Coffee culture in China is booming, and signature drinks—mixing coffee with tea, fruit, and more—are all the rage amongst locals.
BY JODEE FOK
BARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE
Featured photo courtesy of Steven Chau
While tea is an integral facet of Chinese culture, in recent years, coffee consumption has been booming countrywide, with an abundance of specialty-coffee shops popping up in several megacities throughout the Asian country. Today, we’ll explore the growth of the Chinese coffee scene and the drinks that are trending amongst its locals.
In Shanghai, Coffee Blooms
A prominent example of China’s coffee boom can be found in the country’s cultural capital, Shanghai, which is now home to over 9,500 coffee shops. While China’s coffee consumption per capita (only an average of 16.74 cups per person per year) is still behind its Western counterparts, the coffee industry reached over RMB 265 billion (about $36 billion USD) in 2023 and is projected to hit RMB 313 billion (about $43 billion USD) the following year, according to a comprehensive 2024 report by Shanghai Cultural and Creative Industry Promotion Association.
Creative Combinations: Chinese Cafés Offer Unique Drinks
As China’s coffee market grows tremendously, one trend is becoming apparent amongst its consumers: the desire for unique signature beverages. From raw coconut lattes to iced orange americanos, and even Moutai alcohol-infused lattes, numerous Chinese cafés have answered the call for options with more of an air of creativity.
At Chinese domestic coffee chains like Luckin Coffee and Cotti Coffee, popular drinks often offer a mix of flavors and textures, incorporating tea and seasonal fruits into traditional coffee beverages. International brands are tapping into this trend as well. For example, Tim Hortons recently launched two tea-infused coffee drinks to its Chinese consumer base: an orange blossom oolong tea latte and a gardenia green tea latte, created in collaboration with the Suzhou Museum.
Following suit, many local coffee shops have also been meticulously curating menus of innovative signature drinks. But some Chinese coffee shop owners, like Gentle Tam of Shenzhen’s soulmade coffee, share that doing so is far from easy. “A signature drink requires not only harmonious flavor combinations but also an engaging backstory and aesthetic appeal,” Gentle explains.
Appealing to Local Preferences
The popularity of signature drinks in China cannot be overstated. Steven Chau, who leads Guangzhou-based coffee shop C Stands For, says, “Some people would drive more than an hour just to get a signature drink.”
A key contributing factor to the appeal of signature drinks, particularly tea-infused hybrids, is their alignment with the beverage preferences of local Chinese folks. “Coffee is still perceived as bitter and merely an energy boost among locals who are much into tea drinks like milk tea and lemon tea. This has prompted coffee shops to offer more sweet options so as to draw in new customers,” says Steven.
Even though China has long been a coffee producer, predominantly in regions like Yunnan, coffee is hardly ingrained in the country’s culture and traditions, and it has become mainstream nationwide only in recent years. Gentle explains, “Many local consumers might have started to get into coffee with a signature drink rather than an espresso or black coffee.” He adds that, because of this, there’s more room for coffee shops to explore unconventional flavor pairings and the many ways to enjoy coffee.
The Call for Photo-Worthy Beverages
Steven also shares the importance of offering visually appealing drinks when appealing to coffee consumers in China—especially those keen to share their experiences on Chinese social media platforms like Xiaohongshu, also known as Little Red Book. “Coffee shops are elevating their offerings to be ‘fancier’ and worthy of being posted (on Xiaohongshu), attracting people to visit and take pictures,” Steven says.
From a business standpoint, signature drinks help coffee shops across China stand out from intensifying competition, and their growth in popularity is a promising sign of the country cultivating a vibrant coffee culture attuned to its consumer habits and market development.
If you find yourself in any Chinese city, be sure to pop into a local coffee shop and check out their signature drinks—you’ll be surprised at the level of imagination and innovation that can go into a single beverage.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jodee Fok is a social policy writer and researcher by day, and an art and coffee enthusiast all the time. She is a curious learner with a passion for social causes such as sustainability and farmers’ welfare. Whether it’s making a great pourover coffee, checking out a local café, or reading anything coffee-related, those little moments brighten up her day.
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