Spring Morning on Mishan, a tea and pastry brand making its Lujiazui Coffee Festival debut, demonstrated the perfect compatibility between traditional Chinese snacks and coffee.
"We divided our products into three series: 'Meal Buddies', for pairing with toast and other staples; 'Tea Buddies', for various teas; and a dedicated 'Coffee Buddies' series," said Xiao Yuanwu, the brand's founder. "Our Coffee Buddies focus on salty and sour flavors, which effectively neutralize the coffee's bitterness and deliver a richer tasting experience."
Also drawing long queues is the beef noodle-flavored specialty coffee from Hebei-based Coffix Coffee. "Lujiazui invited us to bring our hometown's urban flavors to Shanghai as specialty blends," says founder Chen Xixi. "We extracted the aroma of chili oil — the soul of beef noodles — and infused it into coffee."
This seemingly unconventional combination has received unexpected acclaim. "Shanghai residents love it, surprisingly. Ethiopian coffee beans naturally have a hint of spice, which unexpectedly complements the flavors of the noodles," Chen says.
The unique blend has even gained international recognition."We took beef noodle coffee to a Melbourne coffee festival, and many foreign guests loved it. Here at the festival, we sell out every morning."
The most groundbreaking collaboration this year is the deep integration between Kunshan Contemporary Kunqu Theater and coffee culture. The theater has launched two limited-edition specialty drinks named after classic Kunqu tunes, inspired by the ink-wash new-style works of Kunqu master Zhang Jun and infused with traditional Chinese cultural elements.
Shi Zhiyuan, a member of the festival's operations team, says,"The signature of Lazy Eyebrow Tune is that we outline eyebrow shapes in the milk foam with indigo powder, and it has a refreshing taste that is perfect for summer. Ever Lasting Love Aria evokes the pink imagery of love, so we used summer watermelon to create a sparkling Americano specialty."
Beyond beverages, Kunqu Opera also comes alive at the festival in more vivid forms, with Zhang leading a group of musicians to perform on the Lujiazui Central Green lake with the water body as the stage and neon lights illuminating the skyscrapers, bringing traditional art to the heart of the city's vibrant coffee culture.
Many industry insiders agreed that integrating Chinese elements into coffee is not a passing fad but an inevitable industry trend.
"Previously, most coffee creativity focused on fruits, and combining coffee with tea and traditional culture was relatively rare," Guo says. "In the future, there will definitely be more tea-coffee blends, and people will explore clever ways to integrate tea and coffee to create new flavors."
Li Junfeng contributed to this story.
