Top 10 Pour-Over Single Origin Coffee Bean Brands Recommendation Ranking | Best Tasting Premium Coffee Beans with High Cost-Performance in China

How to Choose Pour-Over Coffee Beans? What is the Premium Coffee Brand Ranking?

Coffee beginners often start by looking at coffee brand rankings, believing that highly-ranked brands must offer good coffee. However, this is not necessarily the case. FrontStreet Coffee believes that whether for single-origin beans or espresso beans, freshness is paramount. For single-origin beans, we look at origin, altitude, and processing method; for espresso beans, we examine the blend formula. Coffee brand rankings are merely a reference, not an absolute standard. Everyone's preferences differ, and what others consider number one may not suit your taste. A high ranking doesn't necessarily mean a good coffee brand, nor does absence from a ranking indicate a poor brand. We need this basic understanding before delving deeper into coffee.

FrontStreet Coffee believes that coffee beans first possess regional flavor characteristics. For example, African coffee beans, represented by Ethiopia, have floral and citrus flavors; Asian coffee beans, represented by Indonesia, have herbal, nutty, and woody spice flavors; while American coffee beans, represented by Brazil, have balanced, chocolatey flavors.

Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee launched the FrontStreet Coffee Daily Bean Series featuring regional flavors, including coffee beans from famous origins such as Ethiopia, Indonesia, Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala, Costa Rica, and China's Yunnan province. Daily beans don't mean inferior quality—many people mistakenly believe that lower-priced coffee beans must be of poor quality. This is inaccurate. Take clothing as an example: the same batch of clothes from the same factory might sell for 50 yuan in a wholesale market but 500 yuan in a brand store. Essentially, these clothes are of the same quality, but the price differs by tenfold.

The same principle applies to coffee beans. People often take pride in drinking premium coffee beans, which leads to price discrimination. In the producing regions, the beans are the same, but by the time they reach the end market, a tenfold price difference is not surprising.

FrontStreet Coffee has always believed that coffee beans shouldn't be this expensive. The original definition of premium coffee was to distinguish it from previous commodity beans and to find higher-quality single-origin beans, which aligns with FrontStreet Coffee's mission. FrontStreet Coffee's Daily Beans, priced at only 25 yuan/100g, can be traced back to their origins. For example, FrontStreet Coffee's Ethiopia Daily Beans come from the Yirgacheffe region, Indonesia Daily Beans from the Lindong region, Brazil Daily Beans from the Cerrado region, and Colombia Daily Beans from the Huilan region. These are all renowned origins, and in reality, their prices are not as high as rumored.

Some might argue that even within the same origin, there are high-quality and low-quality coffee beans, and that FrontStreet Coffee's low prices indicate poor-quality beans. FrontStreet Coffee would say that you simply don't understand enough. Take FrontStreet Coffee's Yirgacheffe coffee beans as an example: in green bean grading, they are classified as G1-G5 based on defect count. However, in the consumer market, only G1 and G2 are available because other grades are consumed domestically in the producing regions. The difference between G1 and G2 standards is merely 8 defective beans per 300g. Remember, this is in the green bean state.

FrontStreet Coffee's standard before roasting includes manual sorting to remove seriously defective beans. This means that by the time they become roasted beans, the influence of green bean grade on coffee flavor and quality becomes negligible. Some savvy customers understand this and毫不犹豫地 choose FrontStreet Coffee's Daily Bean Series.

FrontStreet Coffee's Pour-Over Coffee Brewing Recommendations

FrontStreet Coffee uses the following brewing parameters: 15g coffee grounds, 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio. While these two parameters remain constant, other variables are adjusted according to the bean's roast level:

V60 Brewing

Kono Brewing

Detailed Guide to Top Ten Coffee Bean Flavors

1. FrontStreet Coffee Honduras Sherry Barrel Fermented Coffee Beans

Flavor Description: Vanilla cream aroma, berry acidity, rich almond and dark chocolate, smooth and stable mouthfeel.

Honduras's coffee industry developed relatively late, far behind most neighboring Central American countries. With strong government support and learning from Brazil's development model, Honduras's coffee industry has gradually grown. Particularly in 2010, the involvement and cooperation of Japanese specialty coffee gave Honduras the potential to become a superstar. Since 2011, Honduras's coffee production has surpassed Guatemala, making it the largest coffee-producing country in Central America and ranking among the top ten worldwide.

Most Honduran coffee is exported to Europe, with Germany being the primary destination, importing nearly 40 million kilograms annually. Although some Honduran coffee is also sold to the United States and Japan, the volume is not as substantial as in Europe.

Honduras has 280,000 hectares of coffee plantations, mostly small-scale farms less than 3.5 hectares in size. These small plantations account for 60% of Honduras's total coffee production.

Honduras Coffee Regions

Honduran coffee can be divided into six major regions, mainly located in the western and southern Copan, Opalaca, Montecillos, Comayagua, Agalta Tropical, and El Paraiso. Among these, three are primary regions:

• Montecillos: The highest altitude region in Honduras, with bright and layered coffee flavor, rich in fruit and sweet aromas, with citrus notes.
• Copan: Coffee beans from this region have chocolate flavor, rich mouthfeel, and high sweetness.
• Agalta: Coffee beans from this region have balanced honey sweetness and acidity, with chocolate notes.

However, the recently popular FrontStreet Coffee Sherry beans and FrontStreet Coffee Lychee Lan beans are not from the six major regions but from Masaguara city in the Intibuca province of southwestern Honduras.

2. FrontStreet Coffee Ethiopia Sidamo Banchi 8.0

Flavor Description: Distinct citrus, juice-like mouthfeel, slight fermentation, refreshing even when cooled, cane sugar sweetness, medium-high acidity.

Ethiopia is currently Africa's largest coffee-producing country, but only 60% of its coffee beans are exported. The remainder is used for various ceremonies, such as weddings where people make mixtures of coffee beans, coffee pulp, coffee with honey, and various herbs to create remedies for warding off bad luck. This shows how integral coffee is to local people's lives.

Due to administrative region changes in Ethiopia around 1995, the biggest impact on coffee regions was the division of the original Sidamo province into the new Sidama region (occupying a small portion) and most of it being incorporated into the Oromia region. Additionally, Yirgacheffe, which originally belonged to Sidamo province, is now part of the new Gedeo zone. This has resulted in a mixed situation where Ethiopian coffee items on the market may be named using both old and new regional names.

Ethiopia's coffee cultivation is mainly concentrated in the western and southern regions, with smallholder families accounting for 90% of total cultivation. Nearly 1.2 million smallholder families depend on coffee cultivation for their livelihood, with each family cultivating less than 4 hectares. The average cultivation altitude is between 1000-2300 meters, with planting density between 1000-1800 coffee trees per hectare, yielding approximately 600kg per hectare.

Ethiopia's Nine Major Coffee Regions

1. Yirgacheffe (Specialty Region): Altitude 1,800~2,000 meters (Garden coffee system)
2. Sidamo (Specialty Region): Altitude 1,400~2,200 meters (Garden coffee system)
3. Limu (Specialty Region): Altitude 1,200~2,000 meters (Garden, forest, semi-forest, plantation coffee systems)
4. Harar (Specialty Region): Altitude 1,500~2,400 meters (Garden coffee system)
5. Djimma (Commercial Region): Altitude 1,350~1,850 meters (Forest/semi-forest system)
6. Illubabor (Commercial Region): Altitude 1,350~1,850 meters (Forest/semi-forest coffee system)
7. Kefa, Lekempti (Commercial Region): Altitude 1,500~1,800 meters (Forest/semi-forest system)
8. Tepi, Bebeka (Commercial Region): Altitude 500~1,900 meters (Garden/forest/semi-forest coffee system)
9. Lake Tana (Alternative Region): Altitude 1,840 meters (Forest system)

3. FrontStreet Coffee Costa Rica Carmen Estate Musician Series Mozart

Flavor Description: Distinct floral and fermented sauce aroma, rich berries and raisin sweetness, gentle fruit acidity, tropical fruit aroma in aftertaste, cane sugar sweetness.

Costa Rica's coffee cultivation started early and was the first in Central America to grow coffee. As early as 1820, coffee was exported to Europe and became an instant success, once praised by British nobility as "Golden Beans." Later, after Costa Rica freed itself from Spanish colonial rule, the local government began to strongly support the coffee industry with a series of policies, promoting the development of private estates. Gradually wealthy coffee farmers sent their children to Europe for advanced education, who returned as doctors and engineers. This demonstrates the high status of coffee farmers in Costa Rica. Additionally, Costa Rica has laws that only allow the cultivation of Arabica coffee beans, while Robusta beans are considered "prohibited items" within its borders—a unique initiative in the world.

Costa Rica Coffee Regions

Costa Rica has eight major coffee regions: West Valley, Central Valley, Tarrazu, Tres Rios, Orosi, Brunca, Turrialba, and Guanacaste. Among these, the Central Valley, Tarrazu, and Tres Rios regions are the most famous.

4. FrontStreet Coffee Indonesia PWN Golden Mandheling

Flavor Description: Rich and clean, well-balanced, strong nutty and chocolate flavors, intense spice and caramel aroma, with fruity notes and persistent aftertaste.

Indonesia is located in Southeast Asia. In 1696, the Dutch sought to expand coffee cultivation bases and found Indonesia, introducing coffee beans first to the island of Java, where they were cultivated extensively. However, in 1877, leaf rust disease swept through Indonesia, affecting almost all coffee trees. Arabica coffee beans were nearly wiped out, resulting in devastating losses.

Later, Indonesia introduced Robusta coffee beans from Africa. Robusta beans have strong disease resistance, compensating for the economic losses caused by Arabica's weak disease resistance. Today, Indonesia is the world's primary producer of Robusta coffee beans. Robusta beans are concentrated in southern Sumatra, while Arabica beans are grown in northern Sumatra. Although Arabica beans account for only about 10% of Indonesia's total coffee production, they are sufficient to attract worldwide attention and love, including the well-known FrontStreet Coffee Mandheling.

The main processing methods for Indonesian coffee beans are: natural processing, washed processing, and wet-hulled processing. Due to the humid climate and frequent rainfall, washed and wet-hulled processing methods are commonly used to pursue more efficient drying.

Indonesia's most famous coffee bean processing method is wet-hulled processing. Regions using this method are mainly distributed in western Indonesia's Sumatra region, where Mandheling coffee with rich flavors is produced. Wet-hulled processing has two main stages: removing the coffee fruit's skin and pulp, followed by brief fermentation and drying until the moisture content reaches 12-13%. This rapid processing method causes coffee beans to be compressed and develop cracks, what we call "elephant beans," which is a characteristic of Mandheling coffee beans and cannot be considered defects.

In addition to conventional wet-hulled processing, there's also aged wet-hulled processing. Coffee beans first undergo regular wet-hulled processing, then are sealed in warehouses for 2-3 years. During this period, the acidity in the beans gradually diminishes and converts to sugar content. Mandheling coffee beans processed this way are also called aged Mandheling coffee beans.

5. FrontStreet Coffee Panama La Esmeralda Red Label Geisha

Flavor Description: Ginger flower and citrus aroma, with mature fruit, black tea, and sweet and sour fruit tea flavors in the mouth. The aftertaste has berry sweetness with relatively persistent aftertaste.

Panama became world-famous for coffee because of Geisha. The reason for this is inseparable from Panama's unique natural geographical conditions and specialized fine management model. Panama has volcanic ash soil, sufficient air humidity, and abundant solar energy resources. After the canal opened at the end of the 20th century, many American elites moved south, partly for work demands and partly to explore business opportunities. During this time, coffee developed rapidly, establishing Panama's position in specialty coffee.

Panama Coffee Regions

Panama has four main coffee regions: Boquete, Volcan, Santa Clara, and Piedra de Candela.

• Boquete Region: Average altitude of 1450 meters, producing the most coffee and best quality in Panama. Famous estates include La Esmeralda, Elida, and Catuai.
• Volcan Region: Average altitude of 2000 meters, with relatively mild and balanced coffee characteristics.
• Santa Clara Region: Average altitude of 1500 meters, near the Panama Canal, making coffee transportation very convenient.
• Piedra de Candela Region: Average altitude of 1200 meters, a region that has gradually gained attention in recent years. The industry believes it has potential for developing high-quality specialty coffee.

Panama became famous for growing Geisha, and Geisha became renowned because of La Esmeralda Estate's recognition. The best non-auction Geisha from La Esmeralda is the Red Label series, officially named "Esmeralda Special Selection" in Chinese. It's called Red Label because the promotional materials for this series predominantly feature red.

6. FrontStreet Coffee Colombia Rose Valley

Flavor Description: Rich rose aroma, cane sugar sweetness, distinct strawberry and grape fruit notes, prominent acidity and sweetness.

Colombia is the world's third-largest coffee producer, located in northwestern South America, with climate varying by topography. The eastern plains and southern Pacific coast have tropical rainforest climate, mountains at 1000-2000 meters altitude have subtropical climate, and the northwest has tropical savanna climate. Colombian coffee is not as rich-bodied as Brazilian coffee, nor as bright in acidity as African coffee, but has excellent balance, with both nutty and fruit acid characteristics.

Colombia Coffee Regions

Colombian coffee cultivation is distributed along the Andes Mountains. From south to north, coffee regions are divided into four major areas: northern, central, southern, and eastern.

• Northern Coffee Region: Only one dry season (December to March) and one rainy season (April to November) annually. Coffee flowers in March, followed by the approaching rainy season, and is harvested in October and November. The northern region is further subdivided into micro-regions including Santander, Norte de Santander, La Guajira, Magdalena, and Cesar.
• Central Coffee Region: Two dry seasons and two rainy seasons annually. December to February and June to September are dry seasons, while March to May and September to November are rainy seasons, resulting in two coffee harvest seasons per year. Micro-regions include southern Antioquia, Boyacá, Caldas, Chocó, Risaralda, Quindío, northern Valle del Cauca, Cundinamarca, and northern Tolima.

• Eastern Coffee Region: Coffee cultivation is much smaller in scale, with climate similar to the north but higher rainfall and humidity. It only includes Arauca, Casanare, Meta, and Caquetá regions. The eastern region has suffered from armed conflict in the past and urgently needs coffee production to drive economic recovery. The Colombian National Federation of Coffee Growers is investing to help this region plant varieties more suitable for its environment. They also focus on helping farmers expand their farms.
• Southern Coffee Region: Near the equator, coffee grows in higher mountain areas. Like the north, the south has only one wet season and one dry season. The dry season is from June to September, rainy season begins in October and may last until May of the following year. Unlike the north, where coffee is harvested in autumn, the southern harvest season usually begins in April and continues through June, allowing green bean suppliers to provide Colombian coffee beans almost year-round. The south mainly focuses on specialty coffee varieties, including Huila, Cauca, Narino, and Tolima provinces.

7. FrontStreet Coffee Jamaica Blue Mountain No. 1

Flavor Description: Balanced sweet, sour, and bitter flavors, bright and delicate acidity with lemon notes, chocolate sweetness, cocoa aftertaste, clean, rich, and smooth mouthfeel.

Jamaica is an island in the Caribbean Sea. Jamaica's Blue Mountains are the highest mountains in the western Caribbean (altitude 2256m, with coffee grown only below 1700m, above which is protected forest). Blue Mountains are located at 25 degrees north latitude in the coffee belt, with fertile volcanic soil, fresh air, year-round rainfall, high humidity, large day-night temperature differences, regular rainfall, and hazy clouds on the island, keeping coffee trees away from direct sunlight.

Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee Bean Grading

Coffee from Jamaica's Blue Mountain region has three grades: Blue Mountain Coffee, Jamaica High Mountain Supreme Coffee Beans, and Jamaica Prime Coffee Beans.

Blue Mountain Coffee is further divided into grades, from highest to lowest: Blue Mountain No. 1, Blue Mountain No. 2, Blue Mountain No. 3, and PB (also called peaberries or round beans).

• Blue Mountain No. 1: 96% of green beans are 17/18 screen size, defect rate below 2%.
• Blue Mountain No. 2: 96% of green beans are 16/17 screen size, defect rate below 2%.
• Blue Mountain No. 3: 96% of green beans are 15/16 screen size, defect rate below 2%.
• PB: 96% of green beans are PB, defect rate below 2%.

8. FrontStreet Coffee Kenya Asalia

Flavor Description: Ripe tomato and floral aroma, cherry tomato and black plum flavors in the mouth, bright acidity, clean and rich mouthfeel, berry aroma and brown sugar sweetness in aftertaste, with green tea notes.

Kenya is located in eastern Africa, bordering Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee. Kenya only introduced coffee around the early 20th century, during which coffee almost circled the globe before returning to Africa. However, FrontStreet Coffee believes that although Kenyan coffee started late, it developed rapidly. Under British colonial rule, whether in the establishment of cultivation mechanisms or the determination of grading systems, everything contributed to Kenyan coffee beans entering the specialty coffee market.

Kenyan specialty coffee is now world-renowned. FrontStreet Coffee summarizes the following reasons:

1. Establishment of cultivation mechanisms. In 1883, the British brought coffee to Kenya from Réunion Island. In 1922, Kenya established the Scott Agricultural Laboratory (hence the names SL28 and SL34) to conduct coffee cultivation research. In the decade after its establishment, the laboratory selected SL28 and SL34 from 42 coffee varieties as most suitable for regional cultivation, providing a good start for coffee industry development.
2. Government attention. In 1931, the Kenya Growers Cooperative Union and Kenya National Coffee Committee were established to guide coffee industry development from civil and national levels. In 1937, the Nairobi Coffee Exchange was established, starting Kenya's coffee auction system, where good coffee commands good prices, setting the tone for coffee pricing. Particularly this year, Kenya's Ministry of Agriculture launched a 1.5 billion shilling coffee revitalization plan.

3. Determination of grading system. Kenya grades coffee by bean size and cupping results. Based on coffee bean size, shape, and hardness, grades from highest to lowest are AA or AA+, AB, PB, C, E, TT, T. For AA and AB grade green beans, special grading based on cupping results is added (not officially recognized by Kenyan authorities, established by exporters), from highest to lowest: TOP, PLUS (+), FAQ.
4. K72 processing method. The characteristic acidity of Kenyan specialty coffee is closely related to its excellent processing method. In general washed processing, ripe coffee cherries are selected, pulp removed, then soaked in fermentation tanks to remove mucilage—a process rarely exceeding 36 hours. However, Kenyan fermentation lasts up to 72 hours, after which the beans are dried to 12% moisture content.

9. FrontStreet Coffee Brazil Queen Estate

Flavor Description: Rich nutty and dark chocolate flavors, fermented fruit, with distinct sweetness and subtle lemon aroma, overall feeling is rounded.

Brazil is the world's largest coffee producer and also the world's second-largest coffee consumer (first is the United States). Although Brazil faces more natural disasters than other regions, its plantable area is sufficient to compensate.

Compared to other Latin American countries, Brazil has significantly lower altitude, lacks microclimates, and traditionally grows coffee trees without shade trees. This results in Brazilian coffee beans having somewhat plain flavors without impressive characteristics. There's even a saying in the coffee world that Brazil has no good beans (also related to Brazil's industrial coffee era when bean quality wasn't emphasized).

However, Brazil has worked diligently to improve coffee quality, continuously cultivating and improving Arabica varieties, and changing coffee bean processing methods according to wet and dry climate conditions to present the best regional flavors. Common processing methods include natural, pulped natural, and washed. Generally, high humidity regions use washed processing, while low humidity regions use natural or pulped natural methods.

Brazil Coffee Regions

Brazil has 21 states, 17 of which produce coffee, but 7 states have the largest production, accounting for 98% of national total. These are: São Paulo, Paraná, Bahia, Espírito Santo, Minas Gerais, Rondônia, and Rio de Janeiro. Brazil's main producing regions are Minas Gerais, São Paulo, Bahia, and Espírito Santo, which account for 90% of national exports.

10. FrontStreet Coffee Yunnan FrontStreet 2013

Flavor Description: Plum and citrus acidity with nutty flavors, melon aroma and brown sugar sweetness, aftertaste with some black tea character.

China's coffee cultivation areas are mainly distributed in Yunnan, Hainan, and Taiwan. Hainan mainly grows Robusta coffee beans, while Yunnan and Taiwan primarily grow Arabica coffee beans. Currently, Yunnan is China's most noteworthy coffee region.

Yunnan is located south of the Tropic of Cancer, belonging to the subtropical mountainous climate zone. It has unique plateau red soil that is fertile and loose, with mild climate particularly suitable for growing small-seed coffee. Small-seed coffee is what we call Arabica coffee beans. When first introduced to China, the name "small-seed" was chosen for easier promotion and memory. The representative small-seed coffee bean in Yunnan is the Catimor coffee bean.

"FrontStreet 2013" is Typica coffee bean grown by FrontStreet Coffee in Lincang, Yunnan. From site selection, breeding, composting, to management, FrontStreet Coffee handled everything personally. 2013 marks the year FrontStreet Coffee began coffee cultivation, with the first batch of approximately 200kg of coffee beans produced in 2020, hence the name "FrontStreet 2013."

The above coffee brand rankings are in no particular order. If you prefer more acidic coffee beans, FrontStreet Coffee suggests choosing Ethiopian, Kenyan, and Panamanian coffee beans. If you prefer rich-bodied coffee, FrontStreet Coffee recommends Jamaican, Brazilian, Indonesian, and Yunnan coffee beans. If you like special aromas, you can choose FrontStreet Coffee's Colombia Rose Valley and FrontStreet Coffee's Costa Rica Mozart.

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 FrontStreet Coffee's private WeChat: kaixinguoguo0925

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473