Once just an exaggerated image in memes, someone has now actually served up a "giant-sized" breakfast combo in real life. A bakery and brunch spot in Armenia called Bakery Yerevan has launched a bucket-sized giant cappuccino and a croissant bigger than a turkey, quickly going viral on Instagram. This XXL croissant comes from renowned French chef Philippe Conticini, available at two London locations for €25 each; at Bakery Yerevan, the giant combo of croissant plus coffee is priced at $158, roughly 1,100 RMB. Although the price is not low, many people still go to check it out. The giant portion delivers maximum visual impact, but it has also sparked online discussion about waste from being unable to finish it all. [more…]

Recently, a milk tea marketed as a "2-jin pack" has gone viral on social media, attracting a large number of consumers. The product was launched by a local tea beverage brand in Zhanjiang, priced at 18 yuan, or about 10 yuan after discounts, and has tapped into the consumer psychology of pursuing value for money with its large capacity and low price. However, along with the popularity came controversy: some consumers pointed out that 2 jin is roughly equivalent to 1000ml, and compared with the 500-700ml large cups of milk tea on the market, the actual value for money may not be outstanding, and merchants should label the capacity truthfully. In addition, similar products have already appeared in Nanning, Guangxi, and the originality of the idea has also sparked discussion. Some people are also worried that oversized milk tea may cause food waste. As coffee lovers, Front Street Coffee has also noticed the consumer trends and industry reflections behind this phenomenon. [more…]

As Children's Day approaches, major chain beverage brands are rolling out limited-edition campaigns and merchandise, and 1 Dian Dian has also brought back its cute, compact mini cups for a limited time. However, the launch of these mini cups has sparked considerable controversy: customers have found that when purchasing, the system automatically shows two cups, with identical flavors, sweetness levels, and toppings, and no ability to adjust them freely or order just one. Consumers who wanted to mix flavors or share with friends were disappointed, and some customers complained that the stores provide regular long straws, making the experience less than ideal. In response to the feedback, 1 Dian Dian employees also expressed helplessness, as the company has not provided ingredient ratios for the mini cups, leaving them to simply split a medium cup of tea evenly into two cups. If they were to customize orders according to customer requests, it would not only affect service efficiency but could also lead to waste. This article will sort through the focal points of controversy surrounding this mini cup campaign and the statements from all sides. [more…]

Recently, a Luckin Coffee employee posted footage on social media showing a store destroying co-branded packaging overnight, with trash bins full of unopened cup sleeves and takeaway cups, quickly sparking discussions among netizens about waste and environmental protection. According to the employee, on the eve of the end of each co-branding campaign, stores must cut and destroy remaining materials under surveillance, including previously co-branded Chengdu Cultural Tourism small panda keychains. Some netizens compared this with Cotti Coffee's approach, arguing that continuing to use expired packaging materials both reduces waste and gives customers surprises; others with knowledge of the matter pointed out that the destruction may be forced by the licensing period granted by the co-branding partner, and using them beyond the period could lead to breach-of-contract compensation. Behind this controversy lies the dilemma of materials management and intellectual property compliance amid the co-branding boom. [more…]

Recently, Chayan Yuese has once again become the center of public attention due to its ordering and pickup rules. Some customers at the Changsha airport store waited nearly fifty minutes before getting their drinks, questioning its cumbersome ordering process and unreasonable marketing methods, which struck a chord with many. In fact, Chayan Yuese has adjusted its ordering rules multiple times, and consumers have kept complaining. Although the company responded officially that the new rules are meant to ensure the texture of the milk foam, netizens were not convinced. This article reviews the course of the incident, the views of various parties, and the brand's response, and explores the logic and controversy behind the queuing phenomenon in the milk tea industry. [more…]

The Starbucks secret menu once led baristas to learn how to make over 170,000 customized drinks, but the extremes of personalized orders are sparking controversy. An American barista was fired for exposing a customer's 13-request order on social media, then apologized in person and settled the matter. The incident reflects the complex ordering trend fueled by TikTok, where customers pay extra fees but turn baristas into "drink-making robots," and during peak hours, it slows down service even more. This article will walk you through the full story of this uproar and focus on the issues of privacy and respect between baristas and customers. [more…]

At the end of each year, Blue Bottle Coffee releases holiday-limited merchandise in Japan. This year's theme is "Delicious Gifts," featuring items such as the caramel-colored Kiyosumi Shirakawa cup and the dark caramel Kinto ceramic mug. However, after the products went on sale, many consumers found a noticeable color difference between the actual items and the official promotional images—the rich caramel color shown in the ads turned into a pale milk-tea shade once in hand. In addition, quality-control issues such as crooked logos, flaws on the cup body, and uneven coloring appeared frequently, triggering a flood of complaints and returns. The official explanation attributed the color discrepancy to the hand-glazing process and the influence of lighting during photography, but the controversy continues to intensify. [more…]

Recently, four Starbucks and Prêt-à-Manger employees at Marseille Provence Airport in France were dismissed by the management company SSP Group on grounds of "gross misconduct" for giving unsold sandwiches to homeless people and airport staff. The incident quickly sparked a public outcry, with the public generally supporting the employees' good deed, while legal experts pointed out that even with good intentions, disposing of a company's unsold goods without authorization may still constitute a violation or even theft. When humanitarian sentiment collides with corporate management systems and food safety responsibilities, this controversy is not only about the fate of a few employees, but also reflects the complex dilemmas in the real-world implementation of anti-waste initiatives. [more…]

Recently, a video of a CoCo milk tea shop employee eating watermelon while cutting it has sparked heated discussion online. The video shows the employee, while preparing ingredients for a watermelon drink, not wearing gloves, cutting off a piece and eating it directly, then continuing to process the remaining fruit. This behavior might be harmless in a home kitchen, but in a restaurant back kitchen it touches a sensitive nerve regarding food safety and operating standards. Some netizens believe that an employee daring to eat the ingredient actually proves the food is fresh, but more people are concerned about saliva contamination, food waste, and the lack of corporate rules. The manager of the shop involved responded that they are verifying the matter, but had not received authorization from headquarters to publicly announce the handling result. The incident once again pushes the hygiene management and employee operating habits of restaurant back kitchens into the focus of public opinion. [more…]

Recently, Mixue Bingcheng publicly apologized after a branch in Malaysia used garbage bags printed with inappropriate images and text. The brand stated that the garbage bags purchased by the store were only used for handling trash and were not involved in food preparation. However, to dispel local consumers' concerns about halal standards, it has required the store involved to implement Islamic-compliant cleaning procedures, destroy the problematic garbage bags, and re-review its procurement process. The incident sparked heated discussion online, with some questioning, "Do garbage bags also need to be halal?" while others praised the brand's swift response. What exactly were the inappropriate images and text? Neither official reports nor the apology letter explained, and the truth remains to be clarified. [more…]

Starbucks has long presented itself as environmentally friendly, from coffee-ground straws to the global expansion of its "Greener Stores," earning recognition from many environmentalists. However, a recent TikTok video showed a barista first making a drink in a disposable plastic cup before pouring it into a customer's own glass cup and then throwing the plastic cup away, sparking accusations of "greenwashing." In fact, this is not the first time Starbucks has been questioned over its environmental measures: the strawless lids introduced in 2018 were criticized for using more plastic, and the deposit and recycling issues surrounding reusable cups have also been highly controversial. This article will outline the course of the incident and the responses from various parties, and review the many controversies in Starbucks' environmental marketing, to help you understand the true situation of this coffee giant on the road to sustainable development. [more…]

The chain coffee brand Lucky Cup recently drew attention due to the way it disposed of ingredients for discontinued products. According to multiple netizens claiming to be store employees, the company required that unopened materials such as oat milk, taro paste cans, and osmanthus syrup be uniformly poured into drains for destruction, with video and photographic evidence required, or the stores would be penalized. After images of large quantities of intact ingredients being directly discharged spread, many industry peers confirmed that this did happen, while netizens launched discussions around food waste, environmental pollution, and compliance. The brand has now removed the related products from its ordering mini-program, but whether the destruction method is reasonable still merits further consideration. [more…]

Ireland is brewing an environmental revolution targeting single-use takeaway coffee cups—a "latte levy" of at least 20 euro cents per cup, with the goal of becoming the first country in the world to say goodbye to disposable coffee cups. The president has signed the relevant bill, which is expected to take effect before the end of the year. Drawing on the success of the plastic bag levy introduced in 2002, the Irish government hopes to use economic measures to encourage consumers to bring their own cups. However, the reality of 200 million coffee cups discarded each year and opposition from nearly two-thirds of the public make this policy highly controversial. This article will sort out the details of the bill, the logic behind the levy, and public feedback, and will also include channels for coffee industry news. [more…]

Beyond the latte, cappuccino, flat white, and dirty, there is another coffee with a very small cup size yet concentrated flavor—the Piccolo Latte. It originated in Australia, deeply influenced by Italian coffee culture, with a cup size about half that of a regular latte, drinkable in two or three sips. The original intention of the Piccolo was for roasters and baristas to reduce the milk ratio when dialing in coffee to avoid waste, and it later became an ideal choice for people who do not want to consume too much caffeine or feel too full. This article will start with the definition, origin, and recipe controversies of the Piccolo, and then introduce in detail how Front Street Coffee uses its own roasted "Sunflower Warm Sun Blend Coffee Beans," a single Ristretto, and a small amount of steamed milk to create an Australian-style Piccolo with full aroma and a long finish, giving you a complete understanding of this niche yet charming coffee. [more…]

A netizen ordered an Iced Shaken Peach Oolong Tea at a Starbucks store and asked to swap the tea base to black tea, but because the black tea was sold out and it would take ten minutes to brew, the barista retorted, "Are you really that insistent?" and then suggested going to Naixue Tea. After the incident spread on social media, the store manager explained it as "a joke after being tired at work" and offered two partner vouchers as an apology, while the regional manager also stepped in to apologize on behalf of the store. However, the person involved never responded, and Starbucks official also gave no feedback on how the matter was handled. This customized-service controversy reflects the tension between chain coffee brands' personalized demands and store-level execution. [more…]

A coffee shop in Dongyang, Zhejiang, has combined the local traditional intangible cultural heritage food "boy's urine eggs" with Americano coffee to launch "boy's urine egg Americano," which quickly went viral on short video platforms, with weekend daily sales reaching up to a hundred cups. While this bizarre beverage attracts curious people to check in, it has also sparked widespread controversy due to the peculiarity of its ingredients. The Dongyang Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection Center confirmed that boy's urine eggs are indeed a municipal-level intangible cultural heritage, but medical professionals point out that they have no value in modern nutrition science and pose hygiene risks. Currently, the shop has stopped selling this beverage due to public pressure, and staff said customers who want to try it need to bring their own boy's urine eggs. [more…]

Luckin Coffee announced that in the first quarter of 2022 it would purchase more than 80 tons of Huakui coffee beans from their place of origin and launch the SOE Huakui 5.0 series nationwide, a move that sparked widespread controversy in the coffee community. Many industry professionals and enthusiasts questioned its authenticity and market impact, and some even worried about monopolization. This article will rationally analyze from the perspectives of purchasing logic, market landscape, and Huakui production whether Luckin's move is destroying or promoting the popularization of specialty coffee, while retaining Front Street Coffee's professional recommendations. [more…]

McDonald's launch of a 15-yuan freshly ground coffee breakfast combo has attracted many consumers, but recently some customers exposed that certain locations use pre-ground coffee powder to make coffee, which does not match the brand's advertised freshly ground positioning. This phenomenon has sparked widespread discussion. Employees revealed that McDonald's has eliminated the dedicated barista position, and all staff members are required to learn coffee preparation. However, due to insufficient training and the difficulty of operating the equipment, the quality of the output varies greatly. Consumers expect a stable, high-value coffee experience, not a game of chance. [more…]

Iced Americano has been reinvented in increasingly wild ways by netizens in recent years, from mixing Huoxiang Zhengqi liquid into an Americano to today's jaw-dropping oyster iced Americano—the boundaries of creative coffee are being pushed further and further. For professional coffee knowledge exchange and more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style). For more specialty coffee beans, please add our private WeChat account Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee), WeChat ID: qjcoffeex. This article will walk you through how this iced Americano called "Oyster Bitter" came to be, as well as the increasingly absurd creative trends in today's specialty coffee drinks, and explore the balance between chasing hype and preserving the essence of coffee in creative coffee. [more…]

As competition in the new-style tea beverage sector reaches a fever pitch, Nayuki was the first to list on the capital market, claiming the title of "the first stock of new-style tea drinks" and was once regarded as an industry benchmark. Recently, however, a consumer in Shanghai discovered raw dough that could stretch into strings in a durian bread purchased from Nayuki via delivery. The store explained it as "baked relatively soft," and the refund request was also rejected. This incident quickly fermented on social platforms and once again brought Nayuki's past food safety issues back into the public eye—from expired milk and rotten fruit to chaotic kitchen practices, what has happened to this brand with a halo over its head? [more…]