Best Coffee Shops in Guangzhou Worth Visiting - Guangzhou Café Recommendations & Check-in Guide — Shouxin Coffee

Hello everyone, I'm A Rui~

Before writing this article, I closed my eyes and tried to brew a pour-over coffee in the pitch-black darkness before me. As expected, I spilled water all over the table, creating quite a mess... You might be wondering, how can you brew good pour-over coffee without looking! And the water is so hot!

But they did it! And they did it excellently! December 3rd is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, and I chose to publish this article today because I want to share this special café with everyone—Hand Heart Coffee in Guangzhou.

A Space Filled with Natural Atmosphere

This café, located in the old district of Guangzhou, is filled with the atmosphere of nature inside and out. From small coffee trays to the large framework structure, everything is handcrafted from natural solid wood. Every brick, tile, flower, and plant makes the entire space layout very warm, and every detail reflects the designer's thoughtful gentleness. From the tactile patterns on the floor that form directional pathways to the design of every compartment at the bar counter—everything is designed to help baristas better serve every customer who arrives.

A Conversation at the Counter

"I'd like a cup of pour-over coffee. Do you have any coffee bean recommendations~"

"We have Honey Melon Oolong and Gardenia from Ethiopia, and Shifen Dai from Yunnan. What flavors would you like to try~"

"Let me try the Honey Melon Oolong then!"

"We have several pour-over methods available now—the AeroPress for sweetness, the Clever Dripper for body richness, and the V60 for aroma. Which one would you like to try?"

Oh my goodness! I was so surprised when I heard the barista Xue Tong ask such questions! In Xue Tong's words, different coffee beans have different characteristics, and these characteristics aren't necessarily concentrated in coffee flavor—they might manifest in sweetness and mouthfeel. Only through comparative brewing with different equipment can one discover the shining qualities of a particular coffee bean.

After choosing the AeroPress brewing method, I arrived at the pour-over bar counter and quietly sat there watching the brewing process. Every step was so fluid and natural, and my mind kept imagining what it would be like if I were doing the same thing in a world without light. This led to the attempt I described at the beginning of this article. (The AeroPress "walked away" on its long legs when I needed it, couldn't find it...)

After the coffee extraction was complete, he first took a sip to confirm the taste, then served the coffee in a pre-warmed sharing pot. He also thoughtfully ground a few extra grams of coffee beans for me to smell the dry aroma.

"How does it taste?"

"The honeydew melon sweetness is amazing!! The mouthfeel is so smooth! It's delicious!" "Really? You can be honest!" "It's truly delicious! If I described the flavors in too much detail, you'd think I was reciting from a script~ If it weren't good, I would definitely express it candidly!" "Yes! Too many people come here and tell us it's delicious whether it is or not! Everyone just wants to encourage us."

Once we started chatting, I discovered that every response from this young man before me was so unexpected, and I was in a state of hahahahahahaha throughout! However, since there was too much conversation content, I can only organize a brief "Xue Tong Special Column 🎤" here:

Xue Tong Special Column 🎤

Q1: Why did you fall in love with coffee?

When I was still in school, I had a habit of drinking lattes. Later, an illness took away my vision, but I'm grateful to be alive~ In 2018, I learned about the Hand Heart Project training visually impaired people to become specialty coffee baristas, and I wanted to become a cool blind person! So I signed up.

I didn't like pour-over coffee at first! Including the friends who studied with me, when we first encountered pour-over coffee, we were all "ma big mouth" (all speechless). We started by tasting three coffee beans from different regions: Brazil, Yirgacheffe, and Yunnan. When everyone tasted the light-roasted Yirgacheffe, they were completely stunned! Because it was really sour!! It also subverted everyone's perception of coffee. At that time, Brazilian coffee beans were very popular among us because the nutty and chocolatey flavors were closer to the coffee flavors everyone knew. Later, after receiving systematic training, everyone began to appreciate light-roasted coffee beans.

Q2: When you first started learning pour-over coffee, did you find it difficult?

Not really difficult. At first, we practiced brewing hang-drip coffee to feel the angle of the water. Later, we would practice circular pouring around our own palm (this is also the origin of Hand Heart Coffee's name). After both exercises developed muscle memory, we began using filter cones to brew coffee.

When we first started using filter cones to brew coffee, the most difficult part wasn't pouring water, but not being able to confirm the water volume and time in real-time. Later, a coffee equipment company helped them develop a mini-program that could report in real-time, and designed a new pouring kettle according to their needs, allowing them to be more stable when making pour-over coffee. Through continuous practice and theoretical knowledge learning afterward, all our students successfully obtained SCA barista certificates.

Q3: When you first encountered coffee brewing, were you worried about getting burned by hot water?

Actually, the chance of getting burned by hot water during brewing is very low. The teacher who taught us at the time was also very concerned about this issue, which is why we started with hang-drip coffee bags. The same was true for espresso—at first, they would let us practice with capsule coffee machines and frothers, worried that steam would burn us. Later, we felt that we couldn't continue like this, and we had to learn how to use espresso machines and make espresso no matter what. So everyone mustered up the courage to try touching that "sounds-very-hot" coffee machine.

(Can you make latte coffee now?) Yes! But without latte art. There are also two different latte versions on the coffee menu—one is a regular latte, and the other is a "Blind Hero" latte. (Then I want to order a "Blind Hero" latte!!!)

Returning to the espresso bar counter, I once again saw the fluid operation: dosing, distributing, tamping, coffee extraction, milk frothing, and finally latte art—all completed in one smooth flow. Xue Tong also named this latte "Yat Gau Wan" (A Piece of Cloud) hahahaha

Exploring the Café

While drinking the latte, I took my cup and explored this café. The placement of every decorative item in the shop revealed the thoughtfulness behind it.

"Turn on the grinder first, then put the beans in to grind"—a sentence from afar caught my attention. It turned out that at another pour-over bar counter, a visually impaired student was practicing pour-over coffee. So, I went up to "join in the fun" 😂

The training instructor introduced that this student had just passed the bar exam and was preparing for an internship at a law firm. Coincidentally, the firm had a bar counter, so he thought about learning coffee-making skills to better communicate with clients through coffee during his internship. (That's so amazing!!!!!!)

During our conversation, I heard the sound of bells nearby. It turned out that the guide dog ALen had been resting with eyes closed beside the sofa. When not working, he would quietly lie beside his owner, and as soon as he heard someone call "Alen," he would immediately raise his head and casually enter work mode (forgetting to retract his little tongue!)

Every guide dog receives professional training. They don't run around randomly, bark unnecessarily, relieve themselves anywhere, or attack other people. They know they are their owners' eyes, helping their owners live independently. So when you see guide dogs in public places, don't be afraid, and don't disturb their work.

Café Visit Experience

During this café visit, my heart felt incredibly warm because I experienced a very delicate coffee service~ Every inquiry and every action demonstrated everyone's passion for coffee and their attentiveness to customers. I also deeply felt that in the face of dreams, "not being able to see" is irrelevant—as long as there's enough effort and passion, nothing is impossible~

"What cannot be seen is darkness; what the heart creates is splendor"

Finally, here's a message from the Hand Heart baristas:

Many people come to Hand Heart Coffee and say it's so inspirational! They rarely pay attention to the quality of our coffee. As baristas, we hope everyone can give candid feedback about our coffee so we can know our shortcomings and make improvements. Only then will there be more room for progress.

For professional coffee knowledge exchange and more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat official account: cafe_style)

For more specialty coffee beans, please add FrontStreet Coffee on WeChat: kaixinguoguo0925

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473