Get Your Coffee Fix At Home
Brewing the perfect cup of coffee isn’t easy. The equipment, the water, the temperature – all the systems have to be in place before you get that café-worthy cappuccino. The most important ingredient is undoubtedly the coffee itself. Luckily for Shanghai’s caffeine fiends, local grinders and roasters are providing a solid foundation with their fresh beans delivered direct to your door.
Traditionally a nation of tea drinkers, coffee culture in China only really started to take hold in the late 90s when Starbucks and Nestle entered the market. Cafés began to flourish and expats breathed a collective, caffeinated sigh of relief, but one company had already been around since 1994 serving high-quality coffee to offices, hotels, restaurants and regulars.
Founded by three long-term expats in Beijing, Arabica Roasters recognised the growing demand for coffee and wanted more than just a packet of instant to get their mornings started. More than 17 years later, their business is still growing. “Specialty coffee has become a thing in China and people find it interesting to learn about it,” Matt Michaelson, the company’s marketing executive explains. “More and more people, both Chinese and foreigners, are starting to care about their coffee and where their beans are coming from.”
Importing from famous coffee-growing regions around the world, like Colombia and Indonesia, is important to the flavour, but even more important is the processing that the beans undergo once they arrive in the country. Arabica roasts their specialty beans in China, ensuring that the cups of coffee come at full strength and flavour – unlike the imported grounds that are stored for months before ever hitting a French press.
Founded in 2009, V Coffee goes even further in its quest for local ingredients, sourcing some of its beans from Yunnan, an up-and-coming coffee growing destination. While the techniques they use are imported from Austria, they strive to remain Chinese – putting their products on the shelves of local favourite ‘Avocado Lady’ and most farmers’ markets around town.
Both Arabica and V are serious about home brewing, and they’ve made a point of educating the public with their websites. V’s site offers a complete resource for coffee drinkers, from preparation tips to how to clean your machines. For the more visually minded, Arabica has video tutorials on making coffee, from your run-of-the-mill espresso to a hazelnut coffee smoothie. Don’t have a coffee maker? Both sites have you covered with all the equipment you would ever need to brew a top notch cup of coffee in the comfort of your own home.
