This Coffee Shop Could Rob You, But Instead Gave You an Iced Americano!

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Recently, a viral coffee menu took this writer back 15 years in time... But after seeing the prices, I was suddenly transported to the future...

I never expected that in today's world where coffee has become a daily consumer beverage for the masses, there would still be a coffee shop using such a "retro" menu, whose pricing left everyone who saw it in stunned silence...

After seeing the prices, I couldn't help but exclaim:

The shop owner could have just robbed my money, but instead gave me an iced Americano?!

From the menu, it's clear that this shop mainly sells drip/brewed coffee and espresso-based drinks, but the pricing and coffee descriptions for each item are quite overwhelming! This writer couldn't resist analyzing this menu.

The Pricing Paradox

A latte or iced Americano costs 68 yuan!!! But Blue Mountain coffee is only 58?! For a moment, I couldn't tell if the shop owner was generous or if the Blue Mountain coffee was actually Blue Mountain flavored coffee. In reality, these two coffee categories are completely different things - Blue Mountain flavored coffee ≠ Blue Mountain coffee!

According to the standards of the Jamaica Coffee Industry Board (CIB), only coffee grown in the Blue Mountain region at an altitude of 2,200 feet (approximately 670 meters) or above can be called "Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee." At the same time, it's graded based on bean size and defect rate into Blue Mountain No. 1, No. 2, and No. 3.

The export of Blue Mountain coffee beans must go through companies designated by the Jamaica Coffee Industry Board and be packed in wooden barrels with raw beans. When exported, there will also be relevant certificates (Quality Certificate issued by the Jamaica Coffee Industry Board / Authorized Sales Certificate issued by Blue Mountain coffee manufacturers / Certificate of Origin for Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee) accompanying them.

Due to limited annual production, authentic Blue Mountain coffee naturally isn't cheap... But because of its great reputation, there are many coffee products on the market labeled with "Blue Mountain flavor," "Blue Mountain coffee flavor," etc., or inexpensive coffee beans... These are not real Blue Mountain coffee!

If a business writes "Blue Mountain coffee" on their menu and you're unsure about its authenticity, you can ask them to show the relevant certificates for the coffee beans~ If it's genuine, then 58 yuan per cup can be considered quite valuable! If not, the business needs to bear relevant legal responsibilities, such as selling counterfeit goods.

Coffee Varieties Analysis

"Xiaoli coffee" (small bean coffee) originally refers to Arabica coffee beans. Based on the flavor description provided by the shop, this coffee has a rich and mellow taste with moderate and perfect acidity. Combined with its pricing, it should be a small bean coffee from Yunnan...

Regarding "Rose Lady Coffee," I'm not sure if it refers to a relatively traditional flavored coffee from France called "Rose Coffee" - made with espresso as the base, adding frothed milk, then squeezing in cream, and finally drizzling with rose petal jam and decorating with rose petals.

About Tarrazú Highland Coffee, coffee beans from Costa Rica's Tarrazú region typically exhibit soft acidity, nutty, and caramel flavors. Regarding the use of the word "bitter," I can only say this shop owner is very confident about their products~

About Tres Rios Coffee, this is also a coffee from Costa Rica. Tres Rios refers to Costa Rica's Tres Rios region... This shop used a transliterated version of the region name, which almost stumped this writer.

The most reasonably priced item on the entire menu is probably the final Kona coffee! (Assuming it's genuinely from Kona, Hawaii). However, the situation in Hawaii has been unstable recently, and no Kona coffee has been exported through legitimate channels, so whether this coffee is authentic remains to be investigated.

Final Thoughts

After looking at this menu, I can't say it's outrageous, but it gives you the feeling of traveling back and forth between the 80s/90s and the future~ As for "Latte Coffee Master Kang," many netizens commented: "Baishuishan and Nongfu Mountain Spring are not okay with this!!"

From the menu, it's also clear that the owner is someone who adheres to traditional coffee, but today's coffee consumers have significantly improved their understanding of coffee, and such a menu obviously isn't suitable for the present.

Image source: Internet

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