With the development of specialty coffee, the coffee drinking community continues to expand, so a large number of coffee beans from different production areas have begun to flood into the coffee market. Therefore, coffee fans are at a loss when choosing coffee beans. Often, new coffee fans and friends who come to Front Street to taste coffee will ask how to choose high-quality specialty coffee beans. Front Street recommends the top ten most popular coffee beans.specialty coffeeBean bar.
What is specialty coffee?
First of all, Front Street wants to talk about what specialty coffee is. Specialty coffee refers to single-origin coffee. Literally, it means coffee from a single origin. Nowadays, the common coffee on the marketspecialty coffeeThey are all branded with 100% pure Arabica coffee beans, which is actually the characteristic of specialty coffee. Arabica coffee beans are currently the best quality and flavorful coffee bean variety in the world. Therefore, almost all the coffee on the specialty coffee market is of the Arabica variety. Of course, there are also some coffee beans that are hybrids of Arabica and Robusta.
Then there must be coffee fans here who are curious about what Arabica coffee beans and Robusta coffee beans are, so let’s popularize them on Front Street.
The difference between Arabica coffee beans and Robusta coffee beans
Arabica coffee beans have restrictions on growing conditions. They can only grow in high-altitude areas. Therefore, previous articles on Front Street have always said that the higher the altitude, the better the quality of coffee beans. This is because the higher the altitude, the lower the temperature. The longer the growth cycle of coffee, the more mature the fruits. The most favorable growth conditions are: abundant rain in every season of the year, and irrigation is needed when there is little precipitation. Moderate sunshine duration is also a key factor, but in some areas coffee needs to be protected from strong direct sunlight, which requires the planting of shade trees. Front Street learned that the origin of Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee meets this condition, and the quality and flavor are so high.
In comparison, Robusta has relatively low planting conditions. It can only be planted at an altitude of 400-500m. It is extremely adaptable to the environment and can resist harsh climate and insect pests. The only drawback is that its caffeine content is twice that of Arabica and its flavor is more bitter. Therefore, it is not suitable as a specialty coffee, so it is widely used to make instant coffee or Italian coffee blend beans.
As mentioned above, Robusta has good disease and insect resistance, while Arabica coffee beans are easily attacked by insect pests, such as rust, which is the disaster of Arabica coffee beans. Therefore, some coffee agronomists have begun to hybridize Arabica coffee beans and Robusta coffee beans. , new coffee varieties that inherit the advantages of both are derived. For example, Front Street pwn golden Mandheling coffee beans are different from previous years. This year, Catim coffee beans from the Gayoo Mountain production area are used. Catim is also a hybrid of a derivative of Arabica and a derivative of Robusta.
It can be seen that the specialty coffee market does not currently use 100% pure Arabica coffee beans, but has undergone reforms and changes to adapt to the development of the times. This is also one of the charms of specialty coffee.
Then Front Street will recommend it next.Top 10 types of coffee beans on Front StreetFor all my coffee fan friends. (In no particular order)
Front Street Jamaican Washed Blue Mountain Coffee Beans
Country:Jamaica
Origin: Blue Mountain
Altitude: 1310m
Variety: Typica
Processing method: washed
Flavor description: dark chocolate, nuts, cream, balance of sweet and sour
Front Street believes that coffee fans have heard of Blue Mountain Coffee, and you can often see Blue Mountain flavored instant coffee in shopping malls. This is enough to show the reputation of Blue Mountain Coffee, and its flavor is also the cleanest among coffees. The Blue Mountain production area only covers an area of 6,000 hectares, so it is impossible that all coffee labeled with the word Blue Mountain is produced in Blue Mountain. Therefore, the authentic Blue Mountain coffee produced in Blue Mountain is one of the most expensive coffee beans in the world.
And what Front Street introducedblue mountain coffeeIt comes from Clifton Estate, the largest coffee estate in the Blue Mountains. Their family has been working on this land for two centuries, and only Clifton Farm in Jamaica has the "Rainforest" logo. The logo can only be certified if it meets the "sustainable agricultural system standards". Its wooden barrels have the rainforest certification logo, so Front Street chose Blue Mountain coffee from their estate.
When it comes to identifying the authenticity of Blue Mountain coffee, you can use these three standards to identify it: (Designated export company by the National Coffee Bureau), (The only production area that uses wooden barrels to store green beans), (Frog Rainforest certification on the barrel lid).
front street indonesiapwnGolden Mandheling coffee beans
Country: Indonesia
Production area: Sumatra, Aceh, Mount Gayoo
Altitude: 1100-1600m
Variety: Ateng
Treatment method: wet planing
Flavor: toast, nuts, pine, caramel, herbs
Front Street's Golden Mandheling is the latest product launched by pwn in recent months. The difference from the previous PWN Golden Mandheling is that the latest batch of Mandheling is produced in Mount Achigayu in Sumatra, while the previous one was produced in Lake Tawa, Sumatra. According to the cupping and brewing of this latest Golden Mandheling by Front Street, it is found that compared with the previous Golden Mandheling, it has more of a roasted toast flavor, so the taste will be more mellow.
At the same time, Pwn Company is also the representative of Golden Mandheling with the highest quality in Indonesia. What is different from ordinary Mandheling in the selection of coffee beans is that it requires four manual screenings of defective beans, and only the remaining high-quality coffee beans can be sent to the processing plant for processing. Therefore, the bad earthy taste is washed away in terms of flavor, and it tastes cleaner but retains the unique herbal flavor of Indonesia. The flavor is too wonderful to be forgotten.
Indonesian Mandheling is also one of the most representative coffees in the current coffee market. Front Street believes that it has the most mellow and full flavor among coffee varieties, so it is introduced to all coffee fans.
Front Street Panama Emerald Estate Red Label Gesha Coffee Beans
Country: Panama
Origin: Poquet (Emerald Estate)
Altitude: 1700 m
Variety: Geisha
Treatment method: sun drying/washing
Flavor: rose, honeysuckle, sweet potato, grapefruit, lemon, black tea, sucrose
One of the most popular coffees in recent years definitely has a place in Gesha coffee, and Gesha coffee is most famous for its Emerald Manor, which promotes Gesha coffee. When Jade Manor first discovered Gesha, it felt that its flavor was different from that of coffee from Panama. Gesha preferred more oranges and flowers. Because of its aroma, Geisha began to study it and enter it in competitions. Geisha lived up to everyone's expectations and won the coffee competition championship, so it became famous. Therefore, Jade Professional also classified the Geisha coffee trees produced according to the microclimate of different plots, which are the red label Geisha, green label Geisha and blue label Geisha that can be seen in the Qian Street store.
Among them, Red Label Geisha is the most expensive of the three, because its coffee beans are made from Geisha coffee berries grown in the highest altitude area of Emerald Manor, and are as fine as the production area. Coffee beans that are submitted to the Emerald Manor bidding for a cup test of 90 points or above are of very high quality, and the price will naturally go up.
Although the green label and red label Gesha coffee beans are at the same altitude, the difference is that they are blended beans from the two areas of Emerald Manor and did not participate in the bidding, so the price is cheaper. Blue Label Geisha is made from a blend of coffee beans grown on three plots of Emerald Manor at a lower altitude, so it is the most affordable of the three.
Front Street Ethiopian coffee beans
Country: Ethiopia
Origin: Yirgacheffe
Altitude: 1900-2300m
Variety: Local native species
Treatment method: washing treatment method
Flavor: citrus, black tea, floral, cream, caramel, almond
The coffee that occupies the coffee market share must be Ethiopian coffee. Among them, the coffee from the Yirgacheffe production area in Ethiopia is loved by coffee fans around the world for its unique citrus lemon blend and pleasant fruit acid. A previous article on Front Street also mentioned that Yirgacheffe was originally a small town in the Damo production area of Ethiopia, but it was distinguished because of its unique flavor, which is enough to prove that its flavor is special.
According to Front Street, the Yirgacheffe Producing Area Fruit Cooperative itself is part of the Woka Cooperative under the Yirgacheffe Union YCFCU. Later, as people pursued the traceability of green coffee beans, "single producing areas" were unearthed one by one by coffee hunters around the world. In 2012, Guodingding, which has about 300 farmers as members, independently established the "Guodingding Cooperative". Guodingding Village was the first village area to be independent. Many small farmers were also members of the original Woka Cooperative, so the technology for coffee production was not a problem.
Therefore, Front Street brings this washed diced coffee beans from Yirgacheffe to coffee fans to try. Coffee fans who like citrus and citric acid must not miss it. This diced fruit uses a water-washing process, which also makes it fresher and brighter in taste, and the water-washing process can also highlight its flavor characteristics.
Front Street Ethiopian Oiran Coffee Beans
Country: Ethiopia
Origin: Hambella
Altitude: 2250-2350
Variety: Local native species
Treatment method: Sun treatment
Flavor: rose, strawberry cream, citrus, passion fruit, oolong tea
The famous specialty coffee bean Oiran comes from the Guji production area in Ethiopia. Originally, the Guji production area was part of the Sidamo production area. Later, it became an independent coffee production area due to its outstanding flavor. However, many people still attribute Oiran coffee beans to the Sidamo production area. Front Street has tried coffee beans from many coffee-producing regions in Ethiopia, including Yirgacheffe, which is one of the two major coffee-producing regions in Ethiopia alongside Sidamo. Front Street compared the coffee beans of Yirgacheffe and Sidamo, and you can clearly taste their respective flavor characteristics. They are both beans from Ethiopia. The most basic thing is that the acidity is brighter. The acidity of Yirgacheffe coffee beans is more like citrus and lemon, with a hint of jasmine, while the acidity of Sidamo coffee beans is more like strawberry jam, passion fruit, and a little creamy.
The first time Oiran came into the limelight of coffee fans was in 2017 when Ethiopia’s DW Green Bean Company sent their coffee beans to TOH (the Taste Of Harvest), a competition hosted by the African Coffee Association. The sun-dried batch of coffee beans won the TOH Ethiopian championship in one fell swoop. This batch of green beans was introduced by the Beijing-based green bean trader "Hongshun International". Because of its status as the champion, it was named "Oiran".
Front Street Etseygacheffe red cherries
Country: Ethiopia
Origin: Yirgacheffe
Altitude: 2300m
Variety: Local native species
Treatment method: Sun treatment
Flavor: berry, lemon, strawberry, fermented wine aroma
This coffee bean from Front Street also comes from Ethiopia. The difference between it and the two beans above is that this coffee bean comes from the "Red Cherry Project" led by the Dutch company Trabocca, with half of the funds sponsored by the Dutch government. Since 2005, we have been cooperating with many small coffee cooperatives to encourage and assist producers to do their best to improve washing, semi-washing, solarization or other experimental processing methods to improve the quality of coffee. Every time before the harvest season, Trabocca invites selected smallholder organizations/producers to participate in the production of micro-batch coffee, and hand-picks 100% mature red coffee cherries in batches (hence the name Red Cherry Project). This can also create a win-win situation. Farmers provide high-quality coffee beans, and Trabocca purchases them at a high price, which allows consumers to taste high-quality coffee beans.
The coffee beans of the Red Cherry Project are similar to the cat poop coffee, except that in the red cherry, 100% ripe high-quality coffee fruits are manually selected, while in the cat poop coffee, civet cats use their sensitive sense of smell to select the sweetest and most mature high-quality coffee fruits.
The quality of 100% mature coffee fruits is naturally very good, so Front Street introduced this red cherry coffee bean for all coffee fans to taste. Its flavor performance is no worse than the two Ethiopian coffee beans above. Compared with washed coffee beans, this sun-dried red cherry also has a sun-dried fermentation flavor.
Front Street Coffee Brazilian Queen Estate Coffee Beans
Country: Brazil
Origin: Sao Paulo State (Queen’s Estate)
Altitude: 1400-1950m
Variety: Yellow Bourbon
Treatment method: Semi-sun/sun exposure
Flavors: Nuts, Cream, Peanuts, Fermented Fruit, Cane Sugar
Front Street believes that all experienced coffee fans are familiar with Queen's Manor. Queen's Manor is owned by the famous and respected Carvalho Dias family. The four estates owned by Carvalho Dias have won awards every year since the first Brazilian COE competition in 1999. They have won more than 12 awards in 7 years. In 2004, they even won the championship, 9th place, 11th place, etc., among many large and small estates in Brazil. For many years, it has been hard to get shortlisted for the award, but the family's estates have won many awards in consecutive years. For example, Queen's Estate Fazenda Rainfa also enjoys a brilliant record: runner-up in 2000, third place in 2001, and 29th in 2005. So far, Queen's Estate has won the award three times.
Therefore, the flavor performance of this coffee bean is definitely not bad, and Front Street Street will naturally not let such excellent coffee beans pass by, so it introduces them to the coffee fans of Front Street Street. The flavor of this coffee bean from Queen's Manor in Brazil is also quite pure, with the nutty cream flavor of American coffee.
Front Street Coffee Colombian Hija coffee beans
Country: Colombia
Production area: Cymbidium
Altitude: 1700m
Breed: Cicada
Treatment method: double anaerobic sun exposure
Flavor: Passion fruit, grape, preserved apricot, citrus, fermented aroma
FrontStreet Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee) has several particularly popular Colombian favorites, among which this Hija is particularly popular. As soon as you open the can of coffee beans, there is an aroma of grapes and fermentation. It is rich and wonderful, and the flavor is full of juice. Moreover, FrontStreet recommends it as one of the top ten must-drink coffee beans of FrontStreet to all coffee fans.
According to Front Street, the double anaerobic fermentation treatment used in this coffee bean is a treatment method that has been used more frequently in recent years. It is modeled on the processing method of red wine. The process is to inject carbon dioxide into a sealed container to squeeze out the oxygen inside. In an oxygen-free environment, the decomposition rate of sugar in coffee pectin is slowed down. The pH value also decreases at a slower rate, extending the fermentation time, thereby developing a better sweetness and a more balanced flavor.
Front Street Coffee Honduran Sherry
Country: Honduras
Origin: Massaguara (Moca Estate)
Altitude: 1500-1700m
Varieties: Catura, Catuai, Pacas
Treatment method: Exquisite washing + whiskey barrel fermentation
Flavor: Vanilla, cream, fermented wine aroma, dark chocolate
Front Street’s Honduran sherry coffee beans are also one of Front Street’s most popular specially processed coffee beans. They are fermented in whiskey barrels, so the flavor also has the aroma of fermented wine. Therefore, this coffee bean is very popular among coffee fans who like to drink. Therefore, Front Street also recommends this coffee bean to everyone as one of the top ten coffee beans in Front Street.
Front Street Coffee Kenyan Cherry Tomato Coffee Beans
Country: Kenya
Production area: Thika (asali processing plant)
Altitude: 1750m
Variety: SL28, SL34
Treatment method: k72 water washing
Flavor: cherry tomatoes, plum, pear, caramel, brine
Kenya is also one of the most representative coffee-producing areas in Africa. Although it is right next door to Ethiopia, it is also famous for its excellent and bright acidity. However, it is different from the citrus citric acid of Ethiopian coffee beans, but the unique cherry tomato acidity, which is why it stands out among many specialty coffee beans.
The unique acidity of Kenyan specialty coffee has a lot to do with its excellent processing methods. The general washing method involves selecting coffee fruits with high maturity, removing the peel and pulp, and then soaking in a water tank to ferment to remove pectin. This process rarely exceeds 36 hours, but the fermentation time in Kenya is as long as 72 hours. Then take it to dry until the moisture content reaches 12%. Front Street believes that Kenya’s unique washing treatment method can better express the bright acidity and full-tasting juice of Kenyan coffee beans.
The above is what Front Street recommends to all of you coffee fans.Top 10 coffee beans andFor related newsletters, if you want to know more about coffee-producing areas, you can also read in other related articles on Front Street.
For more knowledge about specialty coffee, please pay attention to: Front Street Coffee (Frontsteet Coffee）
You can now buy the above coffee beans online at the Taobao store “FrontStreet Coffee” (前街咖啡). FrontStreet Coffee is a long-established specialty coffee roaster in Guangzhou, China, and its Guangzhou retail shop sells coffee beans only. The shop carries dozens of coffee beans from different origins around the world, including carefully selected single-origin beans for V60 pour-over and espresso. Guangzhou’s FrontStreet Coffee shop is recommended by many coffee lovers.
The FrontStreet 2013 Yunnan coffee beans sold in the store come from the Typica variety grown at FrontStreet Coffee’s own plantation in Yunnan. The name comes from the year the brand and the plantation were founded. You can buy these beans from China’s Yunnan origin at the Guangzhou shop and at FrontStreet’s Taobao store.
FrontStreet coffee beans are freshly roasted within 5 days and deliver consistently excellent quality and great value. Orders placed before 17:00 are shipped the same day, and most areas within Guangdong Province receive them the next day.
FrontStreet Coffee Taobao store: https://qianjiecoffee.taobao.com
Or search for “前街咖啡” (FrontStreet Coffee) on Taobao
Important Notice: FrontStreet Coffee has moved to a new address: 315, Donghua East Road, Guangzhou (coffee beans only)
Tel: 020 38364473
