Pu’er Coffee

 Imagine a coffee world without milk. Lattes, flat whites, cappuccinos, Dirty coffee—all would disappear overnight. Many espresso-based cafés would instantly lose at least one-third of their menu. That alone shows how irreplaceable milk is in coffee. When it comes to choosing milk, I often receive messages like: “What milk works best with coffee?” “What’s the best milk for a latte?” “Does this brand foam well for latte art?” My honest answer is usually: there is no single correct answer . The dairy market is huge. Every brand—and every type of milk—has its own characteristics: aroma, mouthfeel, formulation, price, availability, and more. On top of that, personal preferences vary widely. So there is no such thing as “the best milk,” only the most suitable one . That’s why I’m not here to promote any specific brand. Instead, I want to share a practical way of thinking about milk selection—based on the milk itself, the style of the coffee beans, and the final drink you want to mak...

 Mahdi certainly wouldn’t miss a market opportunity like this. In the past, they had already released several mid-priced grinders designed for home users, but those products alone couldn’t fully create a complete at-home coffee-making setup. So earlier this year, they made a strategic move: Mahdi’s parent company, Hemro Group, acquired Berlin-based Xenia Espresso. The purpose of this acquisition was to relaunch Xenia’s flagship espresso machine under the Mahdi brand. Xenia Espresso was originally founded in 2012 by members of a German online coffee enthusiast community. In many ways, it was a product born from collective wisdom—a machine designed entirely from the perspective of hobbyists, hitting all the right notes of what home enthusiasts expect in a coffee machine. The original Xenia already featured a dual-boiler system, a quiet pump, pressure sensors, and PID temperature control for its advanced heating system. Beyond these foundational components, the newly redesigned machin...

 When people mention a latte, most imagine a large, comforting cup filled with warm, milky coffee. But the Piccolo Latte takes the opposite approach—packing concentrated espresso flavor and creamy milk into just 100 ml. It has become a “one sip and you’re hooked” favorite among coffee lovers. 1. What Is a Piccolo Latte? A Small Cup With a Big Story The name comes from Italian: “Piccolo” means small , and “Latte” means milk . “Piccolo” also translates to short flute in English, which is how it earned its charming Chinese name, “short flute latte.” A Piccolo Latte is basically a “mini, concentrated version of a latte.” The classic recipe uses 15–20 ml of espresso mixed with four times the amount of milk. Today, it's commonly served in a 100 ml glass. Despite its small volume, the flavor is more concentrated. Compared to the usual 300–400 ml latte (espresso-to-milk ratio of 1:6 to 1:8), the Piccolo has a much higher coffee concentration, delivering a richer taste that balances th...