Where to Buy Coffee Beans: Recommended Retail and Wholesale Brands, and Tips for Purchasing

When preparing to open a coffee shop, there are always one or two headaches that arise. For example: Where should independent coffee shops buy their coffee beans? What types of coffee beans are suitable for community coffee shops? Are there any recommended brand stores that wholesale and retail coffee beans? Where can one buy authentic coffee beans? What should beginners pay attention to when selecting coffee beans for their shop?

Today's article will address these questions one by one.

Actually, on FrontStreet Coffee's coffee bean menu, in addition to over 50 varieties of specialty coffee beans, there are also 4 types of espresso beans hidden among them. Next time you visit FrontStreet Coffee, you might want to take a closer look.

FrontStreet Coffee · Specialty Coffee Bean Introduction

Through careful daily observation, FrontStreet Coffee found that their washed Yirgacheffe coffee beans, with lemon-like acidity, are the most frequently purchased by customers.

Ethiopian Yirgacheffe coffee beans are world-renowned. So much so that when mentioning "fresh, pleasant specialty coffee with noticeable acidity," Yirgacheffe is the first thing that comes to mind.

FrontStreet Coffee's washed Yirgacheffe coffee beans are exceptionally fresh. Whether sold on Taobao or in physical stores, the roasting date for all coffee beans is uniformly controlled within 5 days, providing consumers with the highest quality assurance. Friends who follow FrontStreet Coffee's Taobao store have probably noticed that coffee beans ordered on Taobao arrive the very next day! That's right—this is because FrontStreet Coffee specifically chose next-day delivery for everyone! The goal is to deliver freshly roasted beans to you as quickly as possible.

Since we're discussing Yirgacheffe coffee beans, let's briefly introduce the two coffee beans from this region!

FrontStreet Coffee · Ethiopia Gedding Coffee Beans

Region: Yirgacheffe, Gedeo Zone

Altitude: 1900-2300m

Variety: Heirloom

Processing: Washed

FrontStreet Coffee · Ethiopia Gedding Coffee Beans Flavor Description

When hot, it presents berry, cream, honey, citrus, and juice-like mouthfeel with bright acidity. As the temperature cools slightly, it reveals berries, cream, smoothness, and citrus notes.

FrontStreet Coffee · Yirgacheffe Aletaland Cooperative Red Cherry Coffee Beans

Country: Ethiopia

Region: Yirgacheffe

Processing Station: Aletaland

Altitude: 2300m

Variety: Local heirloom

Processing: Natural

Grade: G1

FrontStreet Coffee · Yirgacheffe Aletaland Cooperative Red Cherry Coffee Beans Flavor Description

Lemon, citrus, berries, sweet orange, with overall high sweetness. The aftertaste features caramel and cream flavors, with a tea-like aroma in the finish.

You might ask, "Besides Yirgacheffe coffee beans, what other coffee beans does FrontStreet Coffee recommend?" Without a doubt, there's FrontStreet Coffee's most popular product (one of them) – Honduras Sherry coffee beans.

The whiskey flavor and rich vanilla cream mouthfeel leave a deep and unforgettable impression. This Sherry coffee, through its barrel fermentation process, acquires distinctive flavors.

Honduran coffee beans are known for their balanced flavor. They can be used both for blending coffee and as single-origin pour-over. Within Honduras alone, there are six major coffee-producing regions.

Before listing new beans, FrontStreet Coffee conducts extensive research on coffee-producing regions. Through multiple adjustments to roasting curves, and evaluations through cupping and pour-over testing, FrontStreet Coffee ensures that each coffee bean truly represents its regional flavor characteristics and achieves optimal taste before being added to the menu.

FrontStreet Coffee · Honduras Sherry Coffee Beans

Country: Honduras

Region: Marcala

Estate: Moca Estate

Altitude: 1500-1700m

Varieties: Caturra, Catuai, Pacas

Processing: Fine washed whiskey sherry barrel fermentation

FrontStreet Coffee · Honduras Sherry Coffee Beans Flavor Description

Aroma of distinct vanilla and cream, with whiskey, berry, almond, and dark chocolate flavors. The aftertaste has maple-like sweetness.

Additionally, FrontStreet Coffee's Indonesia PWN Gold Mandheling has also received considerable favor from customers.

FrontStreet Coffee's Indonesia PWN Gold Mandheling specifications are 18 screen size and above, with fewer than 3 defective beans (in 300g green bean samples), belonging to the highest G1 grade. The color is dark green, with uniform flat bean shapes. After strict selection, the Gold Mandheling not only eliminates the characteristic earthy impurities of regular Mandheling but tastes cleaner and brighter, with more intense sweetness.

However, it wasn't a Japanese company that first registered "Gold Mandheling" as a trademark, but rather the local Indonesian company PWN (Pwani Coffee Company), which previously cooperated with Japanese companies to export Mandheling coffee beans.

The Japanese company registered "Gold Top Mandheling," which is Ding Shang Gold Mandheling. In terms of flavor performance, there's actually little difference between the two. However, due to different brands and marketing strategies, public perception may vary. Therefore, which of the two Gold Mandhelings is superior is a matter of personal preference.

FrontStreet Coffee · PWN Gold Mandheling Coffee Beans

Region: Aceh Gayo Highlands, Sumatra

Altitude: 1100-1600 meters

Variety: Ateng

Grade: G1, triple hand-sorted

Processing: Wet-hulled

FrontStreet Coffee · PWN Gold Mandheling Coffee Beans Flavor Description

Spices, herbal notes, caramel, pine, nuts, chocolate – multi-layered, thick and clean, well-balanced, with rich nut and caramel aromas, chocolate notes, and a persistent finish.

FrontStreet Coffee · PWN Gold Mandheling Coffee Beans Brewing Parameters Sharing

Dripper: Kono dripper

Water temperature: 88°C

Dose: 15g

Ratio: 1:15

Grind: 70-75% through #20 standard sieve

Reason for choosing Kono dripper: The Kono dripper has few ribs located at the bottom, causing the filter paper to stick closely to the dripper, restricting airflow and increasing contact time between water and coffee grounds. This allows for full extraction and enhances body.

FrontStreet Coffee uses segmented extraction. Start with 30g of water for a 30-second bloom, then continue pouring in small circles to 125g for segmentation. When the water level drops to just before exposing the coffee bed, continue pouring to 225g and stop. When the water level drops to just before exposing the coffee bed again, remove the dripper. (Timing starts from the bloom) Total extraction time is 2'00".

FrontStreet Coffee · Espresso Blend Coffee Beans Detailed Introduction (Including Specific Recipes)

What are blended coffee beans? Blended coffee beans mix coffee beans from multiple different origins. What's the purpose of blending? One is to create consistent flavor, and another is to produce flavors that single-origin coffees don't have. FrontStreet Coffee currently sells several types of espresso beans, all of which are blends: Basic Blend, Specialty Blend, Commercial Blend, and Warm Sun Blend.

1/ Basic Blend Espresso Beans

Flavor: Cream, nuts, chocolate

Recipe: 60% Brazilian coffee beans, 40% Yunnan coffee beans

FrontStreet Coffee's basic coffee beans offer excellent value. FrontStreet Coffee selects balanced Brazilian coffee beans and blends them with Yunnan coffee beans, which have milder flavors than Brazilian beans. This presents the most mainstream flavor profile – whether you're new to coffee or a seasoned coffee enthusiast, you can easily enjoy this espresso blend.

FrontStreet Coffee uses medium-dark roast for this blend. When making espresso, it has slight acidity, gentle sweetness, and nutty aftertaste. The overall feeling is smooth and not too intense. The crema is moderate, meeting most cafes' daily requirements for latte production.

As mentioned above, FrontStreet Coffee's specialty espresso beans are very stable and high-quality, perfect for independent cafes' daily production. FrontStreet Coffee's basic espresso beans provide a second high-value option for everyone.

Cafe operations离不开成本. While minimizing costs as much as possible while providing stable coffee quality is every operator's wish. FrontStreet Coffee's basic coffee beans are very cost-effective. Brazilian and Yunnan coffee beans were chosen for this blend. Both Yunnan and Brazilian origins lean toward nutty notes, with Brazilian beans giving this basic espresso a more solid texture and rich crema.

2/ Specialty Blend Espresso Beans

Flavor: Mellow, nuts, strong sweetness when mixed with milk

Recipe: 70% Brazilian coffee beans, 30% Colombian coffee beans

For customers who don't like extreme flavors, don't love single-origin coffee, but pursue coffee quality, this specialty espresso blend would be the first choice. FrontStreet Coffee uses medium-dark roast for this blend. It primarily features balanced Brazilian coffee beans, complemented by Colombian coffee beans with gentle fruit acidity and nutty aftertaste, creating a classic flavor profile.

This blend is what we use in our own shop. We've been using it since about six months after opening. When discussing this blend, we wanted to use American beans as the base to enhance the blend's nutty and sweet characteristics, trying to minimize any bitter flavors.

3/ Commercial Blend Espresso Beans

Flavor: Mellow, nuts, strong sweetness when mixed with milk

Recipe: 60% Brazilian coffee beans, 30% Colombian coffee beans, 10% Robusta

This blend tastes rich with crema and caramel sweetness, plus nut and cocoa-like dark chocolate flavors. It's well-balanced between sweet and sour, with slight bitterness and a persistent finish. The addition of a small amount of Robusta coffee beans enhances crema richness, but because the quantity is small, it doesn't change the flavor too much.

FrontStreet Coffee named this blend "Commercial Blend" because it performs well whether making Americanos or milk-based coffee, plus it has price advantages, making it very suitable for commercial cafes. The espresso crema is very rich, smooth with slight bitterness, and very full-bodied.

4/ Warm Sun Blend Coffee Beans

Flavor: Dark cocoa, citrus, fermented wine aroma

Recipe: 60% Ethiopia natural red cherry coffee beans, 40% Honduras sherry coffee beans

In addition to the specialty and basic blends, FrontStreet Coffee offers a blend with more unique flavor characteristics. FrontStreet Coffee's roasters mixed Honduras sherry barrel coffee beans with natural Yirgacheffe red cherry project coffee beans, developed separate roasting curves for each, and used a 6:4 ratio. Through post-blend roasting, they created this blend, named "Warm Sun Blend."

As specialty coffee gradually became popular, FrontStreet Coffee's baristas discovered during cafe operations that many customers were no longer satisfied with the stability offered by specialty blends. FrontStreet Coffee reconsidered – perhaps it was time to bring more fresh blends to liven up the cafe's offerings.

In 2019, after multiple adjustments, this Warm Sun Blend finally made it onto FrontStreet Coffee's menu, replacing the cafe's specialty blend with the Warm Sun Blend. FrontStreet Coffee's baristas believe that among these three blends, the specialty blend is for those seeking stability, the basic blend is for high value, and the Warm Sun blend is for flavor preference. With different goals, they naturally suit different customers.

The unique flavor of the Warm Sun Blend comes from its Honduras sherry barrel coffee beans. After partial washing processing steps, the coffee cherries are placed in sherry barrels for low-temperature fermentation, then finally dried. This processing method gives sherry coffee beans distinct wine aromas. FrontStreet Coffee's roasters mixed in forty percent natural Yirgacheffe coffee beans to provide more acidity to the Warm Sun Blend, increasing the complexity of the entire blend.

FrontStreet Coffee's cafe adjusts parameters daily based on bean condition, such as extracting 40g of coffee liquid from 20g of coffee grounds. Extraction time is between 26-28 seconds. Espresso made with these parameters will have medium acidity, medium bitterness, medium body, and be well-balanced, with distinct dark cocoa and citrus flavors, and a fermented wine aroma finish. When made into an Americano, it presents distinct wine-chocolate and citrus acidity; when made into a latte, it reveals vanilla cream and liqueur chocolate flavors.

FrontStreet Coffee · Coffee Knowledge Extended Reading

Richer crema, better latte art

Espresso is the base for making lattes. When making hot lattes, they're often "accompanied" by beautiful latte art patterns. Fine and rich coffee crema makes latte art easier.

Espresso with good crema can better integrate with milk foam and maintain stability, which greatly affects the detail and shaping of latte art. Although espresso without crema can still be used for latte art, the patterns appear somewhat stiff and rough in appearance.

Buying Coffee Beans, Several Things to Note

• Roasting (production) date – When buying coffee beans, pay attention to check the roasting date. FrontStreet Coffee's coffee beans usually have the roasting date printed on the back of the packaging bag.

The optimal tasting period for freshly roasted coffee beans is within 30 days after the degassing period (4-7 days). After that, flavors will fade over time, eventually leaving only woody notes. The first flavors to dissipate are mainly volatile compounds like floral and fruit aromas, while water-soluble compounds like sugars, nuts, and chocolate are relatively less volatile.

Therefore, we generally tell customers that coffee's optimal tasting period is from day 4 after roasting to day 30. However, even after the optimal period, it doesn't mean the coffee can't be drunk. It just performs slightly less impressively in terms of flavor.

Here we need to emphasize the difference between optimal tasting period and shelf life. Generally, roasted coffee beans have a shelf life of 6-12 months. So when buying roasted coffee beans, fresher isn't always better, and remember not to store them for too long before thinking to drink them. When buying coffee beans, pay attention to the roasting date to ensure you can finish them within a fixed period to avoid waste.

• What do you want: roasted coffee beans or ground coffee? – Both have their advantages

The optimal tasting period for freshly roasted coffee beans is within 30 days after the degassing period (4-7 days). When coffee beans are ground into powder, the aroma begins to diminish, and flavor dissipation accelerates. Therefore, the optimal tasting period for freshly ground coffee powder is within 20 days.

Coffee beans better preserve coffee's flavor compounds, presenting complete flavors through grinding and brewing immediately before use; ground coffee is more convenient. For friends without grinding equipment (some quality grinders are expensive and not small), pre-ground coffee is undoubtedly the best choice. However, pre-ground coffee causes flavor compounds to dissipate faster, and will definitely be inferior in flavor to freshly ground coffee.

Although pre-ground coffee is convenient to use, Frontsteet still recommends grinding coffee beans just before brewing. We also suggest buying the next bag only after finishing the current one, because freshness of coffee beans/coffee powder is really important!

Actually, if you have a habit of drinking coffee regularly or want more refined coffee, you can first equip yourself with a hand grinder or small electric grinder. If you've compared the taste of pre-ground coffee versus freshly ground coffee, when given a choice, you will definitely choose freshly ground coffee.

• Extraction method determines coffee bean type – Determine how you make coffee

If you use espresso machines, moka pots, Turkish pots, or other pressurized, heated extraction methods, FrontStreet Coffee suggests choosing espresso beans; if you use pour-over, French press, cold drip, or cold brew extraction methods, FrontStreet Coffee suggests choosing pour-over single-origin coffee beans.

Currently, the most common are espresso beans and pour-over coffee beans. It's not that espresso beans can't be brewed as pour-over, nor that pour-over beans can't be used in espresso machines. Every coffee shop creates different roasting curves based on their extraction methods and tools. Therefore, espresso beans can perform very well in lattes and Americanos, but may not taste good when used for pour-over. Similarly, pour-over beans used for espresso production will have the same effect (therefore, single-origin coffee beans don't necessarily make good espresso).

Reasons to choose FrontStreet Coffee coffee beans?

Reason one: Frontsteet has many types of roasted beans. When running a small cafe, operators don't actually have many choices for coffee beans. Once the variety of coffee beans in the shop increases but can't be consumed in time, they become stale – this is a hurdle that small cafes cannot overcome.

Reason two: In practical analysis, some operators themselves don't have the conditions to try too many beans, so Frontsteet's wide variety of coffee beans恰好 solves the problem for small shops.

Finding suitable coffee suppliers is crucial for growing coffee business in cafes, and establishing trustworthy business partnerships is key. Furthermore, for coffee roasting and brewing, each has its own professional theories. Let professionals handle professional matters.

For more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat official account: cafe_style)

For professional coffee knowledge exchange, please add WeChat ID: 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