Faced with intense competition from nearly 200,000 coffee shops nationwide, the survival cycle of new stores is generally short, and price wars along with homogenization have left many independent cafés and franchises struggling to stay afloat. This article delves into the key factors behind the market’s wave of closures, offering practical strategies — from cost control and brand positioning to franchise selection — to help coffee business owners find a path to differentiated survival. [more…]

In the process of coffee latte art, the thickness and smoothness of milk foam are key to success. Many baristas and amateur enthusiasts have encountered issues such as milk foam that is too thin, too thick, uneven, or layered. In fact, by carefully listening to the "hissing" sound produced when steaming milk with the steam wand, you can instantly gauge the air intake and frothing status, thereby controlling the texture of the milk foam and creating the fine, smooth foam ideal for latte art. This article will delve into the relationship between steam sounds and milk foam. [more…]

The flavor performance of pour over coffee is often closely related to pouring technique and the condition of the coffee puck. Many beginners notice puck cracking in the middle, bubble formation, or even coffee grounds settling after brewing, leading to poor cup quality. This article will delve into the causes of puck cracking and improper swirling, analyze their impact on extraction, and share practical water control techniques to help you stabilize your pour and improve overall extraction uniformity. [more…]

A recent incident at a cat café in Wuxi, Jiangsu has drawn significant public attention. A father, suspecting that a cat in the café had frightened his child, was caught on camera kicking the animal down a flight of stairs in a public area. Although the surveillance footage sparked widespread outrage online, the café owner chose not to pursue the matter further due to not reporting the incident immediately and concerns about potential retaliation. This article provides an in-depth analysis of the event, discusses whether cat cafés are suitable for hosting children, and explores how to protect the rights and interests of both animals and business owners. [more…]

When a high-paying job leads to both mental and physical exhaustion, some choose to seek balance by taking on part-time work at a café. This article takes an in-depth look at the personal experience of a former office worker who left a 25K monthly salary job to become a part-time barista, analyzing how modern professionals choose between mental and physical labor, and sharing the actual work pace, hourly wages, and emotional rewards of being a part-time barista. [more…]

Luckin Coffee has risen rapidly thanks to its affordable pricing and membership tier system. However, high-tier memberships such as the Nine-Colored Deer and Black Gold Deer have become targets for some customers aiming to "game the system" and level up artificially. This article delves into the chaos of large-scale malicious orders and paid tier-up services, exposing the underlying tactics and the pressure faced by store employees, while also offering practical advice for both consumers and business operators. [more…]

The flavor of pour over coffee is influenced by many factors, among which grind size is one of the most difficult parameters to describe intuitively. The particle size produced by different grinders varies greatly, making it hard to communicate solely through words. This article uses common everyday seasonings—such as fine salt, fine sugar, coarse sugar, and sea salt-like textures—to help readers build an intuitive understanding of grind sizes. Using actual pour over brewing examples, it teaches you how to gradually determine the most suitable grind setting through observing the bloom, flow rate, and coffee grounds state, thereby enhancing every cup. [more…]

The “one-pour” brewing method proposed by Patora Tetsu simplifies the process with a single continuous pour, eliminating the blooming step and emphasizing the concept of high concentration and low extraction. This article delves into its parameter settings, operational differences, and compares the flavor profile with the single-pour (一刀流) method using Panamanian Geisha as an example, guiding you through the key details and practical techniques of this minimalist pour over approach. [more…]

Manner is about to reach 1,000 stores nationwide, allowing more and more consumers to enjoy high-value specialty coffee near their homes. Its promotion of a five-yuan discount for bringing your own cup is not only eco-friendly and cost-saving but has also inspired endless creativity among netizens. From old teapots and gourds to clay soup pots, all kinds of unusual containers have emerged one after another, delighting and surprising baristas alike. This article takes you through some of the most amusing bring-your-own-cup moments that will make you smile, showing how this generation of netizens uses their creativity to "outwit" baristas, while also sharing tips on bringing your own cup. [more…]

A 30-year-old woman in Hunan was unexpectedly diagnosed with osteoporosis after drinking five cups of coffee daily. She even suffered a clavicle fracture from a minor fall. This case has sparked widespread discussion: does caffeine really accelerate calcium loss, putting even young people at risk of osteoporosis? This article analyzes the relationship between coffee and bone health from a scientific perspective, breaks down the safe daily intake level, and offers practical advice to help coffee lovers balance enjoyment with well-being. [more…]

In 2021, a doughnut shop in Atlanta, U.S., was ordered to pay $3 million in compensation after a loose hot coffee lid caused second- to third-degree burns to a 70-year-old woman. This case is similar to the famous McDonald’s coffee burn incident from the 1990s, highlighting the importance of controlling hot beverage temperatures, packaging design, and service procedures. This article delves into the causes of the accident, details of the settlement, and industry improvement measures, helping readers understand the safety precautions involved in coffee consumption. [more…]

Opening a coffee shop may seem romantic, but it comes with challenges such as high commissions from delivery platforms and unstable customer traffic. This article delves into how independent coffee shops struggle when earning just a few cents per delivery order, and explores the reasons behind the wave of physical store transfers. Through real-life cases, it reveals the cost structure of operations and the current market situation, helping readers understand the practical challenges in the coffee industry and possible directions for transformation. [more…]

Harar coffee was once one of Ethiopia’s three most renowned coffee-growing regions, celebrated for its rich chocolate and red wine flavors. But today, it has become increasingly difficult to find on the market. This article traces the origins of Harar, starting with the history of Yemen’s Mocha port, and analyzes the multiple reasons behind its decline from prominence to scarcity — including regional shifts, inconsistent quality, and market supply-demand issues. It also offers practical insights to help readers better understand this once globally beloved coffee. [more…]

When brewing pour over coffee, many coffee enthusiasts prefer to pour water in a circular motion rather than using a single point or stirring. This is not just a matter of personal feel—it's based on actual extraction considerations. This article delves into the science behind circular pouring, exploring how it helps achieve more even extraction, reduces the risk of over-extraction, and maintains balanced coffee flavors. Understanding these details can help you brew high-quality pour over coffee with consistent taste at home. [more…]

As Halloween approaches, major coffee brands have launched a variety of holiday-themed limited-edition specials—from the eye-catching Starbucks Pitaya Cloud Float to the charcoal Frappuccino. While these drinks are visually striking, their flavors are quite polarizing. This article provides an in-depth look at this year’s Halloween coffee innovations, including Starbucks’ Mango Purple Cloud series, Japan’s Pumpkin Caramel Pudding Frappuccino, France’s Sesame Almond Tofu Frappuccino, and Peet’s Coffee’s Pirate Treasure Latte. It will help you steer clear of the “culinary experiments” and find the truly worthwhile Halloween coffee offerings. [more…]

The market supervision authorities in Jiading Industrial Zone, Shanghai recently uncovered a counterfeit Starbucks purchasing service café, seizing a large number of imitation packaging and materials on site. This case exposes loopholes in the vetting mechanisms of food delivery platforms, as well as the risks associated with the unregulated circulation of branded packaging. Learn how fake coffee makes its way into the market and how to identify genuine retail outlets to safeguard your coffee quality and consumer rights. [more…]

A can of Red Bull contains about 80–100mg of caffeine, but a small cup of Panera Bread’s “Charged Lemonade” contains as much as 260mg, with the large size reaching up to 390mg—far exceeding the caffeine content of common energy drinks on the market. A 21-year-old college student, Sarah Katz, tragically died from cardiac arrest after drinking this lemonade, which was marketed as a “clean plant-based beverage.” This article details the ingredients of the drink, the health impacts of its caffeine content, and how to correctly identify... [more…]

Using single-origin pour over beans to make espresso—commonly known as SOE (Single Origin Espresso)—is possible but comes with significant challenges. Especially with medium to light roasted single-origin beans, if you don’t correctly adjust the grind size, dose, and extraction parameters, you can easily encounter channeling, excessive acidity, or spritzing issues, resulting in wasted beans. This article will provide a detailed breakdown on how to adjust extraction conditions so that you can produce balanced and smooth espresso even with a minimal amount of single-origin beans, and will also explore its performance in Americanos and milk-based drinks. [more…]

Many pour over enthusiasts often overlook the fit between the filter paper and the V60 filter cup, but this 5% difference can directly affect coffee flow rate and flavor performance. This article focuses on the V60 conical filter cup with its flow-guiding ribs design, analyzes the debate over whether to pre-wet the filter paper, and shares a practical technique using water pressure and finger positioning to achieve over 95% fit without special tools, improving the uniformity of coffee extraction. [more…]

Have you ever bought a bag of coffee beans labeled with flavors like citrus or pineapple, only to brew it and taste nothing but flat acidity? It’s not that the bag is lying—it’s just that you haven’t yet mastered the right tasting methods. This article provides beginners with a practical coffee flavor training path, teaching you how to build sensitivity to taste and aroma starting from the basics—sour, sweet, bitter, salty, and umami—and gradually decode the flavor descriptions on coffee packaging, so you can truly understand the nuances in every cup. [more…]