Guangzhou FrontStreet Coffee: Fresh Specialty Coffee Beans Roasted In-House

Coffee shops thrive in cities of every size, serving as modern gathering places for leisure, relaxation, and business. Their appeal lies less in the coffee they sell than in the quality, culture, and ideas they stand for.

The word "coffee" comes from the Greek Kaweh, meaning strength and passion. Drinking coffee is more than a pastime; its cultural weight reflects a pursuit of an ideal way of living. Men have long been drawn to coffee because it seems to embody a character that is robust and powerful yet gentle and dignified.

They were once so devoted to it that they neglected the women around them—enough that English women collectively petitioned in the 17th century to declare war on coffee.

Some say the world's first coffee house opened in Damascus, others in Venice, still others in Paris. Whoever is right, it was European men who gave coffee its extraordinary vitality, so that coffee culture became, in essence, the culture of European men.

Since the Arab era, this remarkable beverage has carried functions beyond refreshment. Over coffee, people have contemplated problems, dreamed up worlds, and argued politics—it was described as "the spiritual nourishment of thinkers and chess masters." The Arabs did indeed sharpen their chess in coffee houses. There people read, talked, listened to music, and played chess, letting rational thought take flight on romantic wings amid the aroma of the cup.

Guangzhou FrontStreet Coffee

Guangzhou FrontStreet Coffee carries a wide range of coffees from many producing countries and regions.

Just as importantly, it also sources beans grown in Yunnan province.

Special Features

House-roasted single-origin coffee, good coffee, and reasonable prices.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If you want to taste what a house-roasted, Yunnan-sourced single origin can do, start with the FrontStreet Yunnan Small-Bean Coffee. It comes from the Baoshan region, is washed and roasted to a medium level, and brews into a soft cup of nutty, chocolatey sweetness with a light plum acidity. At a friendly price, it is how many drinkers first come to know Yunnan coffee.

To go a step further into the region, try FrontStreet 2013 Sun-Dried Typica. If the Yunnan small-bean is the entry point, this is the next level: FrontStreet established its own estate in 2013 and planted Typica, one of the oldest coffee varieties, whose pure Arabica genetics give an elegant, clean cup. Only fully ripe red cherries are used, dried in the sun and then roasted to a medium level for balance and brighter acidity. Expect dark berry notes, caramel sweetness, chocolate, a hint of dried apricot, and a black-tea finish.

For a Yunnan-forward espresso, the FrontStreet Black Cocoa Blend is the baristas' pick. It combines Yunnan small-bean with Brazil Cerrado: the Brazilian coffee supplies a mixed-nut aroma and a balanced body, while the Yunnan beans carry the chocolate and citrus notes. Pulled as an Americano the cup balances sweet, sour, and bitter with nutty and brown-sugar sweetness; with milk it turns silky, with almond and cream—an easy introduction for anyone new to espresso.