Coffee in Shanghai Volume II_version 2.4


Coffee in Shanghai Volume II


Title: Coffee in Shanghai Volume II
ISBN-13: 978-1-988087-12-2
Series: Arooka Knowledge Base
Section: Education
Publication Type: Living
Publisher: Free World Press Ltd.
Publisher Prefix: 1-927574
Publisher Book Code: FWP-AKB-E-101
Website: http://www.arooka.com


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Notification

Coffee in Shanghai Volume II has take a dramatic change from its previous version.

 While the previous version was image rich, this version is not.

This is designed to be more universally accessible and useable.

It also offers some future-proofing for changing standards.

In addition, this is a 'Living' version, which means that it gets updated with more content as it is produced.

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If you like our content and would like to see it expand, please consider becoming a Patron.

You can become a patron of this book and/or for the development of future titles.

 Make a Donation (via Paypal)

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Thank You

Thank you to the following who have helped Develop this Book:

  • Mary Jane
  • Bob P.
  • Huang Haiping
 

Introduction

 Coffee in Shanghai Volume II expands on the 309 paged, first Volume which was released in 2016.

 While the book is expansive on many different topics, the focus is on coffee vendors in Shanghai.

 None of this content is paid for by vendors. The reviews are real and based on real experiences.

 It is important to note that vendors open and close often for a wide variety of reasons.

 However in the end, as a customer, you want a quality product at a decent price.

Market Details

 For many years, finding Coffee in Shanghai was difficult. Finding quality coffee, was even more difficult. Slowly coffee shops opened up, however they typically targeted clientele with more international experiences, as they were fairly expensive and their interior was stylish and relaxed. 

 I recall back in the early 2000s, when a famous seattle brand was making ways into Shanghai and the local population was becoming more flush with disposable income, an incident on the metro: A man purchased a branded coffee for the girl. The girl was excited and admired the cup, she than opened it and took her first taste. From excitement to disgust, she promptly pushed the cup back to the man, who also got to experience the weird brew. Through the rest of their ride, he nursed it, unable to throw it out, after spending so much on it.

 By 2015, Coffee was being consumed by more people. International branded shops, which were once for international clientele was experiencing a flood of middle class children and those attempting to be trendy.

In 2016, Coffee gained general mass popularity and so in chinese tradition, the market became saturated with coffee shops. Seeing two or three coffee shops side by side, is not that uncommon.

In 2018, the Yunnan beans made a push into the markets and so thousands of vendors opened with Yunnan beans as their only source of product. Often the vendors had little to no experience with coffee outside of the Yunnan product. By mid-2018, the oversaturation of the market resulted in closures of many vendors and attempts at product diversification. New batches of shops opened with a range of price points, but going down to the 15-20 rmb/cup was not unheard of. I even found a 10rmb espresso on the south bund at Manner. New batches of trained baristas resulted in new shops as well and this forms a nice network of baristas in the city. Baristas often provided recommendations of their classmates for their shops to try or perhaps their skills to admire.

 In early 2019, a new push for artistic coffee shops pushed ahead. Shops which serve as galleries as well as coffee shops are poping up - however this is an old scheme which tends to get little traction. 


 "If an espresso in Shanghai costs more than 40 rmb, than the vendor doesn't know anything about espresso." - Mary Jane

Garbage Sorting

Black containers (also known as Residual waste, Dry trash) for Used Coffee Cups

Version 3:
- Brown containers (also known as Household food waste, wet trash, fermentable waste): kitchen waste (including leftover food, unused Traditional medicine preparations, perishable food), egg shells, flowers, small bones.
- Black containers (also known as Residual waste, Dry trash): tissues, diapers, plasters [ie. band-aids], Cigarettes butts, plastic bags, hair, earth, large bones, oyster shells, used coffee cups.
- Blue container (also known as Recyclable waste): clean paper, plastic, glass, textiles (ie. clothing, plush toys), metal (ie. electrical wire, knives).
- Red container (also known as Hazardous waste): batteries, past date medicine, mercury based thermometers, fluorescent lamps, hair dyes
- Toilet: Animal (pets and people) fecal matter.

Version 2: Rubbish classification:
- Recyclable waste (ie. paper, plastic, glass, textiles [ie. clothing, plush toys], electrical wire, knives, concrete blocks).
- Hazardous waste (batteries, past date medicine, mercury based thermometers, fluorescent lamps, hair dyes)
- Wet waste (ie. kitchen waste [including leftover food, unused Traditional medicine preparations], egg shells, flowers).
Note: These items should be fermentable.
- Dry Waste/Residual waste (ie. diapers, plasters [ie. band-aids], Cigarettes butts, plastic bags, hair, earth).

Verion 1: Rubbish classification:
- Yellow: Glass and glass-made items
- Blue: recyclable waste (ie. paper and plastic)
- Orange: Harmful waste (ie. batteries, past date medicine)
- Green: Other waste (ie. kitchen waste, diapers).

Notes:
- Rules currently only in Mandarin
- Rules displayed on shanghaifabu (Information office of the Shanghai municipal government)'s weChat account
- Fines have already been implemented. Individuals: 200rmb.
- Guidelines established by Shanghai Greenery and Public Sanitation Bureau
Each district has their own version:  
ie. Songjiang District Greenery and Public Sanitation Bureau
http://english.songjiang.gov.cn/government/organization/

- Commerical Disposable Items will not be provided for unless asked. This will include hotels, restaurants, food delivery, etc.  
One hotel asked for a name and signature in order to obtain a spoon to eat their famous desserts, which ironically was packaged in a disposable plastic container which I did not have to sign for.

Quality

  It is uncommon finding a coffee roaster and even less common finding a coffee roaster which knows how to roast coffee. As one coffee roaster complained to me, ‘Starbucks ruined Coffee in Shanghai’ – citing that because people’s first experience with coffee was a dark roasted, bitter coffee, the market expects terrible coffee to be served to them. This has some merit, as most early (pre-2016) coffee shops served ‘Korean Roast’, which is well charred coffee beans. Not all coffee shops understand coffee enough to get a roaster, and just buy bagged coffee and some even buy old bagged coffee.

 The vendors which go directly to a roaster, tend to pick the best one they can, however they are at the mercy of the roaster for quality. So if the central roaster is producing quality roast one week and terrible roasts the next week, the dependant vendors quality will also vary.

 Some vendors have their own roasting machines, however there is typically two uses for them, either for decoration or large batch roasting for week upon weeks of usage. If large batch roasting wasn’t bad enough, the method of storage in non-airtight plastic bins is also a shame. For all roasters found, I requested and encouraged individual roasting, however they tend to be unaware that it is even possible, despite understanding the sample spoon of their drum roasters.

 In terms of actual beans, there is a disconnect between what vendors claim versus what they actually carry. While it is fashionable to claim only Arabica seeds, the actual importation of seeds from outside China makes it difficult to guarantee this. Prior to 2015, about 100,000 tons of Vietnamese coffee (primarly robusta) was imported to China, which acounted for 50% of all coffee in China (99% of this was going to Instant Coffee production). In 2015, with efforts to push for more China-grown coffee, this figure has decreased to about 35,000 tons, as Yunnan province has about 130,000 hectares of crop and produces 85% of China-grown Coffee (note: Nestlé co-op farms produce about a fifth of output and pay at peak 26 rmb/kg [5cad/kg]; primarly Arabica seeds). By 2016, the total market volume of Instant Coffee, decreased to about 98%, meaning the market was utilizing about 2% of all Coffee as a fresh product. Of this 2%, Vietnam is still a major importer, followed by Indonesia and Malaysia. Seeds from Brazil and re-packaged (non-coffee growing regions) such as Italy and the USA is only a very small percentage of the market.

 Often baristas or vendors are unaware that different kinds of seeds exists, aside from the different types of Arabica and so may either purchase seeds with little knowledge of their origin or purchase seeds with little care to their orgins. Vendors may purchase seeds which are actually stale, simply to get a ‘better deal’. Authorities have little knowledge of Coffee and so currently have no ability to enforce food safety rules on vendors. In addition, general ignorance by consumers, make it even less likely a consumer would even know that there was an issue or that they were not getting what they were paying for. One pop-up vendor was offering single origin seeds at 100 rmb (19.23 cad) per cup, however had little knowledge about the differences between the various regions they were advertising to carry. Out of all the vendors I spoke with, only one claimed to work with Robusta seeds (suprising, as most didn’t know anything about Robusta seeds), but they indicated that they only used them for training purposes and did not have them in their shop.

 For water quality, this is an invisible issue for most vendors and only at higher end places do they have any consideration for water treatment. How treated the water is, greatly varies. There is no shop which uses bottled spring water, however I did find one which used an extensive system to try to ensure quality water is being used.

 If you are going to use milk with your beverage, you also need to be concerned for the quality of the milk. In Shanghai, this is pretty difficult as the vast majority of milk is Ultra High Temperature (UHT) milk, watered down or just a beverage (and not specifically a dairy product). Some vendors will use ‘foreign’ UHT milk, some will use ‘fresh’ milk (fresh, but able to be stored for 20+ days?), and by the off chance you will find an actual fresh milk product being used (only found one vendor in shanghai with  actual real fresh milk). 

 For the master of the bean, the Barista – the skills really vary across the city. You can find Baristas which know as much about coffee as any uninitiated person and you can find ones which have broad knowledge. For the most part, most focus on creating art on lattes, rather than pouring an expertly brewed concoction. Occassionaly you will meet an inspiring Barista, who speaks highly of their idols in other shops or their desire to learn and become an expert in their field – these ones will tend to be able to, or at least try, to make the coffee as you desire it to be.

 During the course of researching and writing another book – ‘A Comprehensive Review of Coffee’, I have gained much knowledge and perhaps am too picky when it comes to my coffee. In my early years, I was not too picky about my cup of coffee. However now I have a whole range of considerations, such as the type of seed, the quality of the seed, the roast, the water quality, the brew process, the cups which it is served in and the total processing time. This is called 5th wave coffee. Shanghai is barely getting to 3rd wave (with most of the market still consuming instant coffee and only a minor volume exploring fresh seeds), however in time the market will become sophisticated enough to be at this level.

 Wave Coffee

Wave

Details

1

Dosed Stimulant

2

Origin of the Seed, Quality of Product (Instant Coffee)

3

Origin of the seed, roasting and brewing process

4

Origin of the seed, roasting and brewing process, Quality of Product

5

Type of Seed, Origin of the seed, roasting process, water quality, brewing process, caffeine content, the method of serving and total processing time (harvest to cup), Excellence in Product.

 


Top Ten

It is very hard to give a top ten.

Every day in Shanghai, coffee vendors change their staff, their product, even close or rebrand themselves.

What was good yesterday, doesn't mean it will be good today.

With this said, here are the vendors which the Author is more likely to return to.

2019

Leina Coffee
(West side of city; just off Wuzhong Road; Puxi)

Cafe du Village
(North/West side of Minhang, past Hongqiao Central Business District; Puxi)

2018

Note: There are other vendors which are good enough to be listed, but are too far from the beaten track to recommend to others, especially those unfamiliar with the city. For example,

Mixed bag. Sometimes great. Sometimes not. If in location, may try again (possibly best choice in area):

Starbuck Roasters or Lark?

 Go to Lark. Their roaster is self-taught and has a passion for the arts. The Yunnan beans are the same as Starbucks.

 Plus Lark is closer to the bund, on Nanjing Road East, in a historical building which was newly re-opened and is currently re-developing southern side of the site.


Review Changes from last Issue

Instead of focusing on an espresso and foam, I opted to look at lattes and cappuccinos.

I also didn't focus so much on if the vendor roasts their own, but on the overall quality of the products.

I also looked at the best value for the product(s) offered and the ambience (ie. Is it good enough to take others to).

Background information on the company is sometimes included, which can help give insight to the quality of the product.

While I tend to skip over vendors who only offer machined coffee (ie. Fully automated, semi-automated), sometimes I try because I would like to drink a coffee that day.

Review Information

Information:

Additional Information:

Key:

2019

Leina Coffee


I was looking for this roaster for a couple years and finally found it in the back of a non-descript low storey office building, just off a side street in the west side of the city. There is no signage at the front of the building nor the building registry, just a small sign near the entrance which is also slightly obscured. Looking through the glass doors, doesn't aid you, as the main space of the school/roastery/shop is deeper inside and on the right side.

I explained I was looking for robusta beans and as if out of providence, the proprietor said that a batch was just freshly roasted this morning and offered me to try. I asked for some foam milk on the side, which they prepared as well.

The robusta was a light roast, not bitter, acidic or sour. It was very strong in caffeine.

The foam was well done and the microbubbles were dense enough to support a couple spoonfuls of the espresso. Blended it was smooth and delicious.

Out of curosity, the name came up, Leina, which sounds like Reina, which means Queen. Now, this young lady is the Queen of Coffee in Shanghai. While she has previously operated several shops, she now focuses on teaching and consulting.

Her apprentice, Davy, who decided to obtain the  robusta and roasting for this fateful day, engaged in a stimulating conversation about the effects of water quality (ph, mineral content, etc). and bean type and quality on the overall product. Afterwards he went back to assist a co-worker with the process of disassembling an espresso machine to descale the individual parts.

It is wonderful to engage with true artists of the craft. If this couldn't get better, the cost of my freshly roasted, single orgin robusta with foam on the side was only 15 rmb. While not the lowest price in Shanghai, it was far superior to even the most expensive cups in the city.

Summary
Great Prices
Customized roasting available (types and times vary), ie. freshly roasted robusta.
Espresso Machine
Decent Latte quality milk; Five water filters

Knowledable and friendly baristas. 


Con: No food safety license. As technically they are a school and not a coffee shop.

Second Attempt:

Student making coffee. She was a bit nervous, but the quality of the bean resulted in an excellent brew.

Just need to be careful on how many shots of espresso as she almost served four shots to me.

Multiple Attempts:

This has become my go to place for a good brew in Shanghai this year.

Staff: Queen, Princess (Number one siphon coffee in Korea, two years; Number two in the world, Japan), Messenger (Expert Roaster and Espresso Barista)


The Espresso Roast - 2019

Previously located by IAPM mall, it was closed and boarded up. Eventually cemented over.

Found it now on Yangping Road.

Larger space, easy to understand menu.

Ordered Mandellin Indonesia, Espresso + Milk (Cappuccino) for 22 rmb; regular size: 2 shots (Large is 3 shots). 

It was dark roast, a bit acidic, but not bitter or sour. The Barista is well skilled in foam production and included a nice latte art 'heart'.

While the take out cup lid looked cool, it was slightly melting to the heat of the coffee, so I removed that to enjoy the brew.

Additional branding as the 'So Ro' on the cup and on the inside of the shop.

Food Items available, so tried a:

Scone (6 rmb),  Blueberry Muffin and Chocolate Muffin (8 rmb each).

The scone was dry, the blue muffin was cake and the chocolate muffin was bland.

Other desserts didn't look desirable.

Second Attempt:

Barista remembered my order. Nice.

Nice conversation with the owner.

Ordered Tiramisu for 18 rmb and a almond muffin. Both were nice.

Will be back.

Lygon street

Lygon street
Espresso coffee
(Also known as Lygon coffee; Lygon Street Cafe; Black'Smith)

Ground Floor, CHJ Global Innovation Hub, Shanghai Business Park (1036 Tianlin Lu; Caohejing Hi-Tech Park)

22 latte
30 Affogato

Decent portions
Sour, but not long lasting
Not bitter, not Acidic
Low caffeine content

Has wifi, decent space, modern office building.

Roasted weekly. But couldn't nail down the source.


CanTresor

CanTresor Pretzels

Website

~341 Tianshan Road (corner of Weining Road), just south of Paris Baguette, slighty behind outside escalators at  Bingo (Bingu) Leisure and Cultural square.

Offers drip in Bunn Machine or Brewster Ice Brew
Los Beans (Bagged; 95 rmb for Champs-Elysees; Mexican Farmers pretending a Canadian product)

Brewed Coffee: 16 rmb
Maple Cold Brew Iced Coffee: 19 rmb
Business Package: 29 rmb Pretzel and Coffee

Didn't try the Coffee, but did try a couple Pretzles which were tasty. 

Gurantee on Website (didn't see in shop): 'We guarantee you’ll love your pretzel, or we’ll replace it with one that you do.'

This shop heavily promotes its Canadian roots. There is one shop in Canada, serveral in China.

It is clean and the staff are attentive to being keeping clean and preparing food in a safe manner.

CanTresor Background

CanTresor Group Inc

Federal Company: 10938513
Incorporation date is August 9, 2018.
 Principal address: Suite 590 - 999 West Broadway, Vancouver, BC V5Z 1K5.

Directors:
Jeffery Shing     7517 Kilrea Place, Burnaby BC V5A 4T5
Shijie Kao     #118 - 5788 Birney Avenue, Vancouver BC V6S 0A2

Vacounver Location

29B – Lower Level, City Square, 555 W 12th Ave,


Shanghai Location:
CanTresor (Shanghai) Catering Management Co., Ltd.

Vai

Vai - Milano - Gelato & Cioccolato

Link Map: 152 Mei'er Blvd

Link: Website

Gelato for 29 rmb
Affogato for 28 rmb (1 espresso and a scoop of Gelato)

The Espresso was dark and bitter, but not acidic or sour. The gelato helped, but couldn't solve the problem.

One staff member paid attention to ensure their sick co-worker didn't partake in food preparation for my order. It was appreciated.

Shanghai Brew House

Located on the Foreign Street in Hongqiao.

There are other locations around the city.

While this is a bar, they do offer: Rise & Shine - Coffee Red Ale
6.5% ABV (Alcohol by volume) 20 IBU (International bitterness units)

It has a taste of coffee.


Lark Coffee

 I heard that Lark's downtown location was closed in early 2019. Found Lark Coffee Binjiang Branch; Gate 4 along the waterfront.

 After spending considerable time nailing down the location, it appears that Lark is closed up shop in Shanghai. The Binjiang Branch is now called
Picardie Cafe and it also appears to be closed.

Midland Coffee

Espresso Hot: 18 rmb; Ice: 18 rmb; Latte: 18 rmb; Ice: 18 rmb; Cappuccino: 18 rmb; Ice: 18 rmb - infact, all drinks here are 18 rmb - hot or cold.

Ordered a Peach, Matcha Milkshake: 18 rmb

They engaged in a multi-step proceess, which included actual ice cream. However various creams and sugar syrups and 'fruit pieces' were added.

Provided a 20 rmb note, for the 18 rmb, but they couldn't make 2 rmb in change. They didn't accept other forms of payment, outside of digital and so offered it without a fee. It wasn't very good and took a long walk and a desiration for fluids to make it palatable.

MingS

MingS is a large roasting company in Shanghai. One of the first in the city.

Found they had a cafe and training school on CaoBao Lu, so headed that way.

However, while the sign is still there, it does not appear to be operational.

Read online of a location out in Songjiang, so will try to get to that location.

Second Attempt

Second attempt was better. The Cafe and Training school is just a training school. For bean sales, have to head to the 3rd floor. There, they were initially not welcoming, but soon they welcomed me in and provided information on their products. Sampled a couple of their espressos beans and their milk.

a.Grand Espresso blend (40% robusta blend) by itself it is a strong, but not bitter or acidic, slightly sour. This was not improved by a different grind. With milk, it was not as good as b. Highly caffeinated though.
b. Intenso 21 (20% robusta blend) by itself it is bold in flavour, but not bitter, but slightly acidic, and sour. Mixed with milk, it was much better. Still a bold flavor, but the acidicity and sourness was blended away. Medium Caffeine content.
(note: They do not record/check for caffeine content).

While they normally sell online, they do sell in store for about 90 rmb/1 kg. 

They indicated they do not have a Songjiang location, so that is probably just a reseller using their logos.

Little M Coffee

Little M Coffee
(possibly also known as Rotimum)

Their sign for a Gold Durian Bun caught my eye. However they were sold out, so I opted for the Icecream Coffee Bun for 15rmb. Also ordered the Coconut Milk Tea: 18 rmb.

The Coffee Bun was ok, but the ice cream and foam syrup was not .
The Coconut was light, the tea tasted like syrup and it included tapioca pearls.
Another mistake in order today (see Midland).

Kock Coffee

4-325 Taixing Road, Just off Beijing west road, Jing'an

While they have their own branding, they were unable to provide details on where their beans are from.

20 rmb for Latte
22 rmb for Hot Milk
32 rmb for Affogatto


Dal Cuore

 Italian meaning, From the Heart.

Came for the Gelato, noticed they also offer Affogatto.

2 Gelato flavours: 35 rmb
Cold Brew/Espresso Affogatto + 1 flavor for 48 rmb

Butterfly Pea and Dark Chocolate (has Nibs). Quality is good, not high in sugar. Provided more of the cheaper flavouring options, in this case the Dark chocolate.

Other flavours:
Musang King Durian
Persimmon
Blackcurrent grapefruit
Salted Caramel
Strawberry milk
Sicilian Pistacchio
Mascarpone Figs
Avocado Coconut
Lychee Rose
Pineapple Szechuan Pepper
Cheesecake
Mint Stracciatella
Black Sesame
Vanilla
Yogurt

While the Gelato was good, the cold brew coffee doesn't sound too great. The Espresso machine is a home push button unit.

Dallatte

No.91, Ruijin Er Road (瑞金二路91)

2nd location: No.170-3 Jiashan Road (嘉善路170-3)

http://www.dallatte.it

Affogato
Two Flavours of Gelator + Cafe (Capsule Coffee) for 35 rmb.

I opted for Hazelnut and Violet (likely lavender) for the two flavours.

The coffee is dark, bitter, sour and slightly acidic. Good thing there is ice cream to balance it. The Violet did the trick.

The location is small, but the staff are friendly.

I tried the second location, Coffee Gelato - has a nice taste. Will try it again.


Mama's Kitchen

On the corner of Yongjia Road and Jiashan Road, inside Just Fresh store.

Two for One Offer.

Bagged Coffee: Ming's Classic Inheritance since 2003, Mings No. 3 Coffee
(Decent brand, early supplier of Coffee in China)

Cappuccino and Latte for 23 rmb (2 for 1 offer).

Pricing is confusing.
Small 23, large 25rmb. Difference. Cup size. Both have a single shot.
Double Espresso: 16 rmb.

There is no knowledge of what a shot was, because they let the machine pour in two double shots - 4 shots in each cup. wow. Good thing, i didn't order a double. The best part was that there was actually little caffeine in the coffee, so that also helped.

Also got three mini croissants for 12 rmb. They had a sweet sugar glaze, which made them unique.

Mama's Kitchen is located in Just Fresh, a new concept grocery/foreign discount store. The prices are pretty good, with a mix foreign goods (like Russian chocolate bars) and baking items. Mama's Kitchen offers baked goods and coffee in a small space. There is no Mama though, just something the investors thought sounded trendy.

Demon Coffee

A coffee shop and bakery. Walked through - Espresso 20 rmb Latte 28 rmb, Cappuccino 30 rmb.

SoftTree

Heard about this brand from a local bakery 'Our Bakery'. So thought I would go to the source. Found it at K11, B2 in the hallway going to the foodcourt.

Good Affogato - turns out it wasn't so good. Not good ice cream and not even coffee, despite the suggestion that it was.

The staff members indicated that the espresso was brewed in their espresso machine, however they were not able to provide details of the beans.

As the website says
'더 굿 아포가토
 보리를 로스팅한 디카페인 보리-카노를 '

In English:
'The Good Affogato..
 Decaffeinated barley-cano roasted barley'

 For 37 rmb, you might as well skip this place.

 Brands which trick customers with misleading names and ingredient lists will not be successful in the long term.


Caffee Tubino

Anfu road just off Wulumuqi Middle Road

FeiDan has been rebranded as Alimentari (Italian for Food) and has its own ' Coffee Lab' - Caffee Tubino.
Horrible spot lighting on the menu, makes it hard to read the meu.

Latte: 30 rmb

Hidden on the side, behind a small table - was the red face of the food safety sign.

ZiinLife

Coffee Shop with 'Designer' home interior items.

Lured me in with Unique Affogatos - such as rice wine gelato or oolong tea gelato and espresso plus the two for one offer (48rmb).

Prepared to order, but the offer not available.

Do you have espresso? Yes. Do you have gelato? Yes. What's the problem? No cups. Can you put in paper cup? Yes. So they made the ordered. They delivered one espresso and in a seperate dish the gelato, exactly as the picture indicated. Strange.

Espresso. Not great. Sour and bitter - but not acidic. The Gelato, not very flavourful. Later found out it was from Pantry's Best - a low quality bakery, who spun off a brand of ice cream know as PieHouse.

Espresso from Moon (off anfu lu)

ParCafe

Parcafe, located in many Family Marts.

This year, beans from the Republic of Guatemala (Spanish, República de Guatemala). Flavour is decent and they are working hard on flavor combinations.

August: Ireland Latte: Espresso (hot or cold) with Jameson Whiskey shots (technically 2-3 pumps). Two for one, 16 rmb (2.97cdn/2.23usd).


IG 2019

Anfu Road

IG is looking dated, however they changed their bean supplier again. This year not overly acidic, bitter or sour. So big improvements. However Low caffeine levels.

The wifi didn't work. The furniture is looking dated.

The new dessert, tiramisu is frozen and when thawed out has limit flavours.

Good Photography magazines though - so if you are into that, its still a nice place to relax with some nice music and good reads.

Cafe du Village

620 Bao Le Road, Minhang district.

1 block from Fashion Park Mall (which is south of the American School) and north of Forest Manor (which is west of the British School).

Once owned by a person from Taiwan province who used to roast beans, has since been sold to a local woman and they purchase packaged coffee.

Ordered Cappiccino (34rmb), recieved latte. Nice latte art though.

Is a bit bitter, but when blended with the milk, produced a smooth and enjoyable experience.

Barista Sam is knowlegable and we had a conversation about how the local earth changes the flavours of the beans. While limited to exposure to anything other than Arabica, he is friendly and outgoing. Also interested in selling membership cards to those who reside nearby.

Fancy Bean

4th floor - Queen's Lane, Changfeng Joy City (Joycity Putuo, Giraffe Joycity)
196 Daduhe Road, Putuo

Head up to the Queen's Lane (4th floor) and right to the left of the escalators is  this coffee shop.
From the outset it looks like your standard shop. Standard decorations with outragerous prices (38 rmb for latte). I was not impressed.

After experiencing the SkyPark and Space Cat - a trip worth it, it it self. I went downstairs and took another look, with more thirsty eyes.

As I came close, I was greeted by Mr. Chen, my barrista from Danity Cup, who drew me in.
After testing his ethopian cold brew, he brewed up a fine cup for me.
To show off his Artistic skills, he brewed up an equally fine brew for my friend, who has different taste than I do, using the same beans, just changing the grind and tempering.
After awhile, he showed off his bullet roaster. Cool.

Benefits:
- 6 water filters
- Mr. Chen: Excellent Artist

On Air

634/ On Air (634 Huaihui Lu)
Also Cafe OnAir

Location hidden behind building off huihui lu, part of fence for former office of sen yet sun.

Barista is knowledgable, heard of Wondermilk while serving in Beijing.

Sour, but not acidic or bitter.
low-to-medium caffiene
Single orgin Ethopian.
Ordered Cappiccino (38rmb), recieved latte
Over-extracted, with grinds.
Dirty dishes piled up. 


Water damage in roof
Chairs provide an artistic look, do nothing for comfort of patrons

On Air 2 - Closed

102 Lixi Road

Ground floor, same building as Interior designers owners. 2nd location in Shanghai.

This quiet shop is a newer building (compared to surrounding buildings) and down a quiet lane.

While I didn't stop for a coffee here, Lixi road is worth it to take a look down.

On Air 3

30-1 Sinan Road (Just off Huaihui Lu and Sinan road)

This location is not apparent. I was on the opposite side of the street by M & C Pet, looking for it and totally missed it.

This location has a kitchen and serves food.

Mia Fringe Cafe

627 Huaihai Road

Came for the Austrian Cafe event. Opted against their automatic coffee and tried a croissant, which was decent for 12 rmb.

The cafe is downstairs, but the resturant upstairs has better seating.

Bardot - Appears Closed

Bardot

B1, Aegean Place

Nice Interior Design. The interior design style is well seen in Shanghai for both its cafe and its lounge, however it is still looks clean. The lounge seating has chesterfield (patchwork leather sofa) styles.

The interior design is well branded from the tables to the planters to the cashier and espresso making stations.

The take away cup is also branded with red lips and a silver diamond which glitters in light.

I opted for the Affagato, seeing this was a speciality ice cream shop - however they didn't have any ice cream. Ok. So went for the Cappacino. Sadly, the order of the cappacino resulted in an latte, with at least decent art. The bean was bagged dark roast, sour and acidic and stored in the grinder.

Bardot background

Bardot China is the reincarnaton of Bardot (California), a brand which failed due to high prices for a well packaged inferior product.

Designer: Landor
Award: Bronze Design Lion at 2012 Cannes Lions

Advanced Ice Cream Technologies Corp. dba (doing business as) Bador filled for Bankruptcy at the
    California Southern Bankruptcy Court (3:13-bk-11024) on Nov 12, 2013.

In Shanghai, Xavier Briseno has teamed up with the korean team of Zoo Cafe.

Sky Cafe

 Roof Top, Aegean Place

 This aptly named Cafe is located on the rooftop of Aegean Place. It has various rows of plants growing nearby, from corn to flowers. It is on the opposite side of the Pony Club, which is a horse riding training school.

 The structure is not very large, but it is made with glass. I didn't go inside, however they do appear to have an espresso machine and tables for patrons and animals to rest upon. From a brief view outside puppies, kittens, rabbits and even some rats could be seen on the inside. If you are intrested in coffee and drinking with such creatures, this may be the place for you.

Rose cafe 2019

Ordered cappuccino, got a decent Latte.
Dark roast, but relatively smooth.

Had to request for AC.
Interior is well worn and not clean.

Danity 2019

New Staff
Cappiccino (22rmb)
cleaner than last year.
Slightly sour, but not acidic or bitter.
medium-to-high caffiene

2nd Attempt

Acidic

3rd Attempt

Nice flavourful brew. Slight chocolate flavour, slight acidic effect (not in taste).

Low foam production.

Barista Tracy Yang is friendly.

4th Attempt

Slightly bitter and acidic.

Seems it is hits and misses this year. During August there was idea that it was closing, do to the closure of Takashimaya - however as Takashimaya was able to secure its lease, Danity Cup remained opened, but now with new bar stools.


More Than Coffee 2019

Hits and misses this year. Not sure if they use Lavazza beans any more.

Queen was closed and so opted to try More Than, first time regretted that. Luke warm coffee, despite the repeated requests and confirmations of hot coffee. Sad.

Despite the poor service and luke-warm coffee, the taste was alright. Probably not Lavazza though.

Tim Hortons

While once a Canadian brand, it is now owned by a Brazilan conglomerate, 3G Capital, which also owns inBev, one of the largest liquid beverage companies.

Thankfully this Tim Hortons is far better than the Canadian version. The food items are more pricey, but you can get a cappaccino for 25 rmb.
They use a different bean (dark, but not overly bitter, acidic or sour) - while it is packaged coffee, it is run through a re-branded MF push button coffee machine, and actually steam milk. Much better than their low quality instant milk powder in their push button machines in Canada.

Second Visit
Dark roast, bitter, acidic. not overly sour.
Great foam 
 
 While the foam was great and the price is decent, would not go out of my way to get another.

Third Visit
 Dark roast, bitter, acidic, not overly sour.

 Boston Cream Donut: A terrible dinner roll with condensed milk inside, coated in low grade chocolate. No need to relive this experience.

Forth Visit

 Advertised an Affogato for 39rmb. So went for a try. Its not available at every location, was told to go to the first branch near People's Square.

 From first sight, I wasn't willing to try, as this location is a mess - ie. Not clean.
 
 Despite the advertising, it turned out to be a bowl of whipped cream, tiny bubble tea spheres with an ice cream bar served on the top. Pour in your own shot of Standard Tim Horton's Shanghai coffee.

 The result: Disappointment. For my guest, food poisoning. 

West Bund Bistro

West Bund Bistro 2555

Ordered cappuccino, got a Latte.

Dark roast, Acidic, but not bitter.  Slightly sour.
Diluting with a cup of water helps, adding family mart ice cream improves slightly.

Nice take outcup, which is cork lined and comes with a sleeve with their branding.

Sam's Club Cafe

Sam's Club, Pudong location

Afternoon Tea Set

1 Cake and Latte for 26rmb

Dark roast with slight bitterness, but not sour or acidic.

Push button operation.


Wagas

While wagas previously didn't fair well, they are celebrating their own roastery with 15rmb cappacinos and lattes.

Their roast is dark, slightly sour and acidic. However when drunk with milk, its not too terrible. Plus at 15 rmb, its more palatable.

Also their Hongqiao Central Business District location offers 50% off croissants and chocoalate crossiants in the evening.

They offer a zucchini pistachio cake which has no zucchini, only carrots with a sprinkly of pistachio , but its at least a decent carrot cake. 28 rmb

Tuk

Offers Turkish coffee, however didn't try.

Had a meal:
Turkish bread (12rmb; comes with wasabi, yogurt sauce): sauce ok, bread dry.
Beef-lamb donair (~48rmb): great seasoning.
Baklava (26rmb): not too sweet, layers, lots of nuts. Great.

Coffee Belt - Closed


Two blend with what they say is medium-roast.
Overly acidic, however not sour or bitter.
Cappacino: 26rmb takeout (6 rmb savings for takeout).

Local milk product, not refrigerated.

Nursed this terrible coffee until I found some ice cream to add to it.

White castle was offering new soft serve: 12 rmb + 50% off second
Sadly, it was low quality, small size, cone too sweet - however was 'fresh' as package was just opened.

In comparison, Bon Matin has hand made waffle cones which are not as sweet, better quality ice cream at a larger size (2-3 times larger) for 9 rmb. 

On a side note, White castle now serves coffee.

Terrible Ice cream and Terrible coffee blended together made them with consumable.

Both Enjoy Cafe

1 Henan Middle Road (across from Westin Hotel)

Happy face, decent interior design.

Baked goods apparently from Pudong factory.

Indicated they roasted themselves a blend.

Highly acidic, but not bitter or sour. Highly caffinated. 

Cappuccino 29 rmb (1 rmb cheaper than the Latte).

Barista forgot to give change and than it got worse from there. Tiny foam cup.

The worst of all, is that they recylce milk - meaning after they steam milk, they pour left overs in a jug next to their machine (without refrigeration) and reuse it for the next customer. How terrible for me. Fear of food posioning me prevented from enjoying this coffee.

Wawy

 Wulumuqi Middle Road

 This is a small shop which connects to a bar, which is its main focus.

 A tiny espresso machine with beans from MQ Coffee.

 Apparently, Mr. Wu has broken up with his partner and has his own shop.


Background

1st floor, Fuxing Plaza and 66 Wulumuqi Middle Road

From Onirii. Been waiting for them to open since they told me two years ago about their plans to branch off to another location.

Seems they have rebranded now.

Concept shop: https://mhpd-inc.com/WAWY

Onirii

Jinxian Road (Across the street from 105 Cafe; 209 Jinxian Road)

Found Onirii again. On the expensive side and the Baristas didn't seem too knowledgable. Perhaps when Mr. Wu is available will take a look again.

Nonagon Coffee

Two options. Dark roast or sour (which they note as fruity).

Honest barrista indicates that product designed for local market and obtained from 3rd party.

Prices are decent but quanity is small and cups look flimsy.

Not particularly clean.

Opted to not to try.

Coffee Ca Phe Viet Nam

- Unchecked-

Also known as VSmooth Coffee

Chinese/Vietnamese Coffee Shop

Background

Started in Hangzhou. Man from Anhui, Woman from Vietnam whos family owns a coffee plantation. Met in Taiwan province.

Blackbird

- Unchecked- 

Columbia Circle, Building 8, 1262 Yan'an Xi Lu (Panyu Road)

Old blackbird changed their location. 

Akimbo Cafe Lab

- Unchecked-

Yuyuan Lu

Shenzhen coffee shop (established in October 2018) which also sells clothing and home furnishings. 

Fika

- Unchecked-

382 Shaanxi Nan Lu

Chinese run 'Swedish' Cafe

Jascaffe

- Unchecked-

Also known as Jascaffe Trading Company/Coffee House

Jiuting, Songjiang

Background

Registered capital is Euro. Co-venture with Swiss Coffee machine supplier. 

Other New Shops

Here are some shops spotted, but haven't checked yet.

Barista Made Coffee (BMC)

- Unchecked - 

Nuevo 66

- Unchecked-

Odor CoffeeShop

- Unchecked-

Nock Coffee

Not open, just a sign in front of a stall.

Warming

Tiny shop, formely a Manner coffee shop.

Tequila Espresso Coffee

Recommends to drink alcohol after 6pm. However was closed.

Big Bagel

Big Bagel (bagel & coffee)

Bathe

Small shop.

Pina Ponpon

Set the new paragraph text here.

Griffin Coffee

Small shop.

In D ugh We Trust

Name could be something else, perhaps a letter fell off?

2018



Fox


Fox (note: No name, just a logo)

Zhedie Coffee

Walk-by: October 2nd, 2018

Ferry Space, Below Nanpu Bridge

18 Lujiabang Road and Waima Road.

Type: Latte

Cons:

- Beans stored in grinder

- No noticeable air conditioning

Semi Automatic Espresso Machine

 

Price: 30 rmb


Bunny Drops

Bunny Drops

Walk-by: October 2nd, 2018

Binjiang Da Dao

(Elevated Coal Corridor at Laobaidu Riverside Greenland)

Type: Latte

Cons:

- Beans stored in grinder

- Very tight space, with no air conditioning, very hot.

- Not very clean

- Board menu hard to read due to small interior design

- Poor layout to get to ordering station and menu

(Note: I was the only customer inside at the time)

Semi Automatic Espresso Machine

 

Price: 30 rmb

 

Real Coffee


Real Coffee

Reviewed: October 2nd, 2018

Binjiang Da Dao

Type: Latte

Pros:

- Decent coffee. Only slightly sour, but not acidic. Actually contained caffeine.

- Able to pick type of roast.

- Blending done in-house (note: roasted by third party in Qingpu).

- Beans refrigerated (some beans stored in grinder)

- Ground at the time of order

- Milk of decent quality

- Brand design is nice and interior design is decent as well.

Cons:

- Despite being a light roast, it was dry and well roasted.

- Location: Remote location in Pudong, off the main pathway in office building

- Staff: Limited effort in coffee production, seemed only interested in food sales during weekdays to staffers in office building. Failed to make latte foam as requested.

Note: Menu only available in Mandarin.

 

Price: 30 rmb

 

Blatage

Blatage

Walk-by: October 2nd, 2018

4594 Binjiang Da Dao

 

Cons:

- Dark Roast

- Not very clean

- Beans stored in grinder

- No noticeable air conditioning

- Espresso machine

 


Ride

 

Ride

Walk-by: October 2nd, 2018

Binjiang Da Dao

Type: Latte

Pros:

- Large interior space (Compared to Bunny Drops next door) 

Cons:

- Beans stored in grinder

 

Price: 35 rmb

 


Collection

Collection

Walk-by: October 2nd, 2018

588 Zhongshan East 2nd Road,

Bund Finance Center

 

 


Manner

Manner

Walk-by: October 2nd, 2018

588 Zhongshan East 2nd Road,

Basement Two, Bund Finance Center

 

Pros:

- Actual espresso machine

- Basic Espresso Shot for 10rmb (great price for location)

Cons: 

- Confusing price structure (Staff unable to provide details on it)

- Located in B2 food court.

 


Mercedes me Shanghai

Mercedes me Shanghai

Walk-by: October 2nd, 2018

588 Zhongshan East 2nd Road,

Unit N103, Bund Finance Center

Type: Latte

Pros:

- Actual espresso machine

Cons:

- Beans stored in grinder

- Dishonesty with brewing location of craft beer – indicated two types brewed in UK and USA on menu, but upon further details admitted location from Hubei and only the types of beer were originally from those regions, not the actual brewing.

 

Price: 35 rmb

Note:

- Price decent for ground level location (35 rmb), however one is better off to head down to B2 to Manner coffee and get an espresso shot for 10rmb or a latte for 15-20 rmb.

 


Seesaw


Seesaw

Walk by: October 19th, 2018

IAMP Mall, 999 Huaihai Lu

 

Cons:

- Milk container on counter

- No staff available (despite being open) 

Semi-Automatic Espresso Machine

 

Seesaw at Bund Finance Center

Walk-by: October 2nd, 2018

588 Zhongshan East 2nd Road, Bund Finance Center

 

Actual espresso machine

 

 

The Isles

The Isles

Reviewed: September 30th, 2018

 Cons:

- Nespresso Commercial Machine

- Forgot my drink orders and forgot half my food menu item orders

Note: Restaurant had 3 tables filled during time of order and only one by the time the fish and chips arrived.

This place has gone way down hill since they first opened.

Café at Shanghai Arts and Craft Museum

 

Café at Shanghai Arts and Craft Museum

Walk-by: October 2nd, 2018

79 Fenyang Road, Xuhui

 

Need to pay 8rmb to enter café as it is a part of the Arts and Craft Museum.

The museum is a good place to find traditonal arts or if you are looking to buy them. Not sure about the café though, it was closed when I went to see it.

Le Comptoir de Pierre Gagnaire

 

Le Comptoir de Pierre Gagnaire

Walk-by: October 2nd, 2018

480 Jianguo West Road

 

Located by the west gate of the Capella Hotel, is this bakery. Beans stored in grinder. On the plus side, they have an actual espresso machine (be it a compact one).

 

 

1267 Kaffee

1267 Kaffee

Walk-by: October 2nd, 2018

In a residence flat, part of the Capella Residences, is 1267 Kaffee. Its simple look is marred by its poor layout. No details about their coffee. The photo reveals the poor lighting and air conditioning.

Roastery

Roastery

Walk-by: October 2nd, 2018

Boarded up with a promise of re-opening. Sad.

Baker One

Baker One

Walk-by: October 2nd, 2018

A shell of its former glory. Now working AnimateCafe (Animecafe would have been a better name), which doesn’t serve coffee, just sugary drinks and snacks with Anime themes. Baker One does serve coffee and bakery items, but with a cheap run down look.

Danity Cup


Danity Cup

Reviewed October 3rd, 2018

Takashimaya, Gubei

Type: Latte Type 1 (light roast)

Pros:

- Actual espresso machine and skilled Barrista

- Barrista friendly and remembered previous order from months ago

- Beans blended and roasted by company (but in suzhou location)

- Decent caffiene content

- Price: 22 rmb

Cons:

- Sanitary practices not as good as in the past (milk left out, machines need cleaning)

- Latte Type 1 was a bit sour than previously remembered

 

Price: 22 rmb

Danity Cup

Reviewed: October 21st, 2018

Basement, Takashimaya Gubei 

Type: Latte (Blend 1) 

Pros:

- Price

- Decent quality product (still in top Coffee vendors in Shanghai)

Cons:

- Slightly sour with a slight after-taste. However not bitter or acidic.

(note: different blend than last September [at that time didn’t have bagged coffee])

- Milk brand changed

- Coffee grounds included in the espresso shots.

- Latte Art wasn’t great.

- Take away cup didn’t have their standard label sticker

- Mr. Lee remember my order, however his assistant, also Mr. Lee, didn’t finish it off well.

- Their factory moved and now they have bagged coffee.

https://weidian.com/?userid=820187560

 

Price: 22 rmb


Reviewed on October 28th:

- Original Mr. Lee

- Latte art was decent

- The shot was bitter and slightly acidic.

- Not very clean work station or espresso machine

2019: Apparently Mr. Lee has been replaced with a young Barista.

3 Wise Monkeys

3 Wise Monkeys

Walk-by: October 5th, 2018

Fake happy face (food health notification) is bad start for a coffee shop. 

Lady M

Lady M

Walk-by: October 5th, 2018

Cons:

- Fake Lines. People waiting in line, get to the front of the line, scan something, don’t get anything and go back to the back of the line to wait some more.  

- Prices

Picnic

Picnic  

Walk-by: October 5th, 2018

Cons:  

- Prices (more expensive than french bakery across street)

City Shop at ASM Mall (CaoBao Lu)

City Shop at ASM Mall (CaoBao Lu)

Walk-by: October 5th, 2018

Cons:  

- Beans stored in grinder

- Beans looked old and dry

Hogan Bakery by Parkson

Hogan Bakery by Parkson  

Walk-by: October 5th, 2018

Reviewd: October 7th, 2018

Ground Floor, Novel Centre (Xingeng Road and TianYaoQiao Road), Xujiahui

Latte

Cons:

- Sour  (only a slight after-taste, not acidic)

- Did not ask if take-away or stay (despite seating available; however seating area is very dirty)

- Lid on cup did not match cup (overfilled cup, so gave me a lid to self-administer)

Pros:
- Good foam production

- Semi-Automatic Coffee Machine

- Semi-trained Barrista (self-taught)

 

Price: Latte 25 rmb

Bon Matin


Bon Matin

Walk by: October 5th, 2018

Ground Floor, Novel Centre (Xingeng Road and TianYaoQiao Road), Xujiahui

Ice Cream + Latte (Affogato)

Pros:

- Nice Staff

- Hokkaido (Ezo) Ice cream

Cons:

- Coffee Sour and Bitter 

- UHT Milk (at least a decent brand)

Note: Uses Semi-Automated Espresso Machine

 

Price: Latte 24 rmb + Ice cream 12 rmb

Smiley Peet


Smiley Peet

Walk by: October 5th, 2018

Basement, Orient Shopping Mall (HongQiao Road and Caoxi North Road), Xujiahui

Type: Latte

Pro:

- Nice Latte Art

- Decent foam production

- Decent Taste

- Wet naps provided and they are of good quality.

Cons:

- Staff didn’t want to accept OK card for payment, but later accepted it.

(LeMe location)  

- Washrooms upstairs in mall

 

Price: 26 rmb

Luckin Coffee

Luckin Coffee (also known as 瑞幸咖啡 [Ruixing Coffee])

Full Automatic Coffee Machines

Despite the claim of being like Starbucks, it is not.
Locations are usually in wierd locations, likely due to low rent in the location.

Payment is via digital payments. Cash is not accepted.

Luckin Coffee ASM Mall (CaoBao Lu)

Walk by: October 4th, 2018

Located on west side of ASM on ground floor, not easily visible.

Background

Luckin Coffee Inc. (incorporated in Cayman Islands;  June 2017; 20% owned by Forever Growth Enterprise Ltd. [Roasters])
Filled on 2019-04-22 to Securities Exchange Commission to be listed on the Nasdaq.
SEC Accession No. 0001047469-19-002450

Class A ordinary shares, par value US$0.000002 per share.

Net Loss (December 31, 2018): 475,375,000

Operating Loss (December 31, 2018): 138.4%

Black Rock obtained 173,182 Series B-1 convertible redeemable preferred shares for 150 million.

Louis Dreyfus Company Asia Pte. Ltd joint venture roasting.

China Office

17F Block A, Tefang Portman Tower

No. 81 Zhanhong Road

Siming District, Xiamen, Fujian

People’s Republic of China, 361008

Ole Cafe

It appears that each Ole (grocery store) has a cafe in 2018. The one at Mixc is no exception.

When it opened they had an italian guy preparing the espressos.

Later a part-time barrista, who did it for run after work.

Than a part-time barrista, who also worked in the canteen and aided the girl in the flower market.

Latte: 25rmb. Can pay with an OK card.

Z-Real&M

Z-Real&M

Walk by: October 5th, 2018

Co-share by Ole at Gateway Plaza 66

Type: Latte

- Local Brand
- Friendly Staff
- Decent brew
- Decent foam

 

Price: 30 rmb

Ya Qu Tea and Coffee

Walk-by. Looked more like a tea shop. Located inside the Hongqiao Flower Market.

Spilt Milk

 Spilt Milk

Walk by: October 6th, 2018

 North-West end of Unnamed Road, Changning Qu (Former Rubber Factory)

Type: Latte

Pro:

- Get to choose different types of milk

- Mid-size and mini espresso machine

Cons: 

- Unaware of the orgin of their beans

 

Price: 30 rmb

Luneurs

Luneurs

Reviewed: October 6th, 2018

 Central area of Unnamed Road, Changning Qu (Former Rubber Factory)

Type: Affogato

Pro:

- Price for Affogato same as a latte (which could be seen as as a Con)

- Nice Interior design apperance

Cons: 

- Super Sour (but with minimal after-taste and not acidic)

- Interior design is not suitable for customers (mini tables on a hard single bench seat)

 

Price: 35 rmb

Coffee School

Coffee School (no specific name recalled)

Walk by: October 6th, 2018

 North-East end of Unnamed Road, Changning Qu (Former Rubber Factory)

Type: Latte

Pro:

- Interior Design is decent, Art deco drawings are the highlight  

Cons: 

- Most Beans are dark and dry

- Teach Deaf people to become Barristas, though they seemed unaware of any charity aspect of this and perhaps just see it as a method of raising funds from government agencies.  

 

Price: 30 rmb

Coffii & Joy

Coffii & Joy 

Walk by: October 7th, 2018

Metro Plaza, Xujiahui

Type: Latte

Cons: 

- Smaller sized cups in order to provide less product. 


 

Price: 25 rmb (medium), 30 rmb (large)

Art Culture & Creativity

Art Culture & Creativity

Walk by: October 7th, 2018

Shanghai Library, Metro Line 10

 

Cons:

- No staff

Located in the Metro Station

Valanza coffee

Venue is closed.

Valanza coffee

Walk by: October 7th, 2018

2281 Yishan Rd

Type: Latte

Pros:

- Foam Production is high

- Only Slightly sour; Not acidic and has no after-taste.

Cons:

- Presentation isn’t great   

 

Price: 28 rmb  

Ca sent bon Café (It smells good Café)

 

Ca sent bon Café (It smells good Café)

Reviewed October 7th, 2018

1702 Huaihui Zhong Road

Type: Latte

Pros:
- Uses Wondermilk (Whole Milk; note: See Wondermilk below)

- Good foam production

- Nice Presentation

- Gives options for other milk-like products at reasonable prices

- Prices are decent

- Friendly staff (Lily)

- Clean (note: windows are open, and it is street level on Huaihui road)

- Has Air conditioning and Wifi

- Despite size, has a washroom

- Own blending and roasting (roasted between Longbai XinCun - Ziteng Road, metro line 10) 

- Decent quality take-away cup

Cons: 

- Slighty sour with slight aftertaste

- Stored in Grinder (however staff indicated that is daily use of non-speciality blend, which they go through 2 ½ bags daily; Speciality coffee is refrigerated).

- No happy face (food safety)

- High Caffine levels (be careful; they calculate a double shot as 1 shot)

- 2 to 3 stage water filter

- Taiwanese owner

 

Price: 26 rmb

 

Ca Sent Bon Café (parent shop/roastery)

Ca Sent Bon Café (parent shop/roastery)

Walk by: October 18th, 2018

286 Ziteng Road 

 

This was once the location of the parent shop for Ca Sent Bon Café, however they kept the upstairs for roasting and rented out the downstairs to another coffee shop called Meet Coffee. However this coffee shop doesn’t exist anymore. The location is on bit of a bar street and has the smell of urine.

T12: Coffee Lab

T12: Coffee Lab

Premium coffee house

Walk by: October 8th, 2018

5 Wuxing Lu

 

Cons: 

- Unfriendly entrance

 

Tie Coffee

Tie Coffee

Walk by: October 7th, 2018

 Lin 323-1 Tianyaoqiao Rd

Type: Latte

Cons: 

- Closed

(Pros: Engaged in repairs of their sink)

"Taiwan Speciality Coffee Brewed on a LaMarzocco"

 

Price: 22 rmb

Qingpu Hershey’s Coffee Shop

Qingpu Hershey’s Coffee Shop

Walk by: October 6th, 2018

Xijing Street, Zhujiajiao Ancient Town

Reviewed: October 13th, 2018

 

Type: Latte

Pro:

- Slightly sour, slight aftertaste, not acidic or bitter.

- Owner is friendly and proud of business (meaning willing to provide details to product; such as UHT milk, water filter, coffee bean)

- Semi-Automatic Espresso Machine

 

Price: 30 rmb

Madeleine

Madeleine

Walk by: October 16th, 2018

199 Hengshan Lu (need to enter the compound, its on the ground floor, about the centre).

 

Pros:

- Female staff member provided detailed cleaning work

Cons:

- Milk stored on counter
- Seats designed to make you not want to stay long

- Sesame Palets has good flavour

- Croissants are triangle shaped and odd flavoured

- Semi-Automatic Espresso Machine

- Didn’t order coffee, but ordered baked goods

Forty Two Coffee Brewers

Forty Two Coffee Brewers

Walk by: October 16th, 2018

Gopher Centre

757 Mengzi Road, Huangpu

 

Cons:

- Closed

(Pro: Staff indicated he just finished cleaning the machine)

- Semi-Automatic Espresso Machine

- Name looks like 24, but is actually 42.

- Is a chain across Shanghai

Second Location:

Basement of Building 7, Caohejing Hi-Tech Park, 1528 Gumei Road, Xuhui.

Tretar

Tretar (Third cup of coffee; Swedish)

Walk by: October 16th, 2018

Zhizaoju road (1 block north of Gospher centre)

 

Cons:

- Closed

Isle Coffee

Isle Coffee

Reviewed: September 20th, 2018

 6th Floor, West Gate Mall, West Nanjing Road.

Type: Latte

Located on 6th foor of West Gate (Nanjing Road) Shopping complex.

Mr. Chen, taiwanese barrista can brew up an excellent drink.

Pros:

- Excellent coffee, not bitter, sour or burnt flavours.

- Nice presentation (despite the takeout cup).

- Hard working barrista. He’s quiet but does a great job.

Cons:

- Location isn’t the best (6th floor of department store). 

Note:

- Dainty Cup on 5th floor doesn’t exist anymore.

- Second Attempt went perfectly well.

 

Price: 24rmb

Isle Coffee

Walk by: October 18th, 2018

6th Floor, West Gate Mall, West Nanjing Road.

Type: Latte 

Noon Order.

Pros:

- Bean quality was good (slightly sour, not acidic or bitter, no after-taste).

- Fresh Milk

Cons: 

- Payment was through bill which was submitted via Department store, which was slow. If in a rush, this would be annoying.

- Product was made during payment, which made process quicker, but espresso was flat by the time I came back and the coffee was only lukewarm.

- Staff indicated she had little experience with making coffee (found out later, she is more suited for tea making). 

Past 5pm; Mr. Chen on Duty

Pros:

- Bean quality was good (slightly sour, not acidic or bitter, no after-taste).

- Fresh Milk

Cons: 

- Served in paper cup, despite staying in the coffee bar – however this is likely due to often taking to go.

Americano Special: 16 rmb

 

Price: 22 rmb

Café du Lu

Café du Lu

Walk by: October 18th, 2018

2nd Floor (E2-05), East Block, Jing’an Kerry Centre, 1515 West (Xi) Nanjing Road

Type: Latte 

Cons: 

- Price

- Espresso Machine

 

Price: 48 rmb

Fisheye

Fisheye

Walk by: October 18th, 2018

3rd Floor (NK3-01), North Block, Jing’an Kerry Centre, 1515 West (Xi) Nanjing Road

Type: Latte 

Cons: 

- Beans stored in grinder

- Espresso Machine

- Kiosk in shopping mall

Limited in terms of offerings, not in regards to anything special.

 

Price: 32 rmb

Waggas Limited

Waggas Limited

Walk by: October 18th, 2018

1st Floor, North Block, Jing’an Kerry Centre, 1515 West (Xi) Nanjing Road

 

Cons: 

- Beans stored in grinder

Espresso Machine

Limited in terms of offerings, not in regards to anything special.

Lokal

Lokal

Walk by: October 18th, 2018

202 Wukang Rd

 

Cons: 

- Closed

Semi AutomaticEspresso Machine

According to Staff, Lokal is like Baker & Spice for Office Workers who want more space and a patio setting.

% (also called % Arabica)

% (also called % Arabica)

Walk by: October 18th, 2018

112 Ferguson Lane, 374 Wukang Road

(in the back, near the washrooms)

Type: Latte 

Pros:

- Nice Interior Design

Cons: 

- Dark Roast only available

- Closed

- Espresso Machine

- On-site roaster (not sure if functional)

https://arabica.coffee/en/location/arabica-shanghai-wukang-lu/

 

Price: 35-45 rmb

Peets

Peets

Walk by: October 18th, 2018

1st floor, 378 Wukang Road

Type: Latte 

Cons: 

 - Beans stored in Grinder

Espresso Machine

 

Price: 34

The Cottage Cafe

The Cottage Cafe

Walk by: October 18th, 2018

1836 Middle Huaihai Road

Type: Latte 

Once a hair salon, this is now Cottage Café.

Located on the ground floor of the Wukang Mansion.

 

Price: 38

Pan Coffee

Pan Coffee

Walk by: October 18th, 2018

Nanchang Road

 

Pros:

- Appeared to have water filter and beans not stored in grinder

Cons: 

- Closed

Zhedie cafe

Zhedie cafe

Walk by: October 19th, 2018

Nanchang Road

 

Pros:

- Doorway entrance is nice with large espresso machine as a base for an original-looking italian espresso machine.

Cons: 

- Beans stored in Grinder

Machine they actually use is a Small espresso machine 

Metal Hands, Beijing

Metal Hands, Beijing

Walk by: October 19th, 2018

Nanchang Road

Type: Latte 

Pros:

- Claims a Light Roast

Cons: 

- Beans stored in Grinder

- Closed

- Disinterested Staff

 

Price: 35 rmb

Original Coffee & Bakery

Original Coffee & Bakery

Walk by: October 19th, 2018

Near Nanchang Road

Type: Latte 

Pros:

- 4 stage water filter

- Beans not stored in Grinder

Cons: 

 - Espresso Machine broken

Staff explained 7 blended beans, but when it came to order they indicated machine was broken and offered fruit tea instead.

 

Price: ~28 rmb

Keep Powered by Manner

Keep Powered by Manner

Walk by: October 19th, 2018

Nanchang Road

Type: Latte 

Pros:

- Nice overhead rail doors on side door

Cons: 

- Tiny space

- Closed

 

Price: 25 rmb

Miss Sixty Café

 

Miss Sixty Café

Walk by: October 19th, 2018

IAMP Mall, 999 Huaihai Lu

Type: Latte 

Cons:

- Illy Vacuum Sealed Canisters as interior design

- Beans stored in grinder

Semi-Automatic Espresso Machine

 

Price: 28 rmb

Tous le Jours (Everyday)


Tous le Jours (Everyday)

Reviewed: October 19th, 2018

Greenland Being Funny (phase 3)

Type: Latte

Pros:

- Slightly sour, not bitter or acidic. No after-taste.

Cons: 

- Beans stored in Grinder

- UHT milk (note: bag put over it and put in refrigerator) 

- No attempt at latte art (unless it is avant guard)

Semi-Automatic Espresso Machine

Grain de Café Roasters from Tous les Jours.

Franchise owned by CJ Foodville a division of  씨제이㈜ /CJ Corporation.

 

Price: 23 rmb

Second Location: Jingting Tiandi Mall, 1078 Hongquan road, Minhang.

Ordered Black Rose Cream Coffee for 26 rmb.

Initially described as a latte with cream on top. However in fact is a an americano with a shot of Black rose flavoring, topped with a thick layer of unappealing ‘cream’ product. Initially nice but difficult to finish it. Cream is too think, sweet and unappealing that it had to be scooped off and removed to get to the coffee, which was not very good either. Lesson learned.

Woof Woof

Woof Woof

Walk by: October 19th, 2018

3399 Park, Near West Bund (Xuhui Bund)

Type: Ice Cream Espresso (Affogato)

Pros:

- Merry Go Round in front of building

- More spacious Interior decor

Cons: 

- Beans stored in Grinder

- Higher price than their other location

- Staff seem unfamiliar with the brand

Espresso Machine

This is a branch of Jardin de Secret (the Secret Garden), called Woof Woof. It used to be near wukang lu, but moved to 3399 park near west bund. Its bigger and more spacious and has an old merry go round outside. Prices seemed slightly higher though.

 

Price: 48 rmb

2016

Part of the chain of Antique Shop themed Cafés. However this one closed shortly after I went there and moved its antiques to ‘La Jardin Secret’. Decent Coffee.

Re-opened in 2018.

Kentucky Fried Chicken

KFC

Reviewed: October 20th, 2018

Carrefour Mall, Pujiang

Type: Floating Ice Cream (Affogato)

Cons: 

- Not coffee; watered down coffee flavored beverage 

- Small amount of soft serve ice cream

- Other locations of KFC use at least real espresso shots.

 

Price: 13.50

Uconcept Gallery

Uconcept Gallery

Walk-by: October 20th, 2018

Pop Art, Century Link Mall

 

Saw the ad, but couldn’t find it. Probably not open yet.

Spacelab

Spacelab

Walked by: October 20th, 2018

3rd Floor, Phase II, Century Link Mall

1192 Century Ave

Type: Blackhorse Blue Coffee

Cons: 

- Beans stored in Grinder

- Order pad is slow and sometimes not responsive.  

Espresso Machine

Based on the rollercoaster restaurant from Germany.

http://www.rollercoasterrestaurant.com/en/

 

Price: 38 rmb

Texas Roadhouse

Texas Roadhouse

Walk by: October 20th, 2018

L5-010/Roof (near patio), Phase II, Century Link Mall, 1192 Century Avenue

Type: Latte

Steakhouse with a Bubba gump-esk feeling to it.  

https://www.texasroadhouse.com/restaurant-locations/shanghai-century-link-mall

 

Price: 39 rmb

Baker & Spice


Baker & Spice

Reviewed: October 15th, 2018

LCMall, Pudong Location

Type: Latte

Pro:

- Decent bakery items

- Interior design

- Latte Art is nice

- Decent foam production

Cons: 

- Despite having a lighter roast available, staff unwilling to use in a latte

- Sour, Bitter (not acidic), slight after-taste

- Wifi requires phone number

- Milk on counter (but staff indicated this was just for a few moments as they just finished making a drink)

- Semi-Automatic Espresso Machine

 

Price: 28 rmb (Classic Size)

Baker & Spice

Reviewed: October 20th, 2018

Basement, Phase I, Century Link Mall

Type: Latte

Pro:

- Milk was not UHT and was refrigerated

- Nice Latte Art

Cons: 

- Wagga Bagged Coffee (slightly sour, not bitter or acidic, slight after-taste; however very low caffeine).

- Staff unfriendly and a bit rude

- Latte not supplied with a spoon; found a soup spoon.

- Advertised Wifi doesn’t actual exist (login page, password, sms password, than local host error)

- Hygiene is questionable

- Semi-Automatic Espresso Machine

- Against my better judgement, I opted for a shortbread cookie. A rare find in a shanghai bakery. It was more like an oily sugar cookie than a shortbread cookie. The Almond croissant is decent for a dessert croissant.

- Better off heading to the LCMall Baker & Spice for a better experience.

 

Price: Classic

Coffee Time

Coffee Time

Reviewed: October 18th, 2018

Qingshan Road (near BaiZhang Road)

Type: Latte 

Despite the name, this isn’t really a coffee shop, rather is a small local restaurant. They were a bit surprised with questions about the beans, citing no one had asked the question before.

Cons: 

- Lavaza bagged coffee and no-brand beans

- Stored on shelf near entrance

- Semi-Automatic Espresso Machine

Note: Ironically the machine takes up a 2/3rds of the width of the restaurant

 

Price: 28 rmb

Symbol Coffee

Symbol Coffee

Reviewed: October 18th, 2018

 Aegean Place

Type: Latte 

Pros:

- Nice Interior design

Cons: 

- Slightly bitter, slightly Acidic, slight aftertaste (signature blend no. 1)

- low quality milk

- Pricing: Yunnan considered as Single Orgin Coffee and costs 3rmb more than signature blend no. 1 which contains 4-5 different beans. Pricing only informed after order.

- Pack pressure low

- Measure on scale

- Staff only make as per recipes, any variations require contacting business owners - such as the variation of foam content or type.

- Staff indicated they were not taught how to make foam and became increasingly inpatient and even rude.

Semi-Automated Espresso Machine

 

Price: 35 rmb

Bardot lounge

Bardot lounge

Reviewed: October 23rd, 2018

Aegean Place

 

Sign for this café has been around for awhile, no progress so far.

Caffaina Coffee Gallery

Caffaina Coffee Gallery

Walk-by

2 Hongjing Lu, Lane 120; Street Facing, Ground Floor at Aegean Place (Hongjing Road and Wuzhong Road)

 

http://www.caffaina.com/

M Coffee

M Coffee

Reviewed: October 26th, 2018

Pujiang

Type: Espresso

Pros:

- Unstairs has nice interior decoration and a clean washroom

Cons:

- Sour, Bitter, Acidic with strong after-taste

Espresso Machine

 

Price: 20 rmb

Green Passionate

Green Passionate

Reviewed: October 25th, 2018

5th floor, Plaza 66 Grand Gateway, Xujiahui

Type: Latte

Pros:

- good foam production

Cons:

- slight sour, not acidic or bitter, no after-taste

- luke-warm

Espresso Machine

 

Price: 32 rmb

Oz Cafe

Oz Cafe

Walk by: October 18th, 2018

230 Ruiping Road

Poly Sunny Walk Plaza

Type: Affogato

Pros:

- Australian theme

- Australian milk

Cons:

- Unknown ice cream source

- ‘M’ Branding is not real, as company is called Oz cafe

- Organic Blend contains ‘Pea’ Seeds

MQ Coffee

MQ Coffee

(Ming Qian; the daughters name)

Walk-by: October 25th, 2018

230 Ruiping Road

Poly Sunny Walk Plaza

Type: Latte

Pros:

- Nice interior design

- Friendly staff who are honest of their product

- Offer coffee training and on-site bakery

Cons:

- Bagged coffee

- Stored in Grinder

- Training material near espresso machine

Small batch roaster: Indicated that they did not have the licenese to make food products, so roasting is only for teaching/students. Roast arabica beans. Reuse milk for teaching steaming, left on counter next to expresso machine. 

Espresso Machine

http://mqcoffee.cn/

 

Price: 32 rmb

U Concept

U Concept

Walk by: October 18th, 2018

230 Ruiping Road

Poly Sunny Walk Plaza

Type: Latte

Cons:

- Closed as Barrista has part-time job

- Beans stored in grinder

Basically an art school for children who can also design labels for ‘limited’ edition perfume. May match with a coffee blend.

Interior Design:

http://www.lukstudiodesign.com/portfolio/the-folded-arcade/

Built by: Shanghai Savor Construction &Decoration Co. Ltd.

DayDrink

DayDrink

Walk-by: October 28th, 2018

500 Loushanguan Road, Changing

(Across street from Arch Walk Mall)

Type: Latte

Cons:

- Confusing prices and price structure (different menus and prices)

 

Price: 30 rmb

With own cup: 22 rmb

Huana Hotel

Huana Hotel

Walk-by: October 29th, 2018

1733 Lianhua Road, Minhang

 

Actually came for the baked goods. Good quality and good prices.

A latte costs 42 rmb here.  

http://www.warner-inn.com/

Note: Warner Inn is for hotel across street, but shows pictures of this hotel on its website. http://www.huanahotels.com/ is blank (Page Not Found!).

Coffee Box

Coffee Box  

Walk-by: October 29th, 2018

Left side of southwest entrance to Xinye Park, 1658 6C Gumei Road, Xuhui

 

Need to Pass by ‘More than Coffee’ to find the take out window.

Automatic Espresso Machine. No staff inside. New chain in Shanghai.

More than Coffee

More than Coffee

Reviewed: October 29th, 2018

Left side of southwest entrance to Xinye Park, 1658 6C Gumei Road, Xuhui

Type: Latte

Pros:

- Excellent Foam Production (even with UHT milk)

- Slight bitter taste, not acidic, not bitter, no after-taste

- Staff is focused on making a good brew

- Price: 15 rmb

Cons:

- UHT Milk (pro: Nestle full cream)

- No Latte Art

 

Price: 15 rmb (menu notes 18 rmb)

Walk-by: October 30th, 2018

Location Two: Closed

Location Three: Open? Staff at counter were not responsive despite four staff members and no other customers. So had to go find somewhere else – See Alpha Coffee below.

Review: October 31st, 2018

Location Two:

Uses semi-automatic espresso machine. Cost is 18 rmb for latte. Slightly sour and slightly acidic, with after-taste. Not bitter.

2nd attempt at Location Three (November 18th, 2018; ~11am): service was decent. A darker lavazza roast.  Looks like they are preparing a new chain ‘More than Pizza”.

Café BLD

Café BLD

Walk-by: October 29th, 2018

Renaissance Shanghai Caohejing Hotel

1st floor (east side; two right turns from main entrance), 397 Tianlin Road, Caohejing Hi-Tech Park

Type: Latte

Cons:

- UHT Milk

- Unfriendly Staff

One espresso machine

One Fully Automatic Espresso Machine

https://www.marriott.com/hotels/hotel-information/restaurant/shaca-renaissance-shanghai-caohejing-hotel/

Note: Hotel does not offer take out croissants or baked items. If you are need of such items, you can walk two blocks north to Huana Hotel and obtain good quality baked items there. The lobby lounge appeared to have an espresso machine, with beans stored in grinder.

 

Price: 42 (plus 15% service fee)

Easy Carrefour

Easy Carrefour  

Walk-by: October 29th, 2018

West side of Building 7, Caohejing Hi-Tech Park, 1528 Gumei Road, Xuhui.

Type: Latte

 

Price: 24 rmb

7-11

7-11  

Walk-by: October 29th, 2018

Inner Court, main floor of Building 7, Caohejing Hi-Tech Park, 1528 Gumei Road, Xuhui.

Type: Latte

Fully Automatic Coffee Machine.

Fun Cup designs and decent price.

 

Price: 12 rmb

La Temp/Elite Coffee

La Temp/Elite Coffee  

Walk-by: October 29th, 2018

Southside, main floor of Building 7, Caohejing Hi-Tech Park, 1528 Gumei Road, Xuhui.

 

No staff, no air conditioning (hot inside). Has espresso machine. 

Burger King Cafe

Burger King Cafe

Walk-by: October 29th, 2018

East of Building 7 (across road), Caohejing Hi-Tech Park, 1528 Gumei Road, Xuhui.

First time to see a ‘Burger King Café’. It is essentially a burger king, but with the til advertising coffee on its menus and the pickup window has advertising food items. I opted to try a chocolate ice cream cone, 10 rmb, which was decent in quality and flavour. Latte costs 25 rmb.

Ricci Creative Eats

 Venue is closed.

Ricci Creative Eats

Walk-by: October 29th, 2018

101-F (1st Floor), Building 7, Caohejing Hi-Tech Park, 1528 Gumei Road, Xuhui

 

Cons:

- Closed  

Despite the Ricci sign above, there was Waga stickers on the windows and doors. However this appeared to be closed as well. It was dark as well.

https://www.sinotaste.com/hospitality/

https://threaddesign.com.cn/projects/ricci/

Atapas

Atapas

Walk-by: October 29th, 2018

2nd Floor, Building 7, Caohejing Hi-Tech Park

Type: Latte

Cons:

- Aggressively rude staff

- Beans stored in Grinder

Backstory: After finding Ricci not open, searched for another restaurant to try. Asked this restaurant about what kind of food they serve and they questioned my motives. Typically restaurants offer to introduce their brand and their menu to a potential client.  One staff member forceable removed menu from hands, however another was kind enough to offer it back. Despite the Spanish sounding name, it offered some Japanese, Thai items as well as standard pizza and pasta items. Some menu options did look interesting and I was considering ordering, however there was a weird vibe, so I opted to go look for another restaurant. In hind-sight, as the restaurant was empty, outside of myself, perhaps this wasn’t really a restaurant.

Semi-Automatic Espresso Machine

 

Price: 26 rmb

Alpha Coffee

Alpha Coffee

Reviewed: October 30th, 2018

South-West corner of Huangquan Road and Hongxin Road.

Type: Latte

Pros:

- Nice interior design, even though just a take-away

- Staff is friendly

- Price: 15 rmb

- Cup size is good

- Local roaster (friend of Alpha Coffee; Korean roaster found previous year)

Cons:

- Slightly sour, slightly acidic with an after-taste (not bitter though)

- Several unidentified solid bits within latte (required care to drink)

- UHT Milk (Alpha brand) 

- Milk on counter (however staff was willing to open new container which was refrigerated and took note to put other container back in the fridge).

- Take out lid cheap plastic

Semi Automatic Espresso Machine

 

Price: 15 rmb 

Indian Curry Hut

Indian Curry Hut

Reviewed: October 30th, 2018

Jingting Tiandi Mall

15B, 1st floor, 1078 Hongquan Road, Minhang.

Type: Masala tea

Offers Indian Coffee (20 rmb)

Tried their Pakora, Mint Nan and Masala tea (20 rmb for a pot). They provded a sample chicken curry. The pakora wasn’t in balls, but was very tasty. The nan was a bit chewy for my taste, but the curry was nice. The Masala tea was not sweetened which provided an authentic flavour. Will return again to try other items. 

 

Price: 20 rmb

Zhongxing Pullman

Zhongxing Pullman (Shanghai South)

Reviewed: November 3rd, 2018

1 Pubei Road, Xuhui

Type: Latte

Pros:

- Large lounge sofas and coffee tables (new ones are held in suspended reserve and old ones are open for use).

- Latte Message Printer

Cons:

- Staff lack customer service

Backstory: Came here to get a latte, however before ordering I requested a cup of hot water. They told me there was a fee to the hot water, but would not tell me the fee (note: There is no menu items for hot water. Nor is there a cup or Minimum order

 fee). The front desk manager in the end offered a cup of water, without a fee, but by that time I was not in the mood to drink a latte, let alone any water. Despite being a Pullman hotel, don’t expect any service here. On a side note, this was only a day before the opening of CIIE.

https://www.accorhotels.com/gb/hotel-7564-pullman-shanghai-south/index.shtml

Vinyl Lounge

 

Vinyl Lounge

reviewed: November 3rd, 2018

Ala Town

Type: Latte

Pros:

- Staff are friendly (Play 'Guess the Drink with the manager for opportunity for free drinks)

- Soft Open: 50% off menu prices (regular: 32 rmb for latte)

Cons:

- Lavzza Dark Roast Beans (bagged)

- UHT milk 

Caffè Pascucci (Pascucci Coffee)

Caffè Pascucci (Pascucci Coffee)

Reviewed: November 5th, 2018

L1 (1st floor; ground floor) 11-15, 688 Shen Long Road, Hongqiao Hub

Type: Latte

Pros:

- Taste (not bitter, acidic, sour; no after-taste; ‘Smooth as Silk’ as owner says).

- Nice Latte Art

- Decent interior design

- Cup volume is large

- Medium to High Caffeine level

Cons:

- Low foam production

- Bagged Coffee (2 year shelf-life; not vacuum sealed)

- UHT milk  (note: Senscious Brand from Delion Food [Shenzhen] OEM from China Huishan Dairy Holdings Company limited; huishandairy.com; Northern Jiangsu Province; ~10 rmb/box; 6% fat content)

- Coffee Grounds left in cup

- Semi Automatic Espresso Machine

- Arabica-Robusta (15%) Blend

- Branded Sugar and Napkins (napkins of so-so quality)

The location is a bit hidden. It is on the same road as BE+ design, but back from the street next to the entrance to Airport shuttle. If I didn’t see the sign in the basement tunnel, I unlikely would have known about this place or even searched for it. They indicated they were in the location for a year, which means I missed them on several hunts for good coffee shops in the area. The coffee quality is better than the Indigo Hotel, as is the presentation.

Side note: You need to get to Hongqiao hub via the Hongqiao transportation hub. You can take line 2 or 10, but if you try to arrive via bus you need to enter the hub at the airport terminal as the train station requires your ID. 

- Coffee franchise chain:

a. Difu Holdings (Beijing) Co., Ltd. (owner of the famous brand Dairy Fairy; other brands, such as DD Bear Desert; Joint venture with) which owns Pascucci (Beijing) Coffee Catering Management Co., Ltd. (http://pascucci.91canyin.com) which has a 100 year exclusive mainland brand lease (started in 2015). They allow Franchises with a 10.3 million rmb investment.

In terms of the Shanghai franchises (locations: Pudong, Hongqiao Hub) and a future location in northern Hongqiao Central Business District (just north of the highway), the company isn’t listed under the  Pascucci brand. As of September 26th, the Hongqiao Hub mall condo unit (200.32sqm) propety owner is looking to sell it for 8.42 million rmb with possible rent value of 600,000 rmb rent/year. 

- Franchiser: Caffe Pascucci Roasting (Torrefazione) S.p.A. (16/A, Via Circonvallazione, 61010 Monte Cerignone). Franchise Investment: 150,000 EUR (~1,178,456.97 rmb), Franchise Fee: 15,000 EUR (~117,828.14 rmb) and 7% Monthly Royalty.

- Domain registered in 2014-04-29 by SiteGround (siteground.com ;

Marian Marinov; Racho Petkov Kazandjiata 8, Floor 3; a Bulgaria company)

Bagged Coffee:

Golden Sack: 29.15 EUR (229.611 rmb) for 1kg

https://www.pascuccistore.com/caffe-golden-sack-1000g.html

Despite the ‘long history’ touted by the company, it was actually established in 2000 by Alberto Pascucci. The parent company Cialdino was established in 1998. In terms of history, the Pascucci family was in the textile industry. They may have been involved in trade which induced British Empire (chiefly, Indian) coffee seeds. In 1935, Mario and Domenica Pascucci moved from Port of Durrës, Albania to Monte Cerignone. At some period afterwards, Mario’s brother Dino, established a coffee shop in Monte Cerignone. A relative (and likely father of Alberto), Antonio Pascucci, took an interest in coffee in 1983.

 

Price: 34 rmb

Second Visit (November 8th, 2018): Quality down. Coffee acidic, slightly bitter, slight after-taste. Milk tasted as if was powdered. Service was lower, asked for take-away and got a large cup. Requested table service, which was acknowledged, but never arrived. Had to go and get them to put it in the take-away cup, which itself was a ‘big production’ due to the fact that lid does not properly fit cup and tape is applied over drinking hole. Lid is of poor quality.

 

24 Fresh

24 Fresh

Walk-by: November 3rd, 2018

Chain (various locations)
Automatic Coffee Machine

Type: Latte

Baja

Baja  

Walk-by: November 3rd, 2018

 Hongqiao Central Business District

Baja1000 themed restaurant/cafe

Type: Latte (30/36rmb)

Khan Cafe

Khan Cafe

Reviewed on November 21st, 2018

West of Khubilai Khan Mutton in Hot Pot on Qingshan Road (463 Jinhui Road, 28 Jinshi Square)

Type: Latte

Pros:

- Different beans/machines depending on drink order

- Take away lid was unique (Con: Papercup felt weak and risky, but did survive)

- Water filtration (3 stage)

Cons:

- Slightly bitter with slight aftertaste. (Pro: Not sour or acidic)

- Single shot is actually about 4 shots due to measuring issue (pro: low caffiene strength)

- Beans Stored in Grinder

- Milk left on counter (However was willing to get milk from fridge for order)

- Staff unable to make latte art (according to staff member)

- Milk curdled in latte (or milk is too old)

Semi-Automatic espresso machine

Appears to be owned by Khan restaurant next door.

 

Price: 18 rmb

Shanghai Wonderland Hotel

Shanghai Wonderland Hotel

(Also known as Shimao Quarry Hotel,

Shanghai SheShanShi Maozhouji Hotel)

Reviewed on November 21st, 2018

58888 Chenhua Road

 

A. No actual espresso machines in hotel, only automatic machines.

- Lobby lounge does not serve coffee

- Bar lounge does not serve coffee

- Executive lounge serves coffee (automatic machine)

- Hotel restaurant serves coffee (automatic machine)

- Chinese restaurant does not serve coffee

- Mr. Fisher is not open

B. Only beans found, Milan Gold Decaffinated Colombia Beans.

Automatic espresso machine

Pros:

- Light show (lasers and drones; Con: way too much noise, causes pain in cranium; Bass hides a second music track titled ‘Origin Unknown’ by ‘Tribes Of Neurot’ from the Album ‘Static Migration’,  Song number: 05, more info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Static_Migration)

Cons:

- Location isn’t good (1.5 hrs by metro and bus; only private taxis available otherwise 2.5 hour walk from hotel to metro as public bus service stops after 6pm, which with some bad luck missed the last train so had an 80 rmb taxi atop of all that); Staff are bused in, living in the local ‘university town’ (except those with a car or bike share).

- Bar lounge food is of low quality (instant mashed potatoes, hard bread on sandwhich) and so the food prices are ‘out of whack’ at 309 rmb for these two items.

- Customer Service is still learning customer service (water refills require requests, order requests forgotten, dirty plates left on table; poor food roll out timing – ie. over an hour to make a sandwhich which is provided for just before the start of the light show, the only entertainment on site; note: for the vast majority of time, was only customer).

- Took about 4 people, 30 mins to process the credit card payment

- No lobby bakery or souvenir store.

- On-going construction

- Parts of hotel aren’t open (ie. swimming pool, gym, many rooms, Mr. Fisher restaurant)

- Technical problems with hotel, especially in the lower floors still exist (ie. not enough air and pressure problems in lower basement floors, drainage pipes not as effective, lounge is cold during the night, vibration of lobby windows caused by speakers during light show), Elevators have issues with signal lighting and cars feel ‘loose’.

- Target market: Chinese families, so don’t expect a five star international hotel (one staff member told me this was a seven star hotel).

 

Red Ruby

 Also known just as Ruby. Sino-British Ruby Foods Co. Ltd. (since 1986).

Famous Shanghai brand. Known for their whipped cream. While it may not be real, it is probably higher quality than most vendors.

Red Ruby

Reviewed on November 24th, 2018

 Chuansha Road, Pudong

Type: Affogato

Pros:

- Ice cream is house brand (18rmb per scoop)

Cons:

- Sour (Pro: low after-taste, not bitter or acidic, possibly due to ice cream)

Semi-Automatic espresso machine

Cheesecake Factory

Cheesecake Factory

Walk-by November 24th, 2018

 DisneyTown

 

 Had a meal, already had daily coffee.

Automatic espresso machine

Lu Cafe

Lu Cafe

Reviewed: November 25th, 2018

 

 

 Pros:

- Two types of beans to choose from (medium roast or dark roast)

- Medium to High Caffeine levels

- Wifi is functional and easy to setup (use pin, ask for pin from staff)

- Nice relaxing environment (Con: needs a good cleaning)

Cons:

- Beans stored in Grinder

- Medium Roast: Sour, Acidic, not bitter; tongue is coated leaving after-taste

Village 127

Village 127

Walk-by November 11th, 2018

L105B, 688 Naning west road,

Hengji 688 Square

 

Pros:

- Charity Shop

Cons:

- Prices

- Bagged

- UHT milk 

Back story: A number of years ago I found this place and wasn’t impressed. A contact suggested it again by name, and only upon searching for it this year, did I remember it. It seemed to have improved in physical appearance (based on memory), but the prices are considerably higher than they should be. Granted there is a charity aspect, however it not enough to pay a premium for an inferior product. There is a benefit to the area though, as ‘The One’ by Kempinski’s lounge called ‘I Eins Bistro & Lounge’ which once offered high quality Austrian bakery products now recommends ‘the bakery across the street’. To put things in perspective, a single crossiant is 18rmb at Village 127 and when the lounge offered offered Austrian bread, I could get a loaf of quality rye bread for about 22 rmb. A crossiant at a famous french bakery on the bund is only 14 rmb.

https://www.kempinski.com/en/shanghai/the-one-executive-suites/dining/lobby-lounge/

Elephant Dung Coffee

 

Elephant Dung Coffee

"elephant dung coffee 1982"

Walk-by November 18th, 2018

Hongqiao World Cente

 

Pros:

- Passion for product

Cons:

- Only one offering for Elephant Dung Coffee

- No certificate of authenticity, just indication that they are the only shop in China and its purchased direct from thailand (note: 299 rmb [~43 usd] considerably cheaper than Thailand’s Black Ivory Coffee at 85 usd [~590 rmb] for 35grams; also sample beans are green and loose with no specifications on roasting).  

- Milk left on counter (not sure if empty or not)

- Non-elephant beans stored in grinder

- Elephant beans stored somewhere else.

The staff (a boy and a girl) seemed ‘shell shocked’ from the questions of their coffee. The girl indicated that Chinese customers mostly laugh and/or compain about Civet (cat; Kopi luwak) coffee, while foreign customers are a bit more open. When explaining the story of their product the girl’s passion for it came out. Unfortunately they only have one coffee offering for actual Elephant Dung Coffee, the rest is un-descript ‘arabic’ coffee, possibly from yunnan. The shop also sells cigarettes, lottery tickets and ice cream treats.

Mr. Zhang (Also known as Chris Leeson; Suzhou-shanghai; Proud Kids Online English Education Inc. [with Proud Bai: online marketing; 50 rmb/class {6,000 for class package} Registered in Beijng]; Elephant Dung Coffee has two related investors: Mr and Mrs. Zhang [Trading company; Holdings: 7.6 million sales, 1.5 million in assets, 686 thousand in debts; Spouse: Mr. Ma established a business consulting with Mr. Zhang in September 2018]; Elephant Dung Coffee Company registered in Dec, 2017 in Shanghai; total: ~1 million [or 10% of]; 0 capital investment). Note: Unable to find any imports from Thailand.

Roasters: Located in Huaqiao (metro station on Line 11; Guangming Road/Yanhu Avenue in Huaqiao, Kunshan, Jiangsu); site by Mrs. Zhang (an office building).

 

Latte Coffee: 30 rmb

‘Like a Piece of Crap’: 299

 

 

Goose Island Brewpub

Goose Island Brewpub

Reviewed: September 20th, 2018

209 Maoming North Road

Type: Latte

Pros:

- Nespresso Commercial Capsule Machine (vs home based system)

Cons:

- Nespresso Commercial Capsule Machine (vs espresso machine)

- No flavour; low caffine.

- Luke-warm

- Served in glass cup with no presentation. 

- Manager (who left since) was eager for business but service typically is low.

 

Price: 38 rmb.

V-Coffee

V-Coffee

Reviewed: September 23rd, 2018

 Mobile Unit

Type: Americano

Pros:
- Free from Rotory Club

Cons:

- Bitter, Sour

Pizza Ma

Pizza Ma

Reviewed: September 24th, 2018

 

Type: Affogato

Cons:

- Bitter, Sour, Dark Roast Coffee

- Ice Cream: Sweet, single scoop.

Simpl

Simpl

Reviewed: September 28th, 2018

Located at Greenland Being Funny

Type: Affogato

Cons:

- Bitter, Sour, mostly undrinkable Espresso

- Gelato is of poor quality

- Bad Coffee and Bad Gelato results in Bad Affogato 

Notes:

- Not overly caffinated; however not sure if caffinated at all

- Served with Espresso poured on.

 

Price: 32 rmb

The Point

The Point 

Reviewed: September 29th, 2018

Zhujiajiao Ancient Town, Qingpu

Type: Latte

Pros:

- In house blending and roasting

- Excellent flavour

Cons:

- UHT milk

- 30 rmb takeout, 38 rmb to stay (or pay for view pricing)

Notes:

- They use an Oscar home appliance for the espresso brewing and an automatic coffee machine for the steam production for the milk

- The view is decent, but the seating is old. The house it is situated in, is also. It is upto 3 stories, but progressively steeper stairs pose a risk to those who have mobility issues.

- Uses Bottled Water

 

Price: 30 rmb (take-out)

Tequila Loca

 

Tequila Loca

Reviewed: September 29th, 2018

Shared Kitchen with Bourbon Smokehouse (Ala Town)

Type: Latte

 Pros:

- Actual Espresso Machine, compared to Hongqiao Xintinzi location

- Prices 50% off promotion

- Decent foam production

- Nice Latte Cup

Cons:

- UHT milk

- Starbucks beans (dark roast, sour aftertaste, slight acidic taste)

 

Price: 35 original

 

Bourbon Restaurant

Bourbon Restaurant

Basement of Hongqiao Xintinzi

Reviewed: September 11th, 2018

Uses a consumer model of what looked like a nespresso machine.

B+ coffee

B+ coffee

Paradise Walk Hongqiao

Reviewed: September 11th, 2018

A shell of its former glory. no desserts, high prices, no service - waited for 15-20mins but didn't see any barristas nor did anyone attempt to approach me. Had to give up and look for somewhere else to have a coffee. 

Indigo Craft Cafe

Indigo Craft Cafe

Reviewed: September 11th, 2018

No.43, lane 188 Yonghong Road, Minhang District

https://www.ihg.com/hotelindigo/hotels/gb/en/shanghai/shahs/hoteldetail

Pros:

- Lightly acidic, not sour.

- Staff tried hard to make

- Price in location (has no service fee).

Cons: Low foam, no art, luke-warm, double walled glass cup, 10-15mins to make order despite being only person there, 20-30mins to get receipt despite being only person there, table out of balance. water provided only 20mins after done coffee and asked for receipt.

 

Reviewed: September 13th, 2018

Pros: Used a latte cup, attempt to make art, decent foam.

Cons: Changed beans since last visit (2 days), now using chinese seeds which are bitter and acidic (later identified as coffee used for Banquets) . Chinese milk. No machine specific water filtration. Working space for baristas is limited due to placement of equipment for draft beer.

 

 

Welcome Restaurant

Welcome Restaurant

Basement of Qibao Powerstation of Art

Reviewed: September 12th, 2018

Pros:

-        Lightly acidic, not sour.

-        Price (28rmb)

-        Nice foam and art.

-        Cup design is nice too. 

Cons:

- Til was not ready for providing change, 100 rmb resulted in all their paper bills, mostly in 5 rmb denominations which on inspection resulted in some fake money. Opted to pay in loose change and take back the 100 rmb note.

 

Price: 28 rmb

Baskin Robins

Baskin Robins

B1 at Vanke Centre (Qibao)

Reviewed: September 12th, 2018

Despite having an espresso machine, they sell only bottled coffee.

MK Wine

MK Wine 

Reviewed: September 14th, 2018

Aegan Mall

 

Pros:

- Is spacious and interior design is decent.

- Private room has access to Aegan Outdoor screen which often has soccer/football matches on. The board room also has access, but not as easy to view as Private room. Price for Private room is 50 rmb/per person of purchased product.

- Decent bottled beer selection stored in a cooler

- Wine selections from Australia, France, etc.

- Nice layout for bar and beer taps on back wall (crafty feel)

- All you can drink draft beer for 88 rmb. Draft beer has five selections and is brewed in Hongzhou (at Taste brewery).

- Staff is friendly

Cons:

- The coffee machine is low-end automatic.

- Price for bottled beer is ~40 rmb (more expensive than Penta Beer)

- Food selection is limited and fries were out of stock on a Friday night, despite the place being empty.

- Draft beer was not fresh (over a month since production) – at least the sample tried.

 

 

Penta Beer

Penta Beer  (Aegan Mall)

Walk-by: September 14th, 2018

Pros:

- Beer mugs are stored in a cooler

- Some bottled beers are stored in a cooler (others are not).

- Prices for bottled beers is decent (~28 rmb for products matched at MK)

- Espresso machine is decent quality

- Two Beer Taps on portable cart

Cons:

- Is tightly packed with poor layout

- Coffee beans are stored in grinder and look dry

 

 

Stone Brewery

 

Stone Brewery 

Reviewed: September 16th, 2018

1107 Yuyuan Lu

 

Pros:

- Espresso machine is decent quality

- Bean is only lightly sour and not acidic, foam was good as well.

- Free side salad for having to wait so long for burger, which is decent, as I didn’t make a fuss or request any compensation.

Cons:

- Staff lacked knowledge about items on their menu or general knowledge of company

- Staff were inflexible with the schedule of what menu was served – ie. unable to show Diner menu 15 mins before the menu change; forcefully removing the lunch menu from being reviewed, 10mins after the menu change.

- Staff were slow to provide service, waited 20mins to order despite only about 1/5th occupancy.

- Staff suggested that drinks like wine and coffee were not recommended nor was the food menu, this is a brewery and it is best to only come for the beer.

- No snack/bar foods offered, only a full menu.

- One plate offered french fries, but due to some convuluted reason the shanghainese chef is only able to serve it with that specific food package. 

- Burger was served with raw meat despite being ordered well done. Second attempt was well burnt. Mostly an uneventful with the tampura jalapeno poppers the highlight.

- Fish taco came with six cubes of fish of unknown orgins (despite claiming to be halibit), it mostly consisted of cabbage stuffed in ‘store bought’ tortia shells.

- Sides were nothing worth mentioning.

- Beer ordered lacked a head, seemed to be below the estimated alcohol range and had a general ‘old’ beer lackluster.

-  Washrooms were poorly designed and resulted in a feeling of being less clean after using them. I recommended to my guests to find a local fastfood restaurant for a cleaner experience. One of the three bi-gender was not operational. The toilet and the urninal are very close together. The floor was wet in random places with toilet paper in a random arrangement on the floor. A tiny sink was provided, with a misplaced soap container. A hand dryer was placed in a relatively high position. The door is the biggest problem, despite being a mis-sized door, it was heavy and had one metal deadbolt to lock it. Without tissue paper to protect freshly washed hands there is no abilty to open the lock without touching the lock – which means you have to trust that others actually washed their hands before you and that the lock was clean.

- Lighting is generally poor which makes it hard to read the menu. The waitress used a pen with blue ink, which made it hard to see writing on the receipt.

 

 

 

Cannery

Cannery

Walk-by: September 16th, 2018

1107 Yuyuan Road

 Bar/Restaurant

 

Japanese Roaster

Wusong Road (north of Suzhou creek, behind Broadway Mansions).

Some research lead to this Japanese roaster. There is a roasting machine and lots of coffee beans, they even have drink menu, but with no price and communication proved difficult. Not the best of settings and no noticable food license certification.

HOW (Honey – Olive Oil – Wine)

HOW (Honey – Olive Oil – Wine)

Walk-by: September 16th, 2018

Yuyuan Road

 Soft Opening; No coffee served yet.

 

Doutor

Walk-by

Uses Curtis  Gold Cup Series Drip Coffee Machine and  Curtis Gem3IF Intellifresh vessels (coffee server). Despite being newly opened, machine was dirty.

Kiri Cafe

S. Engine and Kiri co-share.  Nice interior design. Baristas seemed unfamiliar with the menu.

Espresso: 26 rmb
Latte/Cappuccino: 36 rmb

All the Lovers

Walk-by.

Semi-Automatic Espresso Machine.

Bouchare

Bouchare

Walk-by: September 16th, 2018

Lobby Kerry Jing'an residences.

Closed.

Restaurant/Gin Bar

 

 Latte/Cappucino: 38 rmb

Lactis Gelato Italiano

Venue is closed.

Lactis Gelato Italiano

Reviewed: November 3rd, 2018

Main floor, Aegean Shopping Mall

Type: Espresso

Pros:

- Nice Interior design

- Provided Free hot water

Cons:

- Very sour (slightly bitter, not acidic, slight after-taste)

- Beans stored in grinder

- Grounds in bottom of cup

- Staff a bit impatient, despite being the only customer

Semi-Automatic Espresso Machine

- Found two special offers:

a. Buy a Macchiato milkshake for 28 rmb, get a free mango smoothie: The Macchiato was made with Macchiato Gelato and Suki UHT milk. For both drinks, the flavour was barely noticable.

b. Two for one scoop of Gelato for 28 rmb: Mint was the best, strawberry was decent. Best of the samples provided. Only noticed premiums later, these are not viewable and stored in freezer. Size was decent for price.

- After the poor quality of the Macciato and the decision of the staff to provide the stawberry gelato after the drink orders (the mint was provided before the drinks), I decided to obtain an espresso. However due to the sourness, I attempted to make an Affogato with the strawberry gelato, however it was not powerful enough to hide the terrible sourness of the espresso.

 

Price: 20 rmb

Townsquare

Townsquare

Reviewed: November 8th, 2018

Lobby, Artyzen Habitat Hongqiao, 3999-5 Hongxin Road, Minhang District

(behind MixC in parking lot)

Type: Latte

Pros:

- Nice Interior design

- Lobby interior is still quiet and clean (new open)

- Patio space is available (not overlooks parking lot)

- Interior Art is nice

- Provided hot water (con: only 1/3rd cup) in take-away cup

- Price isn’t bad for a hotel lobby (plus there is no service fee)

Cons:

- low caffeine

- UHT milk (Pro: Nestle Full cream)

- Limited ability in latte art

- Staff didn’t understand foam production

- Automatic Espresso Machine

- Despite having an ‘Italian Chef’, their baked goods aren’t great. ‘Freshly’ baked chocolate cookies were at least three days old. Nut cookies have decent flavour and have too much seeds (which isn’t too bad for a nut cookie). Croissants use low quality butter (if not oil). However it is worth noting that baked goods are sold at discount of 50% after 18:00.

Note: Later met Italian chef who does create deserts, just none of the ones I selected my first time. He did make some recommendations which were a hit for those I gave them as gifts to. Also the croissants are frozen and made/heated by a local chef.

- Despite the coffee, the space is nice for meetings.

https://www.artyzenhabitat.com/hongqiaoshanghai/hotel/

 

Price: 30 rmb

Lark I

Lark I

Walk by: October 15th, 2018

Ground Floor, Meilun Mansion (The Centre), 139 Nanjing East Road

Type: Latte

Pro:

- Interior design is decent 

Cons: 

- Menu is not clear

- Staff not attentive (essentially ignored me, until I left due to lack of service; note: staff at other venues in complex complained to me of lack of staff interactions)

- Only dark roasts (terrible burnt bean smell in café; beans lack oil)

- Bagged Coffee (despite coffee roaster of same brand in adjacent room)

Notes:
- Western side of café has door which leads to extra seating space and a roaster

- Roaster has own entrance near western entrance to mall

- Roaster is for other shops and typically does not supply to the café next door

- All roasts are dark roast, unless you order Single orgin, which is for drip only

- All dark roasts are blended with 3-4 beans. However these can range from Yunnan beans, to Vietnamese Robusta, to Columbian and others.

- Staff for roaster is friendly and has a passion for the art of roasting and blending

 

Price: 35 rmb


 Lark is a joint venture between the Yunnan Coffee Processing Plant and Shanghai Pilot Free Trade Zone Coffee Exchange.

Yunnan Coffee Bean Factory

 

Yunnan Nongken Coffee Co. Ltd.

(Yunnan Coffee Processing Plant)

http://yncoffee.cn/

A joint venture between the Yunnan State Farms Group Co.,Ltd. (www.ynyunken.com) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

Shanghai pilot free trade zone

coffee exchange

http://ftcex.com/

 

Side Note:

- Starbucks AINI Coffee (Yunnan) Company Limited: Joint venture between Starbucks (supplies quality control and management systems) and Aini Corporation (supplies farm lands, ~120,000 hectares in Simao [known as Pu’er] region of Yunnan) with an output of ~130,000 tons. Typically, Coffea Arabica: Catimor (a cross between Caturra and Rust resitstant Timor).

 


Starbucks

Starbucks in China is a joint venture under the Starbucks AINI Coffee (Yunnan) Company Limited.
This means that all standard beans used at Starbucks are from Yunnan.

Regular Shop: Automatic Coffee machines

Reserved: Semi-Automatic Coffee machines

Roastery: An "experience" which has:
a. the theater of coffee roastery
Note: Advertise that they use Yunnan beans.
b. several mini-coffee shops (Regular Starbucks, Reserve Store, Reserve Bar) with various coffee drinks and other drinks (ie. beer)
c.  a bakery
d. Upstairs has a tea shop/tea house

The setup is designed to appear all the same brand, however invidual vendors are 3rd party shops (ie. the bakery)
It is designed to extract money from people looking for the Starbucks experience.

Fogo

Fogo

Walk by: October 15th, 2018

6th Floor, Meilun Mansion (The Centre)

139 Nanjing East Road

Type: Latte

Pro:

- Interior Design (three balconies along Nanjng road; limited views though)

- Friendly Staff (both door staff and F&B Manager)

Cons: 

- Nespresso-like capsule machine (‘focus on gin not coffee’)

- Website on Facebook: www.facebook.com/fogoshanghai (which is not accessible)

- Indicated 5/5 rating on trip advisor – this is based on 3 reviews:

HenryL2519: 2 reviews; Christian (Canada): 42 reviews; Punchledalmatien (Shanghai): 1 review

Chinese restaurant which blends foods with spices found along the Spice route.

 

Price: 38 rmb

Jazz at Lincoln Center Shanghai

Jazz at Lincoln Center Shanghai

Walk by: October 15th, 2018

4th Floor, Meilun Mansion (The Centre)

139 Nanjing East Road

Type: Latte

Pro:

- Jazz bar on Nanjing Road

Cons: 

- Price for coffee is high

- Coffee stored in blender (likely low turn over due to location and venue)

Co-owned by Shanghai Bund Investment (Group) Co Ltd.

 

Price:45 rmb

NB Cafe

NB Café (New Balance Café)

Walk by: October 15th, 2018

139 Nanjing East Road

 

 Mini-Café in store.

Bang by Willis

Bang by Willis

Walk by: October 15th, 2018

LAMall, Pudong

Type: Latte

Quick walkby.

Part of the John Fohlmann Christensen (80% share-holder) restaurant empire.

Muji-like Store

Muji-like Store  

Walk by: October 15th, 2018

LAMall, Pudong

Type: Latte

Pro:

- Espresso Machine

Cons: 

- Milk left on counters

 

Price: 25 rmb

Lillian Bakery

Lillian Bakery

Walk by: October 15th, 2018

LAMall, Pudong

Type: Latte

Pro:

- Two for one Special Offer

- Decent Price

- Decent Fresh Milk brand

Cons: 

- Milk left on counters

Mini Espresso Machine

 

Price: 20 rmb

Grey Box

Grey Box

Walk by: October 15th, 2018

LAMall, Pudong

Type: Latte

Cons: 

- Milk left on counter

- Price

Lu One Location

- Has Ice Cream and Coffee, but unable to make an Affogato

 

Price: 38 rmb

The World

The World

Walk by: October 15th, 2018

Kerry Plaza

 

Only noticed it being a different shop after reviewing pictures, as it originally looked to be part of Up coffee, next door.

Sisyphe Books & Coffee

Sisyphe Books & Coffee (Up Coffee)

Walk by: October 15th, 2018

Kerry Plaza

 

This is a small chain, which has been experienced before.

Liberte pâtisseries

Liberte pâtisseries

Walk by: October 15th, 2018

Kerry Plaza

Type: Latte

Cons: 

- Beans stored in Grinder

- Only Dark roast available

Semi-Automatic Espresso Machine

 

Price: 32 rmb

Pure Roast

Pure Roast  

Walk by: October 15th, 2018

Ole, Kerry Plaza

Type: Latte

Pro:

- Staff friendly and honest about their products

Cons: 

- Only dark roast available

- Bagged Coffee

Semi-Automatic Espresso Machine

 

Price: 20 rmb

The Brew

The Brew 

Walk by: October 15th, 2018

Kerry Plaza

Type: Latte

 

Price: 38 rmb

The Cook

The Cook   

Walk by: October 15th, 2018

Kerry Plaza

Type: Latte

A quick walkby, noticed they have an a Roasting Machine and an Espresso Machine.

 

Price: 38 rmb

The Coffee Shop Double V

This coffee shop is small but with a large espresso machine. I went here to just try them out, as they newly opened. They even had a violin performance. Ready to make a purchase, they kindly explained after some time that all the coffee was Civet coffee (Luwak Ferment Espresso Coffee by Magic Cat). There is no mention/indications on the menu or their signs about the civet coffee. I was directed to the empty bag on the counter to learn more. Fake civet coffee was not in the cards for me that night.

Note: Former Site of G Cafe (Coffee, Bear and Wine)

Chois Coffee

Venue closed.

Chois Coffee replaced Krispy Kreme at this location. However it didn't last long and soon this place closed too.

Hi-Seasons Coffee

Saw the sign, looks like a bar.

Captain Alice

Walk-by.

Captain Alice
Resturant, Bar and Cafe

Greenland YunYueFang
No. 126 and 131, Building 5, Lane 5600, Chuansha Road, Pudong

Touch Bread

Located in Chuansha Road, Pudong.

This is a bakery with a coffee shop. The beans are supplied by the same supplier as the machine. The manager was very friendly and welcoming. The interior design was nice as well.

Coffee Latte: 25
Senscious Milk (local brand)

Charlie's Burger

Offers a semi-automatic espresso machine (xujiahui)

This is a small chain which is hit and miss depending on location.

During their soft opening of their first location (changshu lu; years ago) I was not brave enough for a free burger from their owner. It was unique that they offered food items for dogs. At their Greenland Having Fun location, they have a long list of rules for dogs and the hygiene is less than stellar. At their newest location near Xujiahui, its clean but the avacado fries was pretty lacking.

Rose Queen Coffee

Does Disaster have a name? It could be Rose Queen Coffee.


Robot.He Restaurant

Walk-by.

This is the famed Alibaba Robot restaurant.

Coffee served from a vending machine.

Ink Coffee

Walk-by.

Located in the Hongqiao Central Business District, this is a small coffee shop with a big dog guarding its entrance.

Need a Coffee and a Tattoo? This may be the place for you.


Xin Zhai Coffee

 Gubei; Walk-by

Once was a branded coffee shop, but now it is, is its own brand. 

M2F Cafe

Co-shared space with Beer Plus in Gubei.

Latte:30-35 Rmb
Affogato: 45 rmb

Semi-Automatic Espresso Machine (La Marzocco; appears to be a Linea Classic). Staff are friendly. Nice Foam production.

Roaster on site, but problems with venting prevent use.

Dogue Cafe

X207/Hongxin Road (about three blocks south from Wuzhong Road)

Walk-by.

Its been open for several years. Dog theme Cafe.

Redoll

Walk-by

Shanghai Joy City

Redoll Cats & Coffee

Like Cats? Want to see them while drinking Coffee? Welcome to Redoll.
Wifi. Coffee. Pet. Music. 10am-10pm.

Lu Cafe & more

Also known as Live Unfettered Coffee; Deer Cafe

Menggu Road (North of Qufu road metro station)

Latte:28 rmb

Decent latte with latte art. The decoration is nice and the wifi is functional. Nice place for a meeting.

Avoda.H

Avoda.H Bread Lab

Hongquan Road (North side of street, about 1/2 block east of JinHui S Road), Minhang district

Korean family team. Wife wakes up early to make bread. Husband takes care of shop after work.
Cold Brew/Dutch Coffee for 18 rmb.

Came for the bread. It's decent, but expensive. Home made Jams taste good.

San Xing Theater Cafe

Walk-by

704 Niuzhuang Road (704 Jin Guangxi North Road)

Also known as Great China Theatre.
Historical Thearter built in 1930 and reopened.

Semi-Automatic Espresso Machine.

Kiwi Cafe

Walk-by

Greenland Having Fun 

Latte: 30 rmb
Affogato: 36 rmb

Reviews 2017-2018

Power Cafe

Located at the Power Station of Art/ Shanghai MOCA (200 Hua Yuan Gang Lu; along Xuhui Bund)

Decent café with nice patio and alright coffee.

IG Cafe

Went for a coffee break at IGCafe on Anfu Road. They updated since I was last there, with a little store on the main floor. I went up to the second floor and got their special for 50 rmb, it included a slice of coffee cheesecake and a latte. After relaxing for a bit, I took a look around and found some historical prints of Che Guevara and Castro, as well as other artistic photos around. Soon it was time to leave and when the door opened up, I was hit with Shanghai’s heat and humidity, what a pity to leave IGcafe.

Komeda’s Coffee

Japanese Brand. Bitter coffee.

MOS Burger

Automated Coffee Machine. Bitter.

Dainty Cup Coffee

West Gate Mall

A dark roast, but only mildly bitter. Friendly staff.

Takyashima

Yi – the Coffee Club

Charity Based Coffee Shop (15% to Elder’s Charity). Decent Coffee. Friendly Volunteers/Staff.

Good brew. good caffiene levels. milk is chinese brand.

e@z Coffee

e@z Coffee by Easy Carrefour

Automated Coffee Machine

Affogato: Coffee served over ice topped with soft serve Ice cream.

Better to buy a latte and add half an ice cream cone to it.

Par Café

Par Café by Family Mart

Automated Coffee Machine

C Store Café

Automated Coffee Machine. Light and Bitter.

My Mart by Metro

Automated Coffee Machine. Rioba (house brand). Dark roast. Staff not flexible.

24 Coffee

24 Coffee by Fresh 24

Automated Coffee Machine. Dark but not too bitter.

Guoan Community

Barista Master 1.0 by Coffee Mall Automated Coffee Machine. 5 rmb introductory special for latte. Instant milk powder,  Super Sweet, Terrible coffee.

Al’s Diner

Dark Roast, slightly Bitter.

Fortune Coffee

Located near the International Cruise Terminal is the spacious Fortune Coffee. Geared as a place to meet and talk business ideas, this place is relaxing. Coffee varies in quality. Sadly, terrible customer service on last visit.

2016

Off Dongdaming Road.

Nice venue, coffee quaity varies. Not good at foam.

L'Avant Gout Cafe

Ronghua E Road (near Gubei Carrefour)

Dark roast, slightly bitter. Higher cost this year.

Chimney Café & Bar

Chimney Café at Art Museum (上海油画雕塑院; Changning Qu, 金珠路111 号邮政编码).

This is a little gem for its nice relaxing environment. Coffee isn’t the best, but the look of it makes it a nice place to relax.

BE+ Design Hub

BE+ Design Hub Shanghai (Building A: 2F; Coffee Shop 1F, outside access or via 2F store only).

When I initial saw the sign on the map of Paradise walk I was intrigued by the idea of a Design hub, so I started looking for it. On the first floor I could not find access to it and so was about to give up, however noticed another sign indicating it was on the second floor, so I took a look upstairs. Soon I found it!

Inside there were a variety of designs of various products, nothing which overly exciting, however some interesting felt furniture and a nice coffee table. The space is comfortable to walk around in, being spacious and not overly cluttered. I found a gallery in the back which had some paintings hung around the wall, while the centre of the room was vacant. Upon exiting the gallery, I headed to the stairs – to go the Café.

Going downstairs I found a large space which had tastefully comfortable seating arrangements, I look at the menu, which was still a bit expensive at 38rmb for a latte – however I thought I would give it a try. The man taking my order made a gesture as if he could not hear me, however after several attempts I realized he was deaf and mute. I wrote down my order but realized I made a mistake and changed my order. I took a seat on the nice couch and waited for my order to be prepared. I noticed the milk being used was not familiar to me. The presentation was nice, the latte (which turned out to be a mocha) was served in a latte cup and had a nice design on it. The flat white, was served in a short coffee cup and saucer. Both drinks were a bit cool, despite being hot drinks and the mocha was too sweet to be considered a good mocha. The flat white had a different taste, but it was smooth and not acidic. I also order a matcha croissant, which was suprisingly good. It had a hint of matcha flavour, but the right consistency for a proper croissant – bravo. The price of the baked goods here is decent as well.

As I relaxed with content in the environment, I felt pity that the sun was setting and I had to depart and face the heat of the outdoors once again.

In later discussion with the staff, it was indicated that there was only a single water filter, which is not impressive, and the milk is a known and unresolved issue. I also got a number of mosquito bites. If they corrected these minor problems, I could see myself returning to obtain more coffee and delicious baked good items.

Taco 2 Go


Found this place at the Bailian ShiJi Shopping Mall and thought I would give it a try as the staff were upfront about their products. For example, they offer on the menu a Coffee Float, turns out to be an affogato, with three balls of ice cream, but they were out of ice cream and they suggested anywhere else for coffee, since they only have instant or powdered coffee. I opted for the 10 inch Avocado Veggie Quesadillas (45 rmb; 8cad). They were kind enough to let me put some Cholula Chipotle Hot sauce in a takeaway container in addition to my order. My order came neatly packaged and stayed warm until I got it to my next location – a coffee shop. The food was excellent, with decent cheese and chucks of fresh avocados, peppers and mushrooms. The first time I saw them just off Nanjing road west I thought they were too dumpy, the online descriptions of an office share with a print shop does them no favours. This location is great with clean, fresh food with friendly and helpful staff.

nowcup

 Promises ‘just roasted coffee’ however this is not actually accurate. The earliest roasted coffee one may get, is about 8 hours, but only for drip coffee. Espresso is at least every 2 weeks and is blended. Beans are ‘rested’ between 6 months to 12 months before roasting. I purchased a latte (33rmb) and a cappuccino (33rmb) , which was served with UHT milk which tasted like it was off – shocking. Beware of the free roaming dog and dog toys.

Bella Vita

Dark roast, slightly bitter.

With gelato to make an ‘affogato’, which reduces the bitterness.

Pacific Coffee

Dark roast, bitter. Low Weak Caffeine.

Wet Bar


First Attempt

Located at 66 Lvshun Road, about a 10 min walk from the Bund along Huangpu Road is the W Hotel (You can also take Dongdaming Lu/ East Daming Road). It offers 339 rooms and 35 suites and is part of the Starwood brands chain (Category 5). It is the anchor for the Sinar Mas Plaza (Also called White Magnolia Plaza, Shanghai Harbour Passenger Terminal Main Tower, North Bund Tower, Sinar Mas New Bund) which has two towers: Sinar Mas Centre 1 (319.6 m/66 stories [Other proposed designs include 388m and 260m] which uses a entasis design feature) and  2 (172m/39 stories). A third tower was set to be 111m/24 stories, however it was cancelled (Also called White Magnolia Plaza 1, 2 and 3).

The shopping complex of Sinar Mas Plaza (by Sinar Mas Paper (China) Investment Co. Ltd via its subsidiary Shanghai Jingang North Bund Reality Co. Ltd.) is currently vacant and appears to be undergoing construction.

Upon arrival at the W hotel, I noticed the ramp style curb, which could be slightly easier to move luggage up to the main door. Sadly they placed a planter next to the door, which negates any benefit, as one would have to go upon the road, to get around the planter. This is a common theme for the property, good start, which is poorly executed. I was greeted by a young man asking what I needed, I indicated I was looking for the lobby, which he informed me that the W does not have a lobby, infact it only has a living room. The young door man than went back to his post, while another man came to my aid. I asked if they offer a café which serves coffee, this was also indicated to be negative. I looked at the restaurant selection, and through some detective work, did discover that the wet bar in fact offers coffee, however it was on the ‘W’ floor, which according to staff is actually the 4th floor, but called ‘W’ floor due to superstition. Inside the elevator shaft, they placed in neon-like tubes in a Hong Kong sign style, but with the names of Shanghai streets and slogans of love for Shanghai.

When the elevator doors opened upon the ‘W’ floor, the lobby was revealed. It has an Ovolo Hotel feel to it – young, cool and hip. A slight ramp with sofa-like seating lining it, is neat, and it flows nicely into the lobby lounge. I wandered without specific direction looking for the wetbar. Through a set of unmarked doors, next to the kitchen, with their overly friendly staff, I made my way upon the patio. The view of the skyline was very nice – the wetbar is open, without air conditioning or shielding from mosquitoes, but it does have nice views.

I requested their coffee selection, however was informed that they were unable to make coffee, despite it being on the menu, and only offered two non-alcoholic drinks. With a desire for liquids, I opted to try both, the Sing Sing (Lemon, Kaffir Lime Leaves, Ginger, Lavender, Sprite) and the Mr & Mrs Pink (Grapefruit, Lemon, Elderflower, Peppercorn, Himalayan Salt).  I took a seat on some bar stools near the pool, to take in the skyline. After about 20mins, I asked for an update on the drinks, they were in preparation. They didn’t offer water, just required me to wait, so I waited. By the time the drinks did arrive, I was in need of them. Sadly the drinks were both unpalatable both visually and in taste, being served in plastic cups, the Mr & Mrs Pink was so bitter that it was similar to eating a raw lemon straight and the Sing Sing was essentially liquid sugar with unclean ginger slices added to it. No wait staff came to ensure I was satisfied and after several failed attempted requests to attract wait staff,  with even them looking directly at me, but simply ignoring me, I went up to the counter.

A new bartender was there and I inquired about coffee, which they now informed me they offered. I explained that initially was not available and I would be keen if they would swap out my drinks for a cup of coffee  – they were initially open to the idea, but another person insisted on remaking the drink. I should have been more forceful, as the next drink was essentially mint and water and was more terrible then the last one. I ended up, after about three hours, just requesting a glass of water, which they did provide. After spending 100 rmb on drinks, I was only able to enjoy a cup of water from the Wet Bar. The staff certainly need more training of what they offer and how it is prepared and delivered. I went for coffee and only got disappointment.

Afterwards, I headed to find the washrooms, which I found near the lobby. It reminded me of the washrooms of People 6, which is essentially just mirrors – I pity any drunk people that go into that room. The room was clean, but used an odd placement for soap dispensers and paper towels.

As I was preparing to head out, I decided to stop to take a look at the conference hall services which they offer. The rooms are decent and could work well for meetings. The washrooms are what you would expect in a decent hotel, well lit, well thought out and easy to use.

Metro line 12’s  International Cruise Terminal (国际客运中心) has a stop here, but it is not open from the east side of the street. On the north side of the complex, there is an LED pathway, which is a nice and unexpected feature.

Second Attempt

Iced Latte.

Decent coffee.

Provided liquid sugar to sweeten.


Eli Falafel

Lebanese coffee (with ibrik/cezve). Dark and bitter, weak in terms of Caffeine strength.

They don't offer Affogato, but I made my own with their delicious ice cream. Suggested they offer it too.

Thought for Food

357 West Jianguo Road

Dark roast, high acidity. Nice space. (Oddly conducive to sleep). 3 bean blend, 1 week roast, unknown source.

The Espresso Roast

Dark roast, only slightly bitter. High Caffeine strength. Blended and roasted on site.

Kaffeine Coffee

Dark and bitter. Claims to weekly roast, offsite. Ms. Xiang was friendly. Affogato (2 scroops of national branded ice cream) improved flavour.

JinChen Hotel

A frozen coffee dessert. It has a rich coffee flavour. Walnut is famous too. Order left of elevator on main floor, delievered from restaurant. Open til 8pm.

JR Republic

Not bitter or acidic, but very sour. Latte and Mocha (28rmb/each). Bean from  Carrefour: Kingdom - Rock Italian Coffee, Water (5 Filters).

Bunker Coffee

Not bitter or acidic.

Milkshake bar

Affogato: bitter and acidic. Ice cream makes it slightly pallible. Peanut whip cream from milk shake, only improves it.

Roaster

Mildly bitter, low caffeine rate. decent milk. Served in paper cup.

KingBlue

Mildly bitter.

2 water filters.

Decent milk (7rmb/cost).

4 blends for coffee, which is 2-3 years old.

Served in paper cup.

Fuel Espresso

Coffee - Classic Roast Latte and Machiato.

Dark roast, only slight acidic.

3 bean blend.

Decent caffiene levels.

Decent milk. 7 stage water filter.

Oosii

3 blend. Good brew, low acidic.

Decent caffiene level .meiji milk. Kept refrigerated. 2 stacks of filters (unknown number per stack).

Dedicated roaster and roasting machine. 

Friendly, knowlegable staff.

Beach House

Slightly bitter, acidic.

Meiji milk.

Obtained bean from Lost Bakery (which is from mellower).

Nice space.

Terrible service (only person in space, waited over an hour for service).

Nice on surface, hollow, like their tables. 45 rmb for latte.

Meiji Cafe

Slighly bitter, low acidity. 30 rmb for latte. Great foam. Some grind leftover.

S. engine

Very sour coffee, with old flavour. Slightly bitter.

Space is decent for location.

Wifi based on wechat access.

Baked items are chinese styled.

11 shareholders make this a mess.

Pizza hut

Dark roast. Not bitter or acidic. However low caffiene levels. Latter for 25 rmb.

Robert Lind

Decent coffee. Not too bitter or Acidic, decent caffiene.

Try a lye croissant while you are at it.

Paulaner

latte, 38 rmb; no noticable coffee (low caffeine, low flavour); milk and foam sandwiching coffee like colour.

Valanza

 Korean Coffee roaster. Attempted to expand to Beijing, but failed; Partnership in Hongqiao also failed; supply beans to other coffee shops. Nice venue.

Two bean blend, Slightly sour; on-site roasting, 3 times per week; Decent foam (Nestle UHT), 2 stacks of 5 water filters (10). Barristas are friendly, mostly korean, limited mandarin and english. Nice venue. Take away lid cheap plastic.

Patient/Slow

Costa Rica Beans, Friend custom roast, 2 stage penta-filters, wondermilk. 10 rmb take-away discount. 22rmb latte.

Saigon Mama

Vietnamese Coffee.

Dark roast (likely arabica beans), drip. Barely paltatable.
Using foam from Aunn Café & Co. latte fixes some problems.
Long wait, mixed up order, lid seal broken caused mess. 35rmb

Aunn Café & Co.

Latte. Decent Brew. 35 rmb.

Note: Has 3D printed chairs inside.

Cafe Trombetta

Bitter and Sour with no aftertaste. Gold Espresso (50rmb). Vacuum packged espresso at least 6 months old.

E.T. Cafe

Claims roast within 3 days. Sour with aftertaste. Low caffiene value. Contaminated with foreign body. Decent space.

Sound Coffee

Vancouver Roast (dark, sour; blends well with milk) and Chinese Roast (light, decent, decent caffienation). 28 rmb for latte. Miji Milk (low lactose, low foam). Friendly Staff. Unique Burr Grinder. 

Up Café

Located in Global Harbour Mall.

Latte. Dark roast. Blended arabica (80%) and robusta (20%). Low caffiene value.

Peter’s Tex Mex

This brand is from Chengdu. When it first opened it was the best tex mex restaurant in Shanghai. Sadly, after several months its quality went down and it changed to serve the local market. Fast forward a number of years and it is now in Global Harbour Mall. It has moved back to trying to be a Tex Mex restaurant and while not as good as the good ol' days, it is a decent one. As I was leaving noticed they have an espresso machine, so tried it out.

Latte. 25 rmb; dark roast. Slightly bitter. Low caffiene value.

Jing An Shangri-La Lobby Lounge

Very Bitter. Milk foam is decent.

Shangri-la lobby

Hyatt Regal Global Harbour

Cup cup


Small coffee shop run by two friendly brothers.

Roasting twice per week - 4 bean mix, 3 base with 1 changed;

3 water filters;

Decent milk;

Latte: sour with aftertaste, slight milk skin.

Mocha: Hershy Cocoa; Decent flavour.

High Caffeine levels (likely unhealthy levels).

Small Latte (19): Double Shot;

Large (23): Triple Shot;

Can make Quad Shot (2 double shots)

Layout is good: working roaster in front, milk in windowed fridge, water filters visible, signage is simple and easy to read.

Museo Coffee

 Gave them a call to confirm their hours. Arrived, the location was closed. Phoned them again, informed that they moved to new location, a week earlier.

Later they moved for a short time just off Yishan road, but they didn't last too long there.

DNA Coffee

 Need a triple shot?

This may be the place for you –sadly the couple in front of me in line took over 10 mins to make a choice and I was in a bit of a rush, so had to skip this venue.

Nice 'beach front' and interior design.

Holicu U

This clothing store has space upstairs, which at one point was their own coffee shop, but has since changed names a number of times until now it is currently a korean chicken restaurant.

Future Station

Coffee & Business: Saw this near Holicu U at Yishan Lu. It was late at night and so only saw the sign.

Molang

Hongquan Road

Walnut and Coffee Cake and a coffee shop. Attempted to go several times, however staff are not attentive to customers, which is odd since it is a tiny take out shop.

Note: Former Site of K-Mart Cafe (K Cafe)

Cosmo Coffee

Hongquan Road

A take-away coffee shop which opened soon after Molang (about 3 shops down). 50% on the soft opening made it even more sweet. Not overly special, still worth it to walk the two blocks to More then Coffee, west on Hongquan road.

Ca Barista

Located on the upper floor of Jingting Tiandi Mall (on Hongquan Road; same location as More than Coffee, Double V and Curry Hut), this place is pretty large with its own classroom in the back.  It has a plaque for the Korea Coffee Association. It was closed the first time I saw it. The next time, it was open, but the smell of mildue did not keep me there for long. 

Pizza Marzano

A chain. This one was at MixC. Offered an Affogato. The espresso was only saved by the ice cream. ~40rmb.

Beer Station

Walk-by: 103 Jinhui lu near Wuzhong road. 

With a 1950s gas station theme, which non of the staff understand. 1980s digital pinball games are available for a fee, but they can unlock it for a test.

Owned by a Taiwan brewing company (with other themed pubs in shanghai). Beer Station has ten taps on hand and the prices are decent for beer.

You can get a 330ml craft beer coupon if you talk with the bus boy/girl at the front entrance.

Americano: 25 rmb

Paul LaFayet

Walk-by

Grand Gateway 66, Xujiahui

Semi-automatic coffee machine.

Rumors

Walk by: 1 Lane 372, Xingguo Road, Xuhui District

It appeared to be closed as the awning sign was darkened.

Backstory: Found another Rumors in pudong which said they bought out this Rumors.

Previously went here, they offered to sell me an espresso without using an espresso machine (as they don't have one) by using drip coffee.

Bang Takeaway Coffee

Just saw sign, didn't see the shop.

Bitter

Bitter: Coffee and Cocktails 

58 Wuyuan Rd (Near Changshu Road Metro Station, exit 8)

Just saw sign. It was closed at the time.

Drops

Drops Coffee Studio

368 Wu Kang Lu (Near Shanghai Library Metro Stop, Exit 3)

Just saw sign. It was closed at the time.

Reviews 2016

  Here is a review of a range of vendors in Shanghai. There are many vendors in Shanghai, frankly more than what is practical to review, as they tend, like all food and beverage companies, to open and close frequently. In addition, I initially sought specific types of vendors – those with roasting capability, so didn’t pay attention to shops without them. As the process went forward, I opted to try some without roasters and on occasion to try different drinks.

 My typical order is:

     A single shot of espresso and
     A cup of foam (steamed milk, ideally with all [dry] foam)

G+ Gigazone

One of the better places in Shanghai for a coffee, what a surprise this place is. This was the Gigabyte showroom/coffee shop where they have an excellent barista who can make an excellent brew. Lots of room and friendly staff.

Illy packaged espresso, Ms. Liu expertly brewed  espresso. A cup of water was also served.

Venue is closed.

IG Coffee

300 Anfu Road

Nestled between a photo art gallery and a camera museum, is this camera themed café.

Friendly staff, willing to make sure customer is happy.

Dark, but not bitter. Uses real whipcream, in drinks which use it.

A good place to relax.

Mellower Coffee

A primary roaster in Shanghai.

They are hit and miss when it comes to roasting and espresso brewing. The Baristas vary in terms of quality and knowledge.

The first espresso and foam production was great, but afterwards not so much.

They have embraced the idea of offering a wide variety of coffee related added value and value added product selections.

They have several locations in Shanghai. Typically large stores with plenty of seating and often with a classroom.

Blackbird Cafe

  1. 1st experience was good with a dark roast, yet not bitter. Steamed milk had decent foam. 
  2. 2nd less so. Steamed milk sloppy.
  3. 3rd attempt; Dark Roast and acidic, steamed milk with no foam in small flute.
  4. 4th attempt (group): Overall poor experience, last time went to blackbird cafe.

Tyche's

Looked very promising. A decent looking water filtration system. Interior design is nice and seating is spacious and comfortable. Barista friendly and willing to experiment. Onsite roasting machine. Sadly they roast in bulk and produce a brew which is highly acidic and bitter, a true ‘korean’ style. Coffee and Cola is interesting though their green tea is too sweet.

Venue is closed.

L’Avant Gout café

Found this place by random, after trying a roaster a couple blocks away. The staff here are friendly. They use Mellower as their roaster, so their quality will vary. The food is good here. I returned a number of times afterwards and even invited friends to join me.


Coffee Q5

Have their own roasters. Friendly staff that are willing to learn and experiement. However coffee is very dark roasted and acidic, even after a couple attempts.

Leina Coffee

Roaster Cafe

A roaster in Shanghai, I was excited. Howevery they only do volume roasting. Despite the friendly manager, the brew was way too bitter and acidic, which was attributed to customers desires ( the market expects coffee to taste a certain way, due to early experiences) – but not this one. They understood foam production.

Weekly blended roasting stored in non-airtight containers, it did not take long to feel disappointment.

Häagen-Daz

Yuyuan Garden

An ice cream shop with coffee, not terrible – in fact better than some. Uses illy coffee. Latte. Dark roast, not bitter.

Stay Real Cafe by Gabee

Bitter, but not an acidic brew. Barista: ‘Starbucks destroys coffee beans’.

Barista didn’t understand steamed milk or foam production. Got frustrated by simple requests.

The Loaf

The internal design is nice, however the croissant and coffee was not. Bitter and acidic..

Vinjoy Mart&Café

West of Jing'An Temple

Dark roast, but not bitter. Steamed milk was decent. Served with lemon water.

East of Nanjing West Road

Cappuccino. Dark roast, not bitter. Staff ordered and charged for largest size, despite ordering smallest size. In a rush, so couldn’t complain.

Little Arms, Big Heart

Dark roast, not acidic. Staff not overly friendly, failed to make as per order and space is tiny. Fun theme though.

M&S Café

Dark roast and acidic. Comes with a cookie. Once was a good café, but it is old and worn out.

Pret

K11 location.

Latte. Dark roast, a little bitter. Decent interior for lobby of office building.

La Sosta

Decent brew and they were able get the foam right. Friendly staff makes this an enjoyable café.

More Than Eat

This is the newest project by ‘Lost Heaven’ which incorporates a couple of different restaurants, such as japanese, ‘asian’, italian, a butcher, bar food and a small ‘grocery’.There is a Lost Heaven restaurant on the second floor and ‘Lost Bakery’ on the western side of the building. The coffee at ‘More than Eat’ is decent, but dark roast, which was not bitter. Latte Art is nice touch too.

Ocean grounds

I found their Hongqiao location and read the claims of being a purveyor of Third Wave and introducing Forth wave coffee to Shanghai, I was intrigued. I meant to get myself back to their Hongqiao location, however a friend found their location just off Huaihai Road (Jiling West). It is clear that they can not live up to their own hype, as really second wave, instant coffee would be superior to their coffee. My friend got their 'best cocktail' which only had a high volume of whisky going for it. Note: Good value though, since they put like eight shots (44ml x8=352ml) of whiskey in a 400ml cup and charged 80 rmb. The apparently old cinnamon stick from their drink, could only improve my espresso. The staff and owner were not friendly and the furniture is cheap and not comfortable.

Dark roast and acidic.  More interested in selling alcohol than creating a quality espresso.

Starbucks

Xujiahui Location

Dark roast, not too bitter. Added milk to espresso, took another attempt to make foam – however it didn’t have much foam.

Joy Spot

Decent roast. Barista partially understood order (made double shot, rather than single shot), however foam was well done.  2nd attempt, barista didn’t understand steamed milk.

Green & Safe

'Valrhona Mocha' was not good for coffee or chocolate and the 'Coffee Mocha Milky Slush’ was too terrible to give justice in a description.

CityKitchen

Ice Cappuccino (Double espresso and hot milk, topped with foam) – horrendous, beans burnt to death.

Tenderness

Xuhui

This bakery offers coffee from a coffee machine, which I opted out of. Instead tried their milk and a crossiant, both were not good.

Decent patios, despite the bugs.

Penhal cafe

Dark roast, not bitter. Added foam to espresso, despite ordering in two separate cups. Not a big issue, as both the shot and foam were correct. Served cup of lime water.

Ascott Heng Shan

Dark roast, slightly acidic.  Steamed milk had only a small amount of foam. Staff have limited ability to go off menu.

IMG HairSalon

Café americano (espresso and hot water), decent. Location is a hair salon, coffee is part of price. 

Le Jardin Secret

A secret café, slightly hidden, filled with a antique decorations.
Makes a decent Affogato (ice cream drowning in an espresso).
Good flavour, nice presentation.

Maison Camus

Dark roast, but not bitter. Milk done properly. Caramelised biscuit on side with glass of water.

Nice view on Nanjing west road. Sadly, last day of operation – possibly its last customer.

Protoss by UniUni

This vendor has lots of things going for it, such as a knowledgable management, high end water system, high quality fresh milk (wondermilk) and their own roasting (but not on site, in Nanjing). Their top barista wasn’t there when I came and the on-duty barista had trouble with my order. However the latte he made was very good. The staff are friendly, and so is the management.

Second Attempt

Dark roast, but not overly bitter. Steamed milk included limited foam. On-menu latte was good and had an artistic leaf.

Venue is closed.

Bon Matin

Thai milk tea (thai tea served with steamed milk and foam). Tasty, but a little sweet.

Simply Bakery Café

Grand Gateway 66, Xujiahui

Coffee Milkshake. All round was very good – the coffee had a nice taste and the milkshake did not have any ice in it.

Mini Max Coffee

Xuhui Outlet

Dark roast and highly acidic. Staff is friendly and willing to learn. Despite suggestions of fresh roasting, it is not done here.

Qibao Outlet

Bartista is eager to learn, however hampered by low quality product. Nice coffee related Internal decorations.

Monet Café

Like Oscar-Claude Monet and wish there was a café with such a theme? Look no further!

NICEcafe

Designed as a bike repair shop, this is a unique themed café.

Pandawow Coffice

A Panda/Office themed café. Here you can look at panda icons while at the ‘office’ while enjoying a coffee, ‘wow’

Penhal Cafe

Tailor and Café together. ‘Savile road with Coffee’.

Ask VC+

Dark roast, very acidic. Didn’t understand foam and on second attempt, after they ‘understood’, brought me an empty cup.

Nice view of Jing’an temple, so come only for the view, not the coffee.

Caffeine Plus

Dark roast, a bit bitter. Didn’t understand foam, but did provide a large amount of steamed milk.

Tock's

This is supposed to be a Montreal Smoked Meat Diner. However they had to change to local tastes, so don't expect much.

If you are Canadian, don't bother with the poutine or the smoked meat.

Espresso was decent but unbalanced cost, with a single shot being almost the same price as a double shot.

1st location: 221 Henan Middle Rd, Huangpu Qu

2nd location: The Centre. This was a small 'take-out' style one. Didn't last long.

3rd location: In same building as Taco bell just off Nanjing West Road.

Background: Uncle in textiles. Nephew came to learn but eventually got into Food and Beverage industry.

Artist Cafe

Located in the far south bund, in an office lobby.

Latte:
Standard Cup: Double Shot: 28 rmb
Big Cup: Triple Shot: 30 rmb

Bowl’d

Venue is closed.

Anfu road.

Walk-by.

Located in the ground floor of an old house, this had a stylish charm to it.

Cachet

Hotel Lobby Bar. Nespresso and Espresso machine. Open bar for clients.

The Coffee Academics

Venue is Closed.

Looks good on the surface, but coffee is roasted in Hong Kong and shipped to Shanghai. Hygiene is very questionable.

Cloudy Café

Saw a small sign on the street and tried to find ‘Cloudy Café’, however after going a couple sets of stairs with twists and turns in dim light, gave up on finding it in the clouds.

Deli

This is a ‘traditional’ bakery of Shanghai which also serves coffee.

If you need butterfly (Papillon) cookies, this is a good place to get them. The bigger ones tend to be less sweet than the smaller ones. Buy fresh.

Café Droptop

Venue is closed.

Found this large coffee shop, sadly it was closed by the time I made my way to try it.

5th Space Coffee

Located on the 3rd floor of a shop, which has clothing, gadgets and interior design products. The interior design was mildly interesting, however the coffee was not.

La Petite Fontaine

Antique shop and café. Makes an ok affogato.

Sumerian

415 Shaanxi North Rd

Small venue which offers Yunnan Beans. I opted to bypass this one just based off its appearance (typically due to concerns of water quality, etc.).

Cafe del Volcan

80 Yongkang Rd, Xuhui Qu (徐汇区永康路80号)

This is a tiny shop in an old residential area. I opted to bypass this one just based off its appearance (typically due to concerns of water quality, etc.).

However it should be noted that Cafe Del Volcan (Coffee of the Volcano) is widely advertised as a popular coffee vendor in Shanghai.

Background

It is important to note that Nils Weisensee (Deutch) from the Chosen Exchange (a Singapore based company which teaches North Koreans western business practices. Ie. How to setup coffee shops) and Frontier Intelligence (which offers human intelligence/social engineering/active defense security and training with a focus on China and other regions in Asia) is the co-founder of Cafe de Volcan.

Farine

Venue is closed.

Walk-by.

Bakery is closed due to using expired food products.

Blue Tree Cafe

Located on Huaihui lu.

Cafe/Bar/Restaurant. Its ok, but not worth a special trip for it.

Jamaicablue

Venue is closed.

Former Olympic Sports building off Nanjing road west (by the centre).  

Walk-by.

A 'foreign' chain. Nothing special.

Caffe Bene

This is a korean franchise where the coffee is a loss leader for the interior design sales to franchises.

2nd Cup Coffee

Walk-by.

Located in Hongqiao.

Note: Not the same as Second Cup.

Kohler Cafe

Walk-by/Closed.

Located on Nanjing Road west at the Kohler offices. 

Costa

This is a chain.

Sell sweet drinks. Be careful of being overcharged if you happen to purchase a drink.

The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf

This is a chain.

Sell sweet drinks.

Wheelys

Despite the Big claim of being the ‘Word’s Smallest Café’ they obviously did not review the cafes of Shanghai, some store fronts have a smaller footprint than wheelys.

Rat Tar Art Bar

Upstairs at Reel (near Jing'an temple)

They offer coffee from a commercial nespresso machine. Nice internal decorations and good location. Kitchen didn’t look too clean.

Brown Sixty

1st Floor, Tianle Plaza, 68 Yinting Road (銀亭路68號天樂廣場一樓), Minhang Qu

This is a large cafe and bakery.  They have different blends which tend to be of decent quality.

Maan Coffee

265 Jinhui S Rd, Minhang Qu

Also known as 漫咖啡 (Man Kafei).

Coffee and Waffles. First location in Shanghai, offers waffles made with Great Value flour. Products are sweet. Large amount of space (two levels inside and a large patio) to relax in.

Often people inside when the restaurant is closed and the lights are off.

Ikea

Xuhui, Second Floor.

The Ikea cafeteria offers free Coffee Monday-Friday for Family Card members.

When they first opened the coffee was of decent quality and came with a ceramic cup which you could fill at will.

Over time the cup changed to paper and got smaller, than quality went down and eventually they hired a person to monitor the coffee and drink usage.

Food theft is common and often done blatantly here.

In 2017, they opened a cafe which one can pay for an espresso and they offer ice cream and milkshakes. These are superior products to their free offerings.

Lavazza

Venue is closed.

Lavazza once had a flagship store in Shanghai on Nanjing west road, near the centre.

K&K Cafe Vienna

Metro Mall, Xujiahui

Walk-by. European-esk restaurant.

Picardie Bakery

Located along the southern street of the Hengshan Picardie Hotel (534 Hengshan Rd, Xuhui)

Part of a hotel from 1934, the bakery keeps its famous recipe for Mont Blanc, a french chestnut dessert.

Receipe and price has changes slightly as the elder baker has retired, however you will not find the same flavours anywhere else in Shanghai.

They offer coffee on the menu, but it is really dependant to which staff is on duty if they are capable of making (or willing to make) it for you.

Hengshan Picardie Hotel Lobby

The hotel lobby bar also sells coffee. This is from a automatic machine and was 60 rmb for a latte, last time I checked.

Broadway Mansions Lobby

 20 Beisuzhou Rd (north side of suzhou creek)

 Broadway Mansions is an iconic property in Shanghai. Used to have a large Bayer sign on it.

 The lobby has an overpowering musky smell.

2016 walkby

These are just ones I saw but didn't try (or didn't do a review on).

Coffee Shows

Jing'an Coffee Show

Also known as the Jingan World Coffee Festival.

The first one occured in September 8-9, 2016 and it was not well advertised, however it was a decent sized event downstairs at Kerry Centre.

There were various local vendors.

The one in 2018 was on the ground level. It was even less advertised and was smaller.

2016 show

  • Lavazza
  • Gabee
  • Manner
  • Hario
  • JDE
  • Wheelys
  • 8oz Coffee
  • Timemore
  • Pret a Manger
  • De'Longhi (machines)
  • Jonas Emil (no store/warehouse roaster)

2019 Show

  • Fish Eye
  • MQ Coffee
  • Fact.Coffee
  • G.P.S.
  • by Paras
  • Yo! Coffee
  • Nonagon
  • Blacksheep espresso
  • Single Origin Roasters
  • HugMe
  • Feast
  • Capital
  • Pie Bird
  • Issyk-kul
  • Moly
  • Daily Vinyl
  • Lights Cafe
  • And others..

Shanghai International Hospitality Equipment & Food Service Expo (Hotelx)

This is a large show which is designed for the Hospitality Industries. There is baking equipment, lots of alcoholic vendors, water and coffee companies.

Over the last couple years, the numbers of coffee related vendors and activities have grown.

Cafe Expo Shanghai (Cafex)

The first one occured in 2017. Despite the decent advertising of this free event - after arriving found out about the hidden fees, so didn't bother to attend.

Due to the previous poor experience didn't bother with the 2018 version. However there seemed to be limited advertising for this one.

China Vegetable Show

 This was a big event for Vegetables from all over China. While I was not expecting Coffee, they had an assorted amount of franchise vendors. One vendor recommended coffee as a good way to loose weight, while I was viewing the Latte Art competition. 

Special Mentions

These are for shops outside of Shanghai which are worth giving a mention to.

Wondermilk

Established in 2004 as Huaxia (Sanhe) Dairy Farm Company (Agricultural High-tech Park Zone, Sanhe, 065206; investors: Olympus Capital Holdings Asia, GRC SinoGreen Fund, Government of Singapore Investment Corporation) a subsiderary of China Genetics Holdings Ltd. It established the company WonderFood Company which operated the 'Wondermilk' brand.
 
Brought in their own cows and brought advance technology and animal husbandry practices resulting in a premium product. However sold 90% of milk production (~8000 head operation) to other larger companies. Its 10% output was used in the 'Wondermilk' products which were cold chained to select providers in Shanghai. It was not sold in any retail stores and only limited coffee shops offered this.

Coffee shops which offered this milk product were seen by the Author as being able to properly source for quality ingredients in China and so this was enough for the author to try their coffee shop. Sadly, as of September 2018 operations closed down for Huaxia (Sanhe) Dairy Farm Company.

Wonder Worker Coffee

 Located in Wuxi, this little shop has its own roasting machine. While I was there, they were roasting and blending. It is a small space, but with extra seating in their loft, which was comfortable for a group of four. They provided good service and made excellent brews. 

The Scientist

The Scientist, Wuxi

A new chain . Nice interior design. Menu varies by location.

Latte/Cappucino: 35 rmb
Affogato: 35 rmb (with Home made ice cream)

Obviously got the Affogato. Which was a good thing, as the espresso was bitter and acidic..


Coffee Related Products

Liquid Packaged Coffee

There is a wide varity of liquid coffee products from around the world.

Powdered Packaged Coffee

There is a wide varity of powdered coffee products from around the world.

Coffee Seeds

There is a wide varity of coffee seeds/beans from around the world.

Coffee Flavoured Foods

From cookies to cakes, from drinks to ice cream. Lots of things can be flavoured with Coffee.

Coffee Shop Topics

Business Cards

A business card (Also called name card) is a method to provide information to clients as a take away (to act as a memory aid), so that they can refer back to an individual or company’s Name, location, phone number, email address, website, etc. There is a wide range of business card types provided by vendors. Some even use tri-folds brochures as their business cards to provide even more information, such as all their locations in a region or their full menu options.

Signage

Signs help people know your brand exists. Make sure it is visible and easy to read. Being artistic is nice, but if it is unreadable, it is a waste.

Menu

 From paper menus, to plastic coated, to chalk board, to electronic pads and electronic signs, there is a wide variety of methods to present product selection to potential clients. Not all menus are created equally. A menu which is not complicated, easy to read and understand, allows people to make an easy purchase. If too complicated or difficult to read, there is a chance people will leave or not be happy with the selection or choices. Often missed, lighting and font size are very important for readability. Using complicated or invented jargon does not make the experience any easier.

Added Value

Added Value Products help increase the bottom line of a business, by offering additional products which generate additional income. Many vendors offer coffee as an Added Value product, like an after thought to their product line up. Some vendors offer other products which may or may not add value to their coffee line up, an example would be a coffee shop which also doubles as a pet shop – should food and pets co-exist? The smell was certainly terrible.

Value Added Products (Also called Value-Added Opportunities) help increasing the bottom line of a business, by offering ‘upgrades’ or additions to a product in order to boost profit from a product. For example, adding a shot of whiskey to the coffee.

Transportation

 There is a wide variety of vehicles used for coffee. Coffee delivery via bikes and scooters is common in Shanghai.

Seed/Bean Containers

Typically glass air tight containers.

Tableware

Typically ceramic cups.

Disposable tableware

Typically Paper cups.

Individual Single Serve Condiments

Typically packets of sugar and/or creamer.

Furniture

A wide variety of furniture exists.

Light fixtures

From simple to artistic, a wide variety of light fixtures exist.

Electronics

Typically POS machines and/or television screens.

Facades

A wide variety of facades exists.

Additional Design Elements

A wide variety of design elements exists.

Art pieces

A wide variety of art exists.

Machines

From refrigerators to coolers. Usually used for deserts and snacks.

Water Filtration Equipment

 While water quality is usually a big concern for tourists and residents alike in Shanghai, it is suprising how little concern is made when consuming beverages with water in them, such as coffee. Assuming that the coffee vendor has good quality water is a haphazard approach, as many do not. If the property is very old and in an older region of shanghai, it may be shocking to consider the condition of the pipes. While the city has made great strides in upgrading infrustructure, it really depends on where in the city, where the best water quality will exist.

 A venue which has put in some effort for ensuring water quality is superior to any that has not made any effort at all. Not every venue can afford afford the water treatment system of Uni-Uni, which was really the best I have seen in Shanghai. They spent 40k on their water treatment, sadly their location and shareholders didn't allow for it to last long.

"For systems which utilize water, it is important to consider water treatment of that water for the long term health of the system.

Water Purification Systems

 Typically there are three types of water systems: at the source (either at the source of entry to a residence, or at the source where the water is obtained [ie. a well], mid-stream, and at the terminal point (such as at the fauct).

Water Purification Filters

Type

Medium

Note

Slow Sand Filter

Sand

 

Rapid Sand Filter

Sand;  Sand and anthracite coal; Sand, Anthracite coal and garnet.

 

Reverse Sand Filter

Sand

 

Gravity Filter

Typically Sand

 

Pressure Filter

Sand;  Sand and anthracite coal; Sand, Anthracite coal and garnet.

 tightly packed sand and gravel.

Vacuum Filter

 

 

Activated Carbon Filter

Activated Carbon

Bromate (ozonation By-Product)

Granular activated carbon

Activated Carbon

Trihalomethanes (THMs) and haloacetic acids (HAAs)

Diatomaceous earth filters

Diatomaceous earth

 

Backwash Filter

Membrane filtration

 

Ceramic Filter

Ceramic

 

Reverse Osmosis

Membrane filtration

~ 6 pH

Mineral

Filter

Minerials

 

Infra-Red Filter

Electromagnetic energy

 

Ultra Violet Filter

Electromagnetic energy

 

Ultra-violet irradiation

Electromagnetic energy

Bromate (ozonation By-Product) [High Dose]

Biological filtration

Biological based membrane filtration

Bromate (ozonation By-Product)

Biofilter

Biological based membrane filtration

Trihalomethanes (THMs) and haloacetic acids (HAAs)

BioFilm

Biological based membrane filtration

 

Bioreactor

Biological Process based filtration

 

Hydrophilic membrane filtration

colloids, cotton, and cellulose

Filter out bacteria, virii, proteins, particulates, drugs, and other contaminates.

ion-exchange beds

zeolites (separate molecules based on size and shape)

 

Ferrous iron reduction

Iron

Bromate (ozonation By-Product)

Reverse Osmosis Notes

 Two main issues come up with using water from Reverse Osmosis sytems:

i) Tissue osmotic pressure increases when exposed to water treated by reverse osmosis, which can cause swelling and possibly even bursting of tissue or cells. Essentially the water is absorbed at such quantity that cell membranes rupture. The problem can resolved when small concentrations of inorganic salt is added to the treated water. 

ii) Water may leech out minerials from tissue and bones."
Source: Physical Security and Safety, Your Best Guide to Shanghai by Arooka (2017)

Roasting Machine

Most commonly used as a decoration in Shanghai. Sometimes actually work.

Grinders

Grinders are usually large in size and are used by many vendors to also store beans.

Scales

Scales are used by some vendors to ensure a set amount of ground beans are placed within the portafilter.

Tamper

For those vendors with semi-automatic espresso machines, they will often use a tamper, but it is mostly for show, as few actually apply pressure to tamp down.

Venues with real baristas and real espresso machines, tend to do this correctly.

Coffee Related Topics

Procurement

Greenland Global Commodity Trading Hub (GHub)

Opened in 2018 as an extended showroom for the China International Import Expo (CIIE; Also known as Shanghai Canton Fair).

Vendors with Coffee and/or related products

  • Vietnam
  • Ukraine
  • AlpenPartner
  • ASEAN Economy & Technology Association Malaysia
  • Association Asia - Europe - Africa for Promotion of Commerce and Investment
  • Mexico
  • Equador
  • Republic of Senegal


  Assorted

  • Civet Coffee with Arabica or Robusta Seeds
  •  Café Bliss (Touba) made by dripping water through roasted (black) and ground coffee and adding Xylopia Aethiopica pods (Also known as ‘African’ or ‘African Country’ Pepper; Poivre de ‘Name of Country’; note: sometimes the pods are roasted with the coffee beans) and cloves into the resulting brew. Sugar and sometimes milk is added to taste. 
  • Baobab coffee from Muzarabani, Mashonaland Central, Republic of Zimbabwe.
  • Adansonia (Also known as Bahobab, Baobab) seeds are roasted with brown sugar and pounded into a powder.
  • Blendy Brand Packaged Coffee (right) 
  • German Brand: Alois Dallmayr (https://www.dallmayr.com/de/)
  • Enpache a hard to find all-in-one coffee machine from Seoul, Korea. Lots of Signs, no machine. 
    Not to be confused with ‘Empacho’ which are gastrointestinal symptoms (ie. bloating, pain) caused by obstruction.



Classes

 Obtaining eduation on coffeee is possible in Shanghai.

 Some coffee vendors will offer classes on coffee. This can be simple general information classes, all the way to certifications. 

 Even local community centres offer general knowledge classes.

Gubei Civic Centre

In 2017, the Gubei Civic Centre offered Latte Art Classes and information on Bean Selection, Cappuccino making, Frothing techniques.

Coffee Related Products

Milk

Retail Prices for Milk

Fresh*

*Some products denote being fresh but have shelf-lives of 14-30 days.

Note: Care must be made when purchasing dairy products as some retails are not familiar with cold chaining products and unless they have the infrastructure and have staff trained for it, they may not be able to guarantee that the product was not left out to ambient temperatures. I saw one vendor who was selling yogurt outside in stacks in the blazing sun in the summer time.


UHT

Others

Note: There was a big push in 2018 for adding Oatley (liquid oats product) to coffee at a wide variety of vendors.

Milk Substitute

Soy Milk product.

Nut milk product.

Liquid aseptic oat milk product (ie. Oatly Brand)
Produced by:
a. Milled oats which are processed with enzymes.
b. Residues filtered out.
c. Blended with Canola Oil (rapeseed oil) and sodium chloride which form a liquid aseptic oat milk.

Water

Bottled water varies in price, from as low as 1 rmb/bottle for local brands to upwards of 100rmb/bottle for foreign brands.

There is no guarantee of quality fo the water. Water should be stored in darkened glass bottles, but you will not find those in any retail outlet.

Notifications

Coffee in Shanghai Volume II has take a dramatic change from its previous version.

 While the previous version was image rich, this version is not.

This is designed to be more universally accessible and useable.

It also offers some future-proofing for changing standards.

Donation

 Enjoy the book? Want to help with its development and addtional titles?

 Make a Donation (via Paypal)

 Or Send us an email for other ways to help us.


Patrons

Thank you for making this book possible.

Arooka


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Title: Coffee in Shanghai Volume II
Series: Arooka Knowledge Base
ISBN-13: 978-1-988087-12-2
FWP-AKB-E-101

Author: Arooka
http://www.arooka.com
Publisher: Free World Press Ltd.
Printed on 100% Digital Paper