Coffee Vendor Review
Here is a review of a range of vendors in Shanghai. There are many vendors in Shanghai, frankly more than what is practical to review, as they tend, like all food and beverage companies, to open and close frequently. In addition, I initially sought specific types of vendors – those with roasting capability, so didn’t pay attention to shops without them. As the process went forward, I opted to try some without roasters and on occasion to try different drinks.
My typical order is:
– A single shot of espresso and
– A cup of foam (steamed milk, ideally with all [dry] foam)
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| G+ Gigazone | Illy packaged espresso, Ms. Liu expertly brewed this espresso. A cup of water was also served. |
| IG Coffee | Dark, but not bitter. Friendly staff, willing to make sure customer is happy. Uses real whipcream, in drinks which use it. Photo gallery on main floor, camera museum on 3rd floor. |
| Mellower Coffee | Central Roaster. The Baristas vary here. My first one, was great, others, not so much. Espresso not too acidic, steamed milk decent (if they understand). |
| Blackbird Cafe | 1st experience was good with a dark roast, yet not bitter. Steamed milk had decent foam. 2nd less so. Steamed milk sloppy. |
| Blackbird Cafe | 3rd attempt; Dark Roast and acidic, steamed milk with no foam in small flute. |
| Tyche’s | Dark Roast, very acidic; they have their own roasters; friendly staff that are willing to learn and experiment. |
| Fortune Coffee | A fine brew. Steamed milk was a bit sloppy. |
| L’Avant Gout café | Use Mellower Coffee Roasters. So quality varies. Friendly staff that are willing to learn and experiement. |
| Coffee Q5 | Have their own roasters. Friendly staff that are willing to learn and experiment. However coffee is very dark roasted and acidic, even after a couple attempts. |
| Roaster Cafe | Have their own roasters. Friendly owner/staff. Coffee is dark and bitter, however they understood foam production. Also noted that the market expects coffee to taste a certain way, due to early experiences. |
| Häagen-Daz
(yuyuan garden) |
An ice cream shop with coffee, not terrible – in fact better than some. Uses illy coffee. Latte. Dark roast, not bitter. |
| Stay Real Cafe by Gabee | Bitter, but not an acidic brew. Barista: ‘Starbucks destroys coffee beans’. Barista didn’t understand steamed milk or foam production. Got frustrated by simple requests. |
| The Loaf | Bitter and acidic. Nice interior. Food and Drinks not so nice. |
| Vinjoy Mart&Café
(jing’an) |
Dark roast, but not bitter. Steamed milk was decent. Served with lemon water. |
| Vinjoy Mart&Café
(near Nanjing Road West) |
Cappuccino. Dark roast, not bitter. Staff ordered and charged for largest size, despite ordering smallest size. In a rush, so couldn’t complain. |
| Little Arms, Big Heart | Dark roast, not acidic. Staff not overly friendly, failed to make as per order and space is tiny. Fun theme though. |
| M&S Café
(Nanjing) |
Dark roast and acidic. Comes with a cookie. Once was a good café, but it is old and worn out. |
| Pret
(K11) |
Latte. Dark roast, a little bitter. Decent interior for lobby of office building. |
| La Sosta | Decent brew and they were able get the foam right. Friendly staff makes this an enjoyable café. |
| Quay
(Indigo Hotel) |
A latte, however it was decent and comes with a cookie. Dark roast, not bitter. The riverfront view is nice. |
| More Than Eat | A latte, however it was decent. Dark roast, not bitter. Art is nice touch. |
| Ocean grounds | Dark roast and acidic. Staff unfriendly. Jiling west location has a bar where the owner seems more interested in selling alcohol than creating a quality espresso. |
| Joy Spot | Decent roast. Barista partially understood order (made double shot, rather than single shot), however foam was well done. 2nd attempt, barista didn’t understand steamed milk. |
| Green & Safe | ‘Valrhona Mocha’ was not good for coffee or chocolate and the ‘Coffee Mocha Milky Slush’ was too terrible to give justice in a description. |
| CityKitchen | Ice Cappuccino (Double espresso and hot milk, topped with foam) – horrendous, beans burnt to death. |
| Penhal cafe | Dark roast, not bitter. Added foam to espresso, despite ordering in two separate cups. Not a big issue, as both the shot and foam were correct. Served cup of lime water. |
| Ascott Heng Shan
(Breakfast) |
Dark roast, slightly acidic. Steamed milk had only a small amount of foam. Staff have limited ability to go off menu. |
| IMG HairSalon
|
Café americano (espresso and hot water), decent. Location is a hair salon, coffee is part of price. |
| Le Jardin Secret | Affogato (ice cream drowning in an espresso). Good flavour, nice presentation. The restaurant has unique antique styling. |
| Maison Camus | Dark roast, but not bitter. Milk done properly. Caramelised biscuit on side with glass of water. Nice view on Nanjing west road. Sadly, last day of operation – possibly its last customer. |
| Protoss by UniUni | Dark roast, but not overly bitter. Steamed milk included limited foam. On-menu latte was good and had an artistic leaf. Also uses wondermilk and has a good water treatment system. |
| Bon Matin | Thai milk tea (thai tea served with steamed milk and foam). Tasty, but a little sweet. |
| Simply Bakery Café
(Grand Gateway 66) |
Coffee Milkshake. All round was very good – the coffee had a nice taste and the milkshake did not have any ice in it.
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| MiniMax Coffee | Dark roast and highly acidic. Staff is friendly and willing to learn. Despite suggestions of fresh roasting, it is not done here. |
| Starbucks
(Xujiahui) |
Dark roast, not too bitter. Added milk to espresso, took another attempt to make foam – however it didn’t have much foam. |
| Ask VC+ | Dark roast, very acidic. Didn’t understand foam and on second attempt, after they ‘understood’, brought me an empty cup. Nice view of Jing’an temple, so come only for the view, not the coffee. |
| Caffeine Plus | Dark roast, a bit bitter. Didn’t understand foam, but did provide a large amount of steamed milk. |
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