Lychee Specialty Fruit Coffee Recipe Tutorial: Is Lychee Iced Latte Worth Trying?

As high temperatures sweep across many parts of the country, lychees - this prized fruit from southern China - have ripened in succession and gradually made their way onto our dining tables.

As an exceptionally sweet fruit, lychees have a plump, white, and fleshy appearance. They burst with juice when bitten into, releasing an intense aroma with a subtle hint of acidity amidst the sweetness. When chilled, they taste almost like eating sweet buns. In the world of coffee, lychees occasionally make an appearance. For instance, the Sidamo Elto that FrontStreet Coffee launched last month revealed lychee-like fruity aromatics and sweet notes during tasting, leaving a memorable impression.

So what kind of taste experience would emerge if we directly paired this fruit with coffee? FrontStreet Coffee discovered through research that various combinations of these two ingredients already exist online. With an open-minded attitude of "there's no harm in trying," FrontStreet Coffee decided to taste-test these so-called "summer white moonlight" lychee coffees today to see if they're actually worth drinking~

First Version: Lychee Jasmine Iced Americano

Ingredients: Fresh lychees, ice cubes, jasmine tea, espresso

Just like the various fruit-flavored coffees FrontStreet Coffee has recreated before, this Lychee Jasmine Iced Americano also emphasizes one principle: convenience. Therefore, it not only uses simple ingredients but also has straightforward preparation methods with no strict ratio requirements.

First, peel and remove the seeds from 5 fresh lychees. Place the pulp in a shaker and crush to extract juice. Then pour in 180ml of jasmine tea, cover, and shake to allow the lychee juice and floral tea to blend together.

Find a glass with a capacity over 250ml, add 80g of ice cubes, and strain the lychee jasmine tea into the glass.

Next, extract a double shot espresso using the parameters FrontStreet Coffee calibrated today for the "Warm Sun Blend": 20g of coffee grounds extracted for 29 seconds to yield 38g of coffee liquid. Finally, gently pour it over the ice cubes to complete.

Although this Lychee Jasmine Iced Americano combines multiple refreshing elements, the resulting taste was disappointing - even unbearably bitter, leaving no desire to continue drinking. This reminded FrontStreet Coffee of a poignant online comment describing it as having a "well water doesn't interfere with river water" quality - each flavor maintaining its separate identity. The sweetness and bitterness remained distinct rather than harmoniously integrated.

Second Version: Lychee Fermented Rice Iced Latte

Ingredients: Fresh lychees, ice cubes, fermented rice (jiuniang), espresso

FrontStreet Coffee discovered this milk-based coffee recipe last year while researching trending topics. It was relatively niche at the time but has recently regained attention due to the lychee season craze, with many coffee enthusiasts recreating it at home.

The first step remains the same: peel and seed 5 fresh lychees, forcefully crush the pulp to extract juice, and set aside.

Prepare a glass (approximately 250ml), add 80g of ice cubes, then pour in 150g of fresh milk, 25g of fermented rice, and the freshly extracted lychee juice (to enhance the sweetness layers, you can optionally add 8-10g of syrup). Stir directly until well mixed.

Finally, extract a double shot of espresso and pour it over the mixture.

To be honest, during preparation, FrontStreet Coffee suspected this might be a "culinary disaster" or just another unremarkable fruit-coffee combination. However, after tasting, we discovered that this seemingly "exotic" pairing held unexpected surprises.

When sipped through a straw after stirring, one can simultaneously experience the coffee aroma, milk fragrance, and subtle fruit acidity blending in the mouth. At the same time, the grainy texture of the fermented rice adds a soft, sweet yet not cloying dimension. It enriches the coffee's body while perfectly tempering its bitterness. The only drawback was that the lychee flavor was too subtle.

Third Version: Lychee Cold Brew

Ingredients: Fresh lychees, freshly ground coffee, cold brew pitcher (any clean container)

FrontStreet Coffee previously mentioned in the article "Which fruits make the best cold brew coffee?" that to create a perfect pairing between fresh fruit and coffee, one must first consider whether the fruit can withstand extended steeping, second determine how to extract its best flavors, and third control the proportions of each element.

To ensure the lychee's fruit aroma fully infuses into the coffee without overpowering it, FrontStreet Coffee first maintained a cold brew ratio of 1:8 to enhance coffee concentration, then added fruit pulp at a water-to-lychee ratio of 10:1.

Coffee beans: Costa Rica Washed Tarrazú
Coffee amount: 35g
Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:8
Grind setting: EK43s 9.5 / Comandante C40 22
Lychee pulp: 28g (approximately 3-4 fruits)
Steeping time: 6 hours

The first step remains crushing the pulp with a tool, then adding it to the coffee, stirring well before refrigerating. After steeping for 6 hours, filter out the pulp and coffee grounds using filter paper, and it's ready to enjoy.

Compared to the subtle presence in the first two versions, the long-steeped lychee cold brew delivers distinct fruity aromas. Upon tasting, one experiences not only refreshing sweetness but also the coffee's bright acidity - icy and juicy. In this lychee coffee showdown, FrontStreet Coffee declares this cold brew the clear winner!

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473