The February that just passed put many office workers through a chaotic whirlwind—rushing to finish work before the Spring Festival, relaxing fully during the holiday, and then facing the return-to-work wave, pulled back and forth by piled-up tasks and post-holiday burnout. However, for frontline employees at Luckin Coffee stores, March brings not a breather but an even harsher round of adjustments. Controlling effective working hours, implementing a single person to open early and close the store, freezing full-time hiring and restricting promotion channels—a series of measures to cut labor costs have led employees to mock themselves as not even "Luckin slaves," but more like tireless "Luckin robots." At the same time, after the 9.9 promotion shrank, store sales clearly declined, and March happens to be the off-season, putting both sales and profits under pressure. With revenue growth blocked, the company can only push on the cost-cutting side. Employees are full of complaints, the user experience is being tested, and whether brand influence will be weakened as a result has become a focus of outside attention. [more…]

At Luckin Coffee stores, it is not uncommon for a single employee to be on duty alone. When biological needs strike, leaving the post to use the restroom becomes a challenge: the receipt printer keeps spitting out orders, customers and delivery riders are waiting, and negative reviews are tied to wages—all of which put immense pressure on the staff. To address personal needs with peace of mind, some employees choose to temporarily close the store, pausing both online and offline orders; others indirectly suspend operations by cutting off water or coffee beans. Meanwhile, employees at brands like Manner and Cotti also face similar predicaments. Although understaffing can save operational costs, it may lead to frequent store closures, potentially damaging the brand image in the long run. This article will delve into the employee struggles and management contradictions behind this phenomenon. [more…]

The pandemic has changed people's consumption habits, accelerating the shift of coffee bean purchases to online channels. In an increasingly competitive e-commerce environment, packaging design has become an important bargaining chip for coffee brands to stand out. Designers from 99designs by Vista, a global forum for freelance creators, discussed coffee bean packaging styles for 2022 and predicted six design directions that could dominate the market this year: serene style, text-solo style, laser style, eco-friendly style, collage style, and playful style. These styles respectively respond to consumers' current demands for inner peace, intuitive information, visual impact, sustainable development, and a relaxed atmosphere, providing valuable references for coffee brands' packaging decisions. [more…]

Recently on social media, complaints from Manner baristas have been steadily rising. Many current or former employees have posted that even during promotional rushes, stores are only staffed by one person, making it difficult for baristas to even eat or use the restroom, and some ultimately choose to leave. What is striking is that multiple baristas say the concern from regular customers feels warmer than the company’s rules. At the same time, consumers also frequently encounter the awkward situation of arriving at a store with no staff present and being unable to refund or modify orders. From high-value specialty coffee to rapid, capital-driven expansion, Manner’s staffing gap is gradually coming to the surface. This article compiles complaints from multiple sources to present the dual perspectives of baristas and customers. [more…]

As the world's largest Robusta coffee producer, Vietnam's recent decline in coffee production has led to a more than 50% increase in the London Robusta coffee futures price in the past year. At the same time, the coffee purchase price in Vietnam is a [more…]

Coffee presents vastly different appearances around the world, and Spain's coffee culture is particularly unique. From Café solo to Café con leche, from Café Bombón to Spanish latte, this Iberian Peninsula nation ingeniously combines coffee with condensed milk, milk, and alcohol, creating a rich and diverse array of drinking styles. Spanish cafés are not only places to drink coffee, but also the core stage of social life. This article will take you deep into the historical origins of Spanish coffee, nine classic flavors, and Front Street's insights on recreating the Spanish latte and Café Bombón, so you can feel coffee's soulful place in Spanish culture. [more…]

On the evening of August 5th, Sexy Tea (Chayan Yuese) hit the top of the trending searches due to its rule of "not supporting two people queuing simultaneously for ordering and picking up," with reads reaching 300 million times, sparking intense discussions among netizens. Many consumers questioned that this "standing punishment" queuing was actually hunger marketing, intended to extend customers' stay in the store and create a false impression of a bustling business. In fact, this is not the first time the brand has trended for its queuing rules—at the beginning of the year, some stores required customers to wait on-site after ordering, and leaving meant having to re-queue, and they even closed the mini-program ordering. Some customers reported that a single person had to complete two queues alone, while those with companions could split up, causing those who ordered first to wait longer. The brand had publicly apologized for this, stating that the adjustment was originally intended to enhance the consumption experience and drink taste. This article sorts out the context of the incident and various viewpoints, and includes related recommendations from Front Street Coffee. [more…]

In a coffee shop, baristas repeat the motions of dosing, leveling, tamping, and extracting every day, until it becomes muscle memory. Yet once a rush hits, even the most skilled person can get flustered. This article rounds up the various coffee "fails" netizens have posted: an iced americano whose espresso vanished into thin air, a clear orange latte with nothing but milk left, a muddled iced lemon drink that forgot the coffee... Behind these unintentional mistakes, it's often a shortage of staff during peak hours or errors made in the rush of automated operation. As a consumer, when this happens, it's best to talk to the staff directly about remaking the drink or getting a refund—after all, everyone has moments when they're too busy to think straight. [more…]

Walking into a specialty coffee shop or opening the website of a professional coffee bean merchant, do you ever feel overwhelmed by the dazzling array of coffee names? Why are coffee bean names so long? How exactly do you tell the difference between single-origin, dark roast, and espresso? What information is actually hidden behind these complex names? This article will walk you through the key elements of coffee bean naming one by one, including origin labeling, roast level, grading systems, and small-lot estate farms. From the solo performance of single-origin coffee to the concerto of coffee blends, from Northern Italian light roast to French dark roast, and on to grading codes like SHB and AA+, you'll never be confused again the next time you shop for coffee—you'll easily read the ID card of every bag of coffee beans. [more…]

Understanding which coffee beans to use for a sweet, intense Americano requires translating flavor descriptions into sensations you can actually taste. When buying beans for everyday use, you need to consider how quickly you'll go through them, how much to buy at once, and whether you mainly make black coffee or milk-based drinks at home. Floral notes, fruity acidity, nuttiness, and cocoa aren't a matter of better or worse—they're simply different directions, and the one that suits you is the one that [more…]

Luckin Coffee recently officially announced a collaboration with a band whose name contains "five," with the mystery to be revealed on May 8, sparking enthusiastic speculation among netizens. Mayday, Wu Bai, Maroon 5, and others were nominated, but based on clues and Reuters information, Wutiaoren is the most likely. It is reported that Green Grape Latte will also return to warm up for the 520 confession day. Wutiaoren's representative song "A Zhen Fell in Love with A Qiang" is highly compatible with the event theme, and the sunglasses detail in the poster also points to the band's guitarist. Previously, during the anniversary celebration of Coconut Latte, Luckin invited the Shanghai Rainbow Chamber Singers to adapt a birthday song. Whether there will be a new version this time is eagerly anticipated. This article sorts out the collaboration clues and product information for coffee lovers' reference. [more…]

The coarseness of coffee grinding directly affects the efficiency of extraction and the final flavor performance, making it one of the key variables that determine whether a cup of coffee is good or bad. From extremely coarse cold brew grinding to Turkish grinding as fine as flour, seven different particle sizes each correspond to the most suitable brewing equipment and methods. This article systematically sorts out the appearance characteristics of each grind size, the applicable scenarios, and why grinding fresh at home preserves flavor better than buying pre-ground coffee powder. It will also explain the taste problems that may arise from improper grind size selection, helping you quickly find the appropriate grinding parameters based on the equipment you have on hand, so that every cup of coffee can present the ideal layering of flavor. [more…]

Fruity coffee beans aren't something you can master just by memorizing a few names. When buying beans day to day, you need to consider how quickly you'll drink them, how much to buy at once, and whether you mainly make black coffee or milk coffee at home. What's truly worth referencing is the sweet-to-sour ratio on the palate, the body's thickness or thinness, and the lingering finish once the coffee cools—then, combined with your brewing habits, your range of choices will gradually [more…]

Recently, multiple part-time employees at Manner have reported on social media that shifts they had originally selected were canceled by stores at the last minute before work on the grounds of sufficient staffing, and some even had this happen several times in a row. At the same time, some full-time employees have also revealed that stores adjust shifts at will according to how busy they are, arranging long continuous shifts when busy and cutting hours when quiet. Some analysts believe that because part-time hourly wages are higher than full-time ones but the work is more oriented toward packing and cleaning, stores may be more inclined to reduce part-time positions in order to control labor costs. As of now, Manner has not yet responded officially, and this series of scheduling chaos is chilling many young people who are interested in joining. [more…]

Around the Spring Festival, a large number of university students flocked to tea and coffee shops for part-time work, but a rule at Heytea about mealtimes sparked confusion among employees: they are not allowed to eat unless they have worked a full 6 hours, and if they want to eat, they must either have half an hour deducted from their work hours or volunteer to work overtime. Multiple Heytea part-time employees reported encountering similar or even harsher requirements, and some stores were found to deliberately cap work hours and shorten shifts. In the food and beverage industry, mealtimes are peak hours, so it is normal for workers to be unable to eat on time, but employees question whether the rule is reasonable, believing that management, under the pretext of controlling labor efficiency, is cutting work hours and forcing workers to labor almost without rest while starving. [more…]

Walk into any serious coffee shop, and what's loaded in the espresso machine is almost always a blend. Why, when there are so many specialty single-origin beans available, do they insist on blends? Today we'll explain the ins and outs of blend beans all at once. What exactly is a blend made of? A blend is simply mixing coffee beans from different origins and with different flavor profiles in certain proportions. [more…]

In the workplace, occasionally slacking off to relax has become the norm for many workers. Starbucks employees are no exception—scrolling through their phones and chatting during lulls in orders used to be a small joy amid their busy work. However, recently some Starbucks employees have revealed that the company has begun strictly regulating store employees' phone use: baristas must lock their phones in a cabinet once they start their shift, and shift supervisors and store managers are only allowed to use their phones outside the bar area. Anyone caught violating the rule will face a warning notice. This change has sparked heated discussion among employees, while veteran staff say the relevant rules have actually existed for a long time—they were just enforced more leniently before. Why the sudden crackdown? What considerations lie behind it? This article will explain in detail. [more…]

When choosing specialty coffee beans for a moka pot, you can set the complex information aside for now. For everyday bean buying, you need to consider how quickly you'll drink them, how much to buy at once, and whether your home mainly makes black coffee or milk coffee. Start by looking at the two sets of differences—light versus rich, and black coffee versus milk coffee—then look at the roast date and processing method, and your judgment will be more in line with daily life. [more…]

The pour-over performance of SOE coffee beans isn't something you can master just by memorizing a few names. When buying beans day to day, you need to consider how quickly you'll drink them, how much to buy at once, and whether your household mainly drinks black coffee or milk coffee. What's truly worth referencing is the sweet-to-sour ratio on the palate, the body's thickness or thinness, and the lingering finish as the coffee cools—then, combined with your brewing habits, make your choice. [more…]

The Spring Festival is traditionally a time for family reunions, but for frontline employees at Luckin Coffee, this year's triple-pay shifts have brought unprecedented challenges. The Guangzhou branch recently issued a notice requiring stores with fewer than 200 items to have only one person on duty all day during the Spring Festival, from opening early to closing, all completed by the same person. This means that employees on duty must single-handedly handle multiple tasks such as production, packaging, cleaning, and dealing with sudden order surges. Timely output rates, physiological needs, and unexpected order surges have become the three major problems weighing on their shoulders. What worries employees even more is that if they need to temporarily close the store to use the restroom, they must apply to the district manager in advance and submit a screenshot of the item count. This high-intensity labor efficiency management has sparked widespread discussion, with some employees bluntly saying it is "harsher than the King of Hell." This article will delve into the details behind this scheduling adjustment and the voices of the employees. [more…]