World's Top 10 Famous Coffee Bean Brands and Their Flavor Characteristics - Recommendations for Premium Pour-Over Coffee Beans

An Introduction to Black Coffee

In earlier years, when people spoke of black coffee, they would most likely think of Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee. However, in recent years, with the rise of the third wave of specialty coffee in China, more and more people's understanding of black coffee has begun to shift from simple Americano to concepts such as pour-over coffee and single-origin coffee.

Often, friends visit FrontStreet Coffee's stores to ask for recommendations on pour-over coffee beans and basic knowledge about pour-over coffee (such as pour-over coffee temperature and pour-over coffee grind size standards). Next, FrontStreet Coffee will first introduce everyone to different flavored coffee beans.

Friends who follow FrontStreet Coffee should know that FrontStreet Coffee's bean list includes the FrontStreet Coffee Daily Bean series. The coffee beans in the FrontStreet Coffee Daily Bean series are carefully selected by FrontStreet Coffee from multiple producing regions as representatives of a particular region or processing method.

Through years of experience cupping coffee beans, FrontStreet Coffee has learned that compared to post-harvest processing methods such as natural and honey processing, washed processing coffee beans best express the most fundamental flavors of the region. Therefore, most of the coffee beans in the FrontStreet Coffee Daily Bean series are washed processed. However, there are some exceptions, such as Brazil's semi-washed and Indonesia's wet-hulled methods, because semi-washed processing is Brazil's local traditional processing method, and wet-hulled processing is also a traditional method derived from Indonesia's local climate and economic conditions.

Ethiopia

Ethiopia is recognized worldwide as the birthplace of coffee, and coffee from Ethiopia is often the first choice for many coffee beginners. Among them, the Yirgacheffe and Sidamo regions are the most famous. In fact, the Yirgacheffe region was once part of the Sidamo region, but because Yirgacheffe coffee has a unique jasmine floral flavor, it was separated to become an independent producing region.

In the 1970s, to improve the quality of green coffee beans, the government introduced washed processing. Later, coffee beans from Ethiopia's Yirgacheffe region were predominantly washed processed.

FrontStreet Coffee · Ethiopia Washed Yirgacheffe Coffee Beans
Region: Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Region
Altitude: 1800-2000 meters
Variety: Local Landraces
Processing Method: Washed Processing
Brewing Flavor: Jasmine, Berries, Lemon, Citrus

Indonesia

When it comes to Indonesian coffee, not only Kopi Luwak is famous, but also Mandheling coffee. The flavor of Mandheling coffee complements its processing method - wet-hulling processing creates Mandheling coffee, and the flavor of Mandheling coffee also creates wet-hulling processing.

Due to Indonesia's unpredictable weather with frequent rain and relatively backward local economic conditions at the time, there was not enough funding for fully washed processing, so the distinctive semi-washed processing method - wet-hulling - was developed. Wet-hulling requires two drying steps, and before the second drying, when the coffee beans' moisture content is at 50%, the parchment layer must be removed, exposing the green beans directly to air for drying. This step makes FrontStreet Coffee's Mandheling coffee richer and smoother in taste, even carrying notes of herbal plants and spices.

FrontStreet Coffee · Indonesia Lintong Mandheling Coffee Beans
Region: Indonesia Sumatra Lintong Region
Altitude: 1100-1600 meters
Variety: Tim Tim, Ateng
Processing Method: Wet-Hulled
Brewing Flavor: Toasted Bread, Nuts, Caramel, Pine, Herbs

China

With the popularity of the movie "Go Home," Yunnan coffee has received increasing attention, and every Chinese person's patriotism is reflected in the sales figures of Yunnan coffee. China actually has three coffee growing regions: Fujian, Hainan, and Yunnan. However, because Fujian and Hainan are coastal areas with high temperatures and low altitudes, Arabica coffee trees cannot be grown there. China's specialty coffee cultivation is concentrated in Yunnan Province. FrontStreet Coffee's Yunnan small bean coffee is rich but not bitter, fragrant but not strong.

FrontStreet Coffee · Yunnan Small Bean Coffee Beans
Region: China Yunnan Baoshan Region
Altitude: 1200 meters
Variety: Catimor
Processing Method: Washed Processing
Brewing Flavor: Melon and Fruit Fragrance, Sweet Melon, Brown Sugar, Plum, Tea Sensation

Costa Rica

Costa Rican coffee is representative of "sweet as honey," mainly because Costa Rican coffee beans are famous for honey processing. Costa Rica grows coffee at high altitudes with large temperature differences between day and night, surrounded by fertile volcanic soil, allowing Costa Rica to produce strictly hard beans (SHB grade), giving Costa Rican coffee a sweet taste.

FrontStreet Coffee · Costa Rica Tarrazu Coffee Beans
Region: Costa Rica Tarrazu Region
Altitude: 1500 meters
Variety: Caturra, Catuai
Processing Method: Washed Processing
Brewing Flavor: Sweet Orange, Honey, Toffee, Nuts

Colombia

Colombian coffee is one of the few single-origin coffees sold under a country name. Friends familiar with Colombia's "Four Treasures" know that coffee is one of Colombia's "Four Treasures." Colombia has a mild climate and humid air, with diverse climates allowing harvesting seasons throughout the year. Different types of coffee from different regions mature at different times. Colombian coffee has unique quality, rich flavor, and endless aftertaste, truly a coffee specialty.

In FrontStreet Coffee's Daily Bean series, FrontStreet Coffee's Colombian coffee beans come from the Huila region, which is the most famous specialty coffee producing region in Colombia. Surrounded by mountains, the growing altitude is above 1500 meters, and the most important rivers in Colombia converge here, bringing abundant water vapor and water resources.

FrontStreet Coffee · Colombia Washed Huila Coffee Beans
Region: Colombia Huila Region
Altitude: 1500-1800 meters
Variety: Caturra
Processing Method: Washed Processing
Brewing Flavor: Nuts, Dark Chocolate, Caramel, Soft Fruit Acidity

Guatemala

When speaking of Guatemalan coffee, some coffee connoisseurs might first think of "smoky" sensation. Soft acidity and balanced taste are characteristics of FrontStreet Coffee's Guatemalan coffee, and also characteristics of Central American coffee. In FrontStreet Coffee's Daily Bean series, FrontStreet Coffee selected the Huehuetenango region as Guatemala's representative.

The Huehuetenango region is surrounded by three volcanoes, providing rich minerals to the soil here. The altitude here can even exceed 2000 meters, producing coffee with rich fruit flavors.

FrontStreet Coffee · Guatemala Huehuetenango
Region: Guatemala Huehuetenango Region
Altitude: 1500-2000 meters
Variety: Bourbon, Caturra, Catuai
Processing Method: Washed Processing
Brewing Flavor: Nuts, Lemon Peel, Berries, Citrus

Brazil

Brazil is now the world's largest coffee-producing country, and despite the large production, there is no shortage of high-quality Brazilian coffee beans. When friends come to ask for low-acidity coffee beans, FrontStreet Coffee's Brazilian coffee is the first choice of FrontStreet Coffee's baristas. Because Brazil's coffee cultivation mostly uses full-sun planting, coffee cherries can mature quickly in a short time, resulting in softer bean texture.

The flavor of FrontStreet Coffee's Brazilian Cerrado coffee is also a soft bean flavor, with weak fruit acidity, good sweetness, fine and smooth mouthfeel, and overall balance.

FrontStreet Coffee · Brazil Cerrado Red Bourbon Coffee Beans
Region: Brazil Minas Gerais Cerrado Region
Altitude: 1000 meters
Variety: Red Bourbon
Processing Method: Semi-Washed
Brewing Flavor: Peanuts, Cream, Nuts, Chocolate, Caramel

Pour-Over vs Machine Brewing

FrontStreet Coffee understands that some friends new to pour-over might want to know: Is pour-over coffee really better than machine-brewed coffee? The coffee machine here generally refers to household or office American drip machines. American drip machines are similar to pour-over coffee, both using hot water to brew coffee grounds and then filtering. However, because the dripping method of these drip coffee machines is set by the manufacturer's drip mode, different brands of machines will have different tastes.

Pour-over coffee, on the other hand, has the dripping process completely controlled by human hands, and the pouring method greatly affects the final flavor. For example, single-stream pouring and three-stage pouring - single-stream coffee flavors are more prominent in cleanliness and acidity, while the mouthfeel is relatively weaker.

Additionally, the water flow rate during pouring also affects the flavor and mouthfeel. Using a small water flow to pour, the liquid level in the filter cup won't rise too much, the powder layer on the cup wall is thicker, extraction time is extended, coffee concentration becomes higher, and the mouthfeel is richer.

Furthermore, the circling speed also affects the flavor. When the circling speed increases, the water's scouring force increases, the degree of powder layer tumbling in the cup increases, thereby increasing the extraction rate.

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