Seesaw Coffee Opens First Store in Chongqing, Following Success in Chengdu

China's Booming Coffee Market

China's coffee market is in a period of rapid expansion, and coffee is no longer the exclusive province of first-tier cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Hangzhou. According to the "2021 China Fresh Ground Coffee Industry White Paper," consumers in first- and second-tier cities have formed a genuine coffee-drinking habit — in those cities, coffee penetration now even exceeds that of brewed tea. And per the "2021 Youth Coffee Lifestyle Consumption Trend Insight," nearly 60% of white-collar workers drink 3 cups of coffee per week, with per-capita consumption in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen already comparable to Japan and the United States.

The Rise of Seesaw Coffee

That urgent market demand has incubated a wave of domestic brands — among them Seesaw, often described as China's first specialty coffee brand. Founded in Shanghai in 2012, Seesaw is the country's earliest specialty coffee chain, nicknamed the "Whampoa Military Academy of Chinese Specialty Coffee" for how steadily it has exported both specialty coffee culture and trained talent into the wider industry. According to Seesaw's official website, as of October 2020 the brand had entered 5 vibrant cities — Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, and Suzhou — with 26 coffee spaces.

Expansion to Southwest China

Per People's Daily Information, Seesaw pushed into southwest China on its ninth anniversary. Back in April, it had debuted in Chengdu with a "dual first store" strategy, opening simultaneously at Chengdu Mofang in the High-tech Zone and Chengdu Mixc in Wuhou District.

According to Sina Weibo user Chongqing CKG, Seesaw's first Chongqing store began trial operations on June 16 at Chongqing Mixc — and searching "Seesaw Chongqing" on the platform already turned up posts from early visitors.

Grand Opening in Chongqing

The first Chongqing store officially opened the next day, June 18, at Chongqing Mixc.

According to NetEase News, staying true to its tradition of city-specific openings, Seesaw built a creative launch campaign around Chongqing's local character, using creativity and sincerity as its "knocking brick" for the city debut.

The Mountain City Flower House Concept

Drawing on Chongqing's defining traits — "mountains," "greenery," and "vibrant life" — the store's concept is the "Mountain City Flower House." The ubiquitous plants and street-level energy of the mountain city are condensed into the space, from the outdoor flower house to the bar counter and walls, fusing Seesaw's brand identity with Chongqing's urban vitality.

Chongqing's Signature Creative Coffee

Following the West Lake Longjing Americano at the Hangzhou store, and the Shu Tea Flower Jelly Dirty and Sichuan Pepper Hundred Fruit Cold Brew at the Chengdu stores, Seesaw created a signature for Chongqing's opening: the Fog City Camellia Dirty.

According to Seesaw's development team, the drink blends fragrant camellia aroma with rich coffee, layering cheese light cream, fresh milk, and Ethiopian espresso into distinct tiers of texture — mellow and savory, with an aftertaste that lingers. Drink it in gulps, they suggest, and the smooth texture feels like riding the Yangtze River cable car.

Limited Edition Merchandise

Chongqing-limited merchandise launched alongside the store: Seesaw crossbody bags and coffee cups inspired by the Yangtze River cable car, available in limited quantities during the opening.

Ready for Chongqing?

Friends in Chongqing — are you ready?

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

The Fog City Camellia Dirty leans on Ethiopian espresso, and that choice is no accident — Ethiopians are exactly what FrontStreet Coffee recommends for drinkers discovering specialty coffee through milk drinks. Start with the washed Yirgacheffe Worka Cooperative: jasmine florals, lemon-citrus acidity, and a tea-like clarity that stays articulate even under milk. Its home region sits at 1,700–2,100 meters with coffee planted above 1,800 meters — among the highest growing zones on Earth — and the town was formally separated from Sidamo in Ethiopia's commodity exchange in 2010 precisely because its name had become a benchmark of its own.

For a fruitier shot, the natural-processed FrontStreet Blossom (Hua Kui) brings strawberry, passion fruit, jackfruit, and even lychee aromatics with pronounced sweetness and almost no bitterness — the kind of espresso that makes milk drinks taste like fruit smoothies. All FrontStreet Coffee beans ship roasted within the last 5 days, whether you're brewing at home or dreaming up your own city-limited signature drink.