Travel Notes on Coffee in China
The best coffee in China is world-class
Starbucks entered China in 1999, the same year the term “third wave coffee” was coined. In 2026, Shanghai became the first and only city to surpass 10,000 coffee shops. Some of these cafes are world-class!
I visited one of the world-class cafes at 236 Taiyuan Road (太原路, one of Shanghai’s 64 “never-widen” roads) in the heart of the former French Concession in Xuhui District.
Captain George Flavor Museum was created by World Brewers Cup champion Peng “George” Jinyang (彭近洋).
First, I ordered their “tasting set”.
The Chinese text on the placard says this:
FLAVOR MUSEUM
Finca Tamana Coffee Tasting SET
Vol.03
Origin tracing involves not only terroir but also the unique experiences brought by the diversity of coffee varieties. For Volume 03 of the Flavor Museum tasting set, we selected different coffee varieties from Finca Tamana in Colombia. These varieties are grown under similar altitude, soil, and climate conditions within the farm. More interestingly, all the beans are processed using the washed method. With the same growing environment and processing method, different varieties present distinctly different flavor profiles.
I had never done a tasting like this before. The scientific setup kept everything the same between the cups except for the variety of bean. It was easy to taste the difference.
Second, I ordered a pour-over.
Again, this was unlike any pour-over I have had before, because it was served with a thermometer! This is a good idea because the flavor of light-roast coffee subtly changes as the coffee goes from hot to warm to lukewarm. Using a thermometer allows us to be precise about what the coffee tasted like at a given temperature.
Linyi and Yinan, Shandong Province
I had an iced Americano delivered to me while I was sitting at a table in a restaurant. I ordered it on an app and the delivery person literally brought it to me in our private dining room. No one blinked an eye at this!
The largest chain in China, Luckin Coffee, literally doesn’t allow you to order at the counter. You have to use the app to order even if you’re already standing in the cafe.
Coffee hasn’t reached every corner of China. In a farming village I visited, there was no coffee.
Preparing coffee at home
Luckin Coffee sells single-serving pour-over pouches that taste great.
Fun facts
Chinese coffee culture has developed some distinct characteristics. The peak time for cafes is from 3-5pm, and many cafes don’t open until 10am!
Many of Luckin’s most popular drinks are espresso mixed with fruit juice, and sometimes carbonation and coconut milk. Check out this Singaporean Luckin Coffee menu which is broadly similar to the mainland China menu.
Many cafes don’t have seats to reduce licensing requirements.
Over 98% of domestic coffee in China is grown in Yunnan. In Tianzifang I had some fantastic espresso from Yunnan!
For fans of specialty coffee traveling in China who want something that would be familiar in the West, I recommend the chain Manner Coffee. Their espresso pulls stand up to anything here in NYC!