Where to Find the Best Coffee in Guangzhou? This Guide Has All the Answers

Where to Find the Best Coffee in Guangzhou

In earlier years, specialty coffee shops in Guangzhou were few and far between, and few people knew about specialty coffee. Since last year, though, shops specializing in specialty coffee have been springing up like mushrooms after rain, with many even roasting their own beans and growing steadily more professional.

Specialty Coffee

Specialty coffee refers to single-origin coffee beans, also known as single-origin coffee. It is made from coffee beans that have been professionally rated above 80 points by authoritative institutions such as the SCAA (Specialty Coffee Association of America) and the SCAE (Specialty Coffee Association of Europe). The fundamental reason chain coffee shops cannot be called specialty coffee shops is that they use commercially sourced beans introduced in large quantities and blend them, using at least three different varieties of coffee beans to extract coffee. Specialty coffee, by contrast, does not blend before extraction, so it highlights the unique flavors and textures of each bean. Because specialty coffee is extracted from high-quality beans, it has a lower caffeine content and offers benefits such as promoting digestive health. When drinking specialty coffee, adding milk or sugar is not recommended.

Like specialty coffee beans themselves, specialty coffee shops come in different styles and flavors. One could say that even with the same coffee beans, different baristas will create unique cups. That is the charm of specialty coffee. If you are also a specialty coffee enthusiast, why not follow this guide to find the perfect cup for your taste and preferences.

Laihui Coffee: Classic Coffee Machine That Catches the Eye

There are many specialty coffee shops around the Tianhe South area, including veteran shops like Bank and Yuyuan that established themselves early in Guangzhou. Now the newly arrived specialty coffee shop "Laihui Coffee" offers more choices.

What leaves the strongest impression is the simple yet rich industrial-style decor, with valuable oil paintings hanging on the walls. What best showcases the owner's taste is the Italian-made La Marzocco Golden Eagle coffee machine. It was the first vertical steam boiler coffee machine produced in 1901, with an all-golden exterior and a spreading eagle at the top that most catches the eye. This Golden Eagle is a revolutionary product in the coffee world, and it is said that because its steam has low moisture content, the milk foam it creates is denser, resulting in a better coffee texture.

The first vertical steam boiler coffee machine, produced in 1901: La Marzocco Golden Eagle

The shop's specialty coffees offer about 5 choices daily, all selected by the in-house baristas. Recent options include Ethiopia's natural-processed Yirgacheffe, Panama's Mariposa, Indonesia's Aceh, Sidamo, and Kenya. Barista Charles highly recommends the Kenya—this bean has a slightly acidic taste with raisin and berry flavors, the best among this batch. If you are around the Tianhe South area, why not come here for a cup of Kenya.

Difeno: The Rolls-Royce of Coffee

Although Difeno Coffee has not been in China for long, it quickly gained recognition and praise from the industry and the public thanks to its quality and world-renowned brand. Its coffee philosophy is "to make every cup of coffee with heart."

Founder Mr. Giuseppe

This Australian native brand was founded in 1947 and is now in its third generation, making it one of Australia's four major coffee brands. It has five types of blend beans: light-flavored organic beans, master beans with balanced sour, bitter, and roasted aromas, Forte beans preferred by coffee professionals, and decaffeinated coffee beans that even pregnant women can drink. Compared to Italian coffee, Australian coffee has a more balanced flavor. Besides regular varieties like cappuccino, espresso, and mocha, they have their own unique coffee flavors. Whether it suits Chinese palates is debatable, but Australians feel like they have met an old friend in a foreign land when they taste it.

Pick up any cup for mocha and you will see it is a specially imported thick-walled coffee cup from Australia. The inner wall is particularly smooth, and the belly curve is larger than domestic cappuccino cups. This is because Australian mochas have about 1/3 less milk foam than American mochas, so special coffee cups are needed to keep the foam from disappearing too quickly. The coffee machine here is a hand-assembled La Marzocco, known as the Rolls-Royce of coffee machines, capable of precise control over water flow speed and temperature.

Difeno Guangzhou West Tower Store

Coffee Global: Elegant Environment for Enjoying Coffee

Drinking coffee, like drinking wine or tea, is a very subjective experience. Why not relax and slowly savor and feel it? Just as this reporter discovered when visiting Xiaozhou Village, the village has become a gathering place for tourists, with numerous shops while keeping much of its quaint original charm. Walking along the village's small river, you can smell the aroma of roasted coffee beans and follow your nose to find "Coffee Global."

The reason "Coffee Global" is far from the city center is that they need large-scale coffee bean roasting, and in Xiaozhou Village they can fully showcase their skills. The shop is run by two young people, Seven and "Duoyu," with Seven responsible for pour-over coffee and Duoyu for roasting beans. Although far from the city center, their coffee beans have quite a following.

A cup of Geisha

Outside the window is the river that runs through Xiaozhou, with greenery along the banks. Sitting inside is particularly relaxing. Speaking of his first encounter with coffee, barista Seven was gradually won over by the coffee shop atmosphere, so gathering with customers to chat about coffee experiences is what makes him happiest.

Wuguan Coffee: Aromatic Villa Courtyard Coffee

"Wuguan Coffee" is a highly private specialty coffee shop, but because it sits in a lane, it is easy to get lost the first time you visit.

The small shop is set in a villa's courtyard, designed as a shipping container that creates an open and artistic space, while the front features an independent private courtyard with fruit trees swaying. In such an impeccable environment, enjoying a cup of coffee is truly delightful.

Coffee utensils collected from Japan

The shop uses the Shanghai-roasted coffee brand "Chuncui." Their products are stable and have already made a name for themselves in the coffee world. About 3 types of beans are available daily, such as natural-processed Yirgacheffe, Costa Rica, and Taoxi. The third one is particularly interesting—it is a hand-blended bean. Barista Lele explains that this bean was chosen for its fragrant peach aroma, unforgettable once tried.

Yinian Coffee: Convenient Drip Bag Coffee

People who are particular about coffee usually have their own pour-over equipment at home to enjoy the leisure of grinding beans, measuring water temperature, and pour-over brewing. But what if you do not have pour-over equipment or enough time? This is why "drip bags" were invented. So-called drip bags are pre-ground coffee placed in filter bags that look like tea bags, but with "ears" on the outside to hang the bag on the cup rim. At that point, you only need properly heated water to instantly enjoy a cup of pour-over coffee.

Drip bags

"Yinian Coffee" is a newly emerging drip bag coffee brand. It is made from carefully selected coffee beans from high-quality coffee estates around the world. These drip bags are convenient for pour-over brewing and are paired with afternoon tea sets, because coffee should not be drunk alone—it is best paired with food. The shop has designed several desserts blending Lion City and Taipei flavors to accompany coffee, including durian pancakes and pineapple pancakes.

If you want to taste the combination of drip bag coffee and desserts, at an average cost of about 60 RMB per person, you can experience it at "9 Wo."

Miji Coffee: Private Space for Learning While Enjoying

Tucked away on the 28th floor, "Miji Coffee" can be described as "a great hermit hidden in the city," keeping the urban hustle and bustle beneath your feet. Inside, however, is a quiet space with a pastoral atmosphere, both private and open, making you feel you have come to the right place the moment you sit down.

The two owners were both corporate office workers who, based on their love for coffee, quit their jobs to open this upstairs coffee shop. Looking at the authoritative certification certificates hanging on the wall, you can tell they have truly invested time and energy and become battle-hardened on their coffee journey.

The shop's cold drip coffee is worth trying.

They use their own roasted specialty coffee beans, with over 8 types available daily. Current options include Ethiopia's washed Yirgacheffe and Sidamo G1, Indonesia's GAYO Mandheling G1, Sumatra Mandheling G1, Golden Mandheling, Costa Rican black honey processed beans, Colombian Narino, and specialty beans from Yunnan Jinggong Estate. Among these beans, barista Paul recommends the domestic variety. These beans from Yunnan have honey, vanilla, nut, and chocolate flavors, comparable in taste to Colombian coffee beans and with quality that does not pale beside products from major world coffee regions. If you are used to beans from foreign regions, switching to a domestic flavor should be a good choice.

The shop's roasting room is in a small room within the shop. If you want to learn more about roasting, you can go in to observe directly or sign up for their training courses. Enjoy coffee while learning about coffee—you can do both.

Other Specialty Coffee Shops Worth Trying

Guangzhou's specialty coffee market has been explored for over a decade. The following specialty coffee shops all hold a special place in the hearts of Guangzhou's coffee enthusiasts.

Rose Coffee - One of Guangzhou's first coffee shops to venture into specialty coffee, they roast their own beans and research coffee equipment. You can always try coffee beans here that are rarely found elsewhere.

Yuyuan Coffee - From 2005 to the present, Yuyuan Coffee is where many Guangzhou residents first encountered coffee.

Bank Coffee - Also one of the early specialty coffee shops in Guangzhou, it has its own plantation and considerable strength.

Congqi Coffee - Possibly the latest-operating specialty coffee shop in Guangzhou. Opened in 2012, it has many daily customers.

Yiwai Coffee - Operating a specialty coffee shop inside the provincial museum that is like a museum itself. Owner Tang Ge is a veteran in specialty coffee with unique insights into coffee and equipment.

Dream High - This shop also roasts its own coffee beans, and the barista is a very patient young man willing to answer all kinds of coffee-related questions.

Woju Coffee - The owner is a very distinctive barista. A classic story is how he got the nearby chicken vendor to start drinking coffee.

FrontStreet Coffee - A shop with its own roasting, run by a female roaster. The coffee beans used in the shop and sold are all roasted by her.

Source: Fanwen - Guangzhou Daily Local News

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If this guide has you curious about the espresso side of specialty coffee, FrontStreet Coffee's blend range covers the styles well. The FrontStreet Coffee Fine Blend has been the shop's workhorse for nearly a decade, pairing Brazil Cerrado with Colombia Huila for the classic espresso flavor you remember—equally at home in a café or a home setup. The FrontStreet Coffee Commercial Blend keeps that Brazil-and-Colombia core and adds a touch of Robusta for toasted bread, almond, and walnut aromas with easy-flowing crema, low acidity, and a full body. For something lighter and fruitier, the FrontStreet Coffee Strawberry Candy Geisha blend brings rose, grape, dried blueberry, sweet orange, and fruit-candy notes—equally enjoyable as a no-sugar Americano or a latte.