It's Cooling Down in Guangzhou! Want to Warm Up with a Cup of Coffee? Latest Café Guide is Here!

The weather has been so pleasant lately. Shall we go grab a cup of coffee together?

Sure! How about we first check out the Coffee Workshop's cafe guide?

Cafe Exploration

2021 First Edition

by Coffee Workshop

Fang Coffee

Address: No. 40 Fangcao Street, Zhongshan Fourth Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou

Business Hours: 10:00-23:30 (Dianping)

This is a coffee shop at the corner of Fangcao Street, humming with the energy of everyday life. Some customers order a coffee at the counter and hurry off with it, while others settle in for a whole afternoon. There are seats for dine-in guests, but the space is not large, with no more than five tables in total across the two floors. The horizontal window design not only enlarges the seating area but also brings the barista and the customers closer together, a clever touch.

As a newly opened shop, the staff mentioned a current buy-two-get-one-free promotion, so those living nearby should hurry to take advantage of it.

The interior is predominantly cream-colored, with a small side door leading to the second floor. As the Cantonese saying goes, "There's plenty of time ahead; let's drink first and talk later."

Fang Coffee offers five main product categories: espresso coffee, creative coffee, single-origin coffee, non-coffee beverages, and food.

Note: Espresso coffee can be made with either a blend or an SOE (Single Origin Espresso).

Simple Reviews

Editor No. 6 ordered three coffee drinks: Natural Process Guji, Hops Americano, and the Manager's Special.

Of the three, Editor No. 6's favorite was the Manager's Special, a drink full of pleasant surprises: rich and milky, with both a pineapple-cake filling and a buttery crust coming through, refreshing without being overwhelming.

For pour-over coffee, the barista lets you smell the dry aroma, which comes highly recommended.

The dry aroma of the Guji carried subtle floral and fermented qualities. While hot, the entry was smooth, though I found it somewhat thin-bodied. As it cooled, acidity emerged but the flavors were not distinctly clear. At lower temperatures it showed mainly citrus notes and became brighter overall.

The Hops Americano had the feel of a craft beer, with noticeable fermentation. The homemade dried orange slices not only improved the look but also added layers to the coffee's complexity.

firewood

Address: 52-3 Renkangli, Wende Road, Yuexiu District

Business Hours: Monday to Thursday 13:00-19:00
                      Friday to Saturday 13:00-24:00
                      Sunday 13:00-20:00 (Dianping)

The overall style leans toward American vintage: mostly wood, with large areas of blue wall set off by white. Ceiling fans and exposed pipes add a touch of rugged industry. The shop is not large, but the warm yellow lighting greatly improves the ambiance.

Drinking Coffee

Editor No. 6, having taken advantage of the previous cafe's promotion and drunk too much coffee, ordered only a pour-over of Dehong Junma Coffee Estate beans at firewood. The barista used the gooseneck kettle Editor No. 6 had been dreaming of. This coffee has distinct ginger-flower aromas with citrus and grapefruit acidity. The aftertaste has noticeable tea-like qualities, but overall it feels somewhat thin-bodied and develops astringency at lower temperatures.

Besides pour-over, firewood's product line also includes black coffee, milk coffee, Dirty, coffee specials, sodas, cocktails, and food. (Editor No. 6 did not try the alcohol, but you can give it a try; they have a wall full of liquor that looks impressive.)

As I was leaving, the barista was repainting the logo at the entrance. These touches of everyday life always warm people's hearts. From nothing to something, every small detail has been thoughtfully designed and is worth pondering.

The Common Cup

Address: First Floor, No. 11, Huierji 2nd Fang, Zhongshan Sixth Road
                      (50 meters straight in from the former Ta Kung Pao newspaper site)

Business Hours: Tuesday to Sunday 12:00-20:00 (Dianping)

Friends told me this is a long-standing cafe in Guangzhou, previously named Dou Dou Coffee and located near the Zhongda Fabric Market on Yile Road. It was later renamed The Common Cup and moved to Huierji 2nd Fang. When I visited, I had trouble finding it for a while. It is tucked away in an alley without a sign, quite distinctive.

coffee

the common cup

This shop specializes in pour-over coffee, though it also serves espresso in smaller proportion. The overall style leans toward Japanese aesthetics, with wooden tables and chairs. The second floor is under renovation and temporarily closed. The large roaster, soft music, and quietly conversing customers create a naturally harmonious atmosphere.

Drinking Coffee

I ordered a cup of Colombia Red Bourbon.

This coffee has exceptional cleanliness and sweetness, with rich honeysuckle aromas. Its overall fruit-juice quality is strong: when hot it leans toward sweet orange, and as the temperature drops the flavors transform into grapefruit and plum, lively, bright, and refreshing.

Ten years of work experience have been distilled into this small shop, shaping a personal style that is calm yet warm. It is evident that coffee-related equipment accounts for the main expenditure.

According to the shop manager, the pour-over drippers used for daily service are handmade by him. The opening size relative to the overall volume is smaller than a wave dripper's, and the filter paper at the bottom is suspended, unable to fit snugly against the dripper's bottom. The dripper serves only as a frame for support, with drainage and filtering relying entirely on the filter paper.

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Here are some photos inadvertently captured during the cafe visits.

Thank you to the shops above for sharing their stories.

Friends, see you next time!

01

The counter at Fang Coffee, with "There's plenty of time ahead" visible overhead

02

Encountering schoolchildren on Fangcao Street after school

03

When leaving firewood, the owner was painting

04

I couldn't see the sign and searched for a long time

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If you are new to specialty coffee, FrontStreet's entry-level picks are a good place to start. From Ethiopia, the FrontStreet Sun-Dried Huakui and the FrontStreet Washed Gedeb Cooperative show two sides of the country: Ethiopia is Africa's largest coffee producer and the birthplace of coffee, and the Yirgacheffe and Sidamo regions are its best known. The Washed Gedeb Cooperative is a classic Yirgacheffe with jasmine florals, lemon acidity, and berry notes, while the Sun-Dried Huakui uses a traditional natural process whose main flavors are berry, floral, jackfruit, melon, and honey. From Brazil, the FrontStreet Cerrado Red Bourbon and the FrontStreet Queen Estate are everyday single origins from the famous Cerrado region, with the classic cream, peanut, and cocoa flavors of Brazilian coffee; the Queen Estate sits at a higher altitude and belongs to the rare Yellow Bourbon variety, adding butter, sunflower-seed, macadamia, and almond aromas with a sugarcane-like sweetness, smooth whether brewed alone or with milk. For Panama, the FrontStreet Boquete Washed Geisha is an entry-level Geisha that delivers the clear orange-blossom honey character of Geisha at an approachable price.