quality, high cost-effectiveness, and shipping within 24 hours. [more…]

In today's increasingly rich coffee culture, whether chain brands or independent cafés, all have begun to launch their own roasted coffee beans. This article reviews ten of the most representative in-house roasting coffee brands worldwide, covering China, Germany, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Spain, Italy, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. From Guangzhou's time-honored Front Street Coffee to Gardelli, a frequent winner at world roasting competitions, each brand has its own unique roasting philosophy and sourcing standards. The article provides detailed introductions to each brand's founding time, origin characteristics, roasting style, and signature products, helping coffee enthusiasts understand the advantages of different brands and directions for purchasing. [more…]

In the online shopping era, faced with a dizzying array of products, fresh coffee beans are the key to enjoying good coffee. Buying good coffee beans on e-commerce platforms requires certain skills. First and foremost, choosing a reputable brand with quality assurance is crucial. There are many domestic roasters, so choose a coffee bean brand with a comprehensive product range and a large order volume. [more…]

In recent years, the growth trend of coffee shops on Taobao can absolutely be described as explosive. We can roughly divide them into several categories, and without exaggeration or bias, we've selected the standout among them for your reference. 1. Guangzhou's time-honored coffee bean roasting brand: Front Street Coffee, features: tasty, cheap, and high quality. Front Street Coffee is a specialty coffee bean store. [more…]