Coffee Should Be Accessible—So Why Is Coffee Shop Coffee So Expensive! The Definition of Specialty Coffee

With the spread of specialty coffee culture, "coffee" has become less down-to-earth... The coffee beans used must be specialty, the place where you drink coffee must be cozy and comfortable, and the surroundings of the coffee shop should also be quiet and clean. These three choices are interconnected: for example, a coffee shop located in a wet market equals poor surrounding environment equals the coffee shop won't be comfortable and cozy equals the coffee shop's products must be poor.

I know some people might disagree, but nowadays many people visit a coffee shop not for the coffee itself, but rather for the environment/decoration of the coffee shop. Even if these shops offer good products at very affordable prices, when located in such vibrant market settings, people still assume the coffee quality won't be good because such scenes don't match the consumption style of modern coffee enthusiasts.

Coffee can be high-end, but it can also be affordable and accessible. You can sit by the Seine, savoring a delicate cup of coffee as afternoon tea, or you can walk the streets of Vietnam, sitting down at a roadside coffee stall for a pot when thirsty. As long as each cup of coffee is made with care, whether the setting is sophisticated really doesn't matter. Isn't it wonderful to enjoy an affordable coffee in a market atmosphere? Comfortable and pressure-free, and after drinking, you can conveniently buy groceries and head home to cook.

- Mu Laoban

Examples of Market Coffee Shops

For example, Qicheng Coffee in Guangzhou, with its old shop located in a wet market in Tianhe District, right next to a meat stall. Because of its market location, business was slow at first. Many older people had the impression that coffee was both expensive and bitter. For the old residents of Guangzhou, coffee wasn't as appealing as bansha (a type of Cantonese herbal tea, a nightmare for Guangdong people).

Due to cheap rent, the coffee prices were naturally not high. After several years in business, with over 50 types of specialty coffee beans, the cheapest latte costs just 15 yuan, and pour-over coffee just 20 yuan. Selling good things at reasonable prices allows more people to try and understand them, and specialty coffee is no exception.

Another example is Caichang Coffee in Hangzhou, which became part of the farmer's market stalls. Why open a coffee shop in a market stall? The reason is still the low rent, followed by the high foot traffic in the market. It also brings together people of different age groups, facing not only coffee-savvy people/young people as consumers.

- Bo Zai'er

Affordable prices give curious but hesitant people an opportunity to experience coffee, and perhaps this way, more people will be willing to get to know and understand coffee.

Another, another example is Honglang Coffee in Shantou. This one isn't located in a wet market but in a rice noodle roll shop under a residential building. The shelves are filled with coffee beans and coffee certificates. There's no espresso here, only several drip coffee makers making coffee, and the quality is truly quite good. Except for Geisha varieties, all single-origin coffees are priced at just 12 yuan!

The shop also offers coffee and rice noodle roll combos. Eating Chaoshan-style rice noodle rolls while drinking specialty coffee—two seemingly unrelated products that together create no discord at all. Integrating coffee into people's daily breakfast shops, there's probably nothing better than this to make people feel that coffee can also be part of everyday life.

The True Meaning of Specialty Coffee

Of course, there are many more such vibrant, down-to-earth coffee shops worth exploring. Some might think these are just business gimmicks, but I think they're truly wonderful! Because they haven't been influenced by the word "specialty"—coffee is so ordinary and everyday, something everyone can drink. "Specialty" defines the quality of the coffee beans, the quality of the coffee products, and the professional expertise of the brewer, not who is "worthy enough" to drink this cup of coffee.

Conclusion

Finally, the old saying goes: coffee culture needs healthy dissemination. Don't make drinking coffee an exclusive club that "selects people"—it's unnecessary and completely uncalled for. What coffee enthusiasts should do is properly share correct coffee culture and knowledge with the next person who wants to understand coffee, rather than spending energy criticizing those who make coffee accessible and affordable, then going around dissing others by saying "you don't even know how to do it properly, what coffee are you drinking?"

Some image sources: Internet, social media platforms

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 private WeChat, ID: kaixinguoguo0925

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