Coffee culture

What is Black Coffee? Understanding the Difference Between Starbucks Pour-Over and Americano

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee
Last Updated: 2026/01/27, Professional coffee knowledge exchange. For more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style). What is drip coffee? What makes drip coffee special? For an outsider, the difference between drip coffee and espresso is questionable. Most people simply accept

Understanding "Jai Fei": The Meaning Behind Black Coffee

Recently, for some reason, the term "Jai Fei" has become popular, and many people want to know what it means. Here at FrontStreet Coffee, we'll explain the meaning of this term.

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The term "Jai Fei" originates from Cantonese culture. Taking Hong Kong as an example, coffee is an imported beverage, and Hong Kong introduced coffee drinks very early on. The "Yuanyeung" in Hong Kong-style tea restaurants means coffee mixed with milk tea. In Cantonese, the character "Jai" (斋) means "simple" or "plain," so the term "Jai Fei" refers to black coffee, created to distinguish it from milk coffee. This is why there's also the saying "Jai Fei without milk"!

Therefore, Jai Fei and black coffee can be considered equivalent. Many people might then ask, "If I want an Americano, can I say 'give me a Jai Fei'?" If you're in a specialty coffee shop, this might put the barista in a difficult position because Americano is just one type of black coffee. Coffee made by pour-over, French press, or siphon can all be called Jai Fei. So when a barista hears someone ask for a Jai Fei, they might not necessarily understand it as wanting an Americano, unless their shop only offers Americano as their black coffee option.

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Americano: A Popular Type of Black Coffee

So we know that Americano is just one type of Jai Fei. How is Americano made? Generally, coffee shops use semi-automatic espresso machines to extract espresso, then dilute it with an equal proportion of water. This diluted coffee makes it more palatable for many people.

The flavor of Americano is 70% determined by coffee beans and 30% by the barista's skill level. Let's talk about coffee beans. FrontStreet Coffee uses Sunflower Warm Blend coffee beans, composed of Sherry coffee beans with vanilla, cream, and wine flavors, combined with natural-process Red Cherry beans featuring brown sugar and berry notes. This is why many customers find FrontStreet Coffee's Americano particularly distinctive.

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FrontStreet Coffee's Americano Preparation Method

FrontStreet Coffee prepares Americano by using 20g of coffee grounds to extract 40g of coffee liquid in 28 seconds, creating an espresso base, then adding 160ml of water in a 1:4 ratio.

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Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473

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