Coffee Bars in China

On my recent trip to China I visited several places offering coffee on their
outside signs. I found the coffee to be fresh, well prepared, and excellent
service. They all treated coffee as a specialty drink, with prices to compare
to US prices.

O'Farrell Cafe and Mingtien Coffeelanguage were across the street from my hotel
in Xi'an, China. Both served excellent coffee and I have a shot of one of the
coffee menus. The prices are for Small and Large and are in Chinese Currency
(Yuan). To convert to US dollars, multiply by .12---you will see that the are
close to US prices.

Both places brewed per single serving in a vac pot. The barrista ground the
beans and made the coffee in front of the patron on the bar. The espresso was
also good and notice the Americano offered on the menu. She ground the coffee,
pulled a double shot and added a little hot water, just as you would expect.
It was delicious.

I found identical setups at other coffee shops in China. They were all restaurants
and liquor bars, with the coffee bar placed prominently at the liquor bar. The
vac pot pictured uses a gas jet to heat the water and brews one serving at a
time. Most shops also had a larger vac pot for groups.

Robert