18-05-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
China's coffee revolution sees youth swapping tea for lattes
At a cafe on a mountainside in southwestern China, Liao Shihao makes coffee using locally grown beans, bringing a modern twist to the area's traditional beverages.
For a long time, Pu'er in Yunnan has been famous for its fermented tea. However, younger Chinese people now favour strong espressos, creamy lattes, and flat whites.
Every year, Pu'er's plantations sell tens of thousands of tonnes of coffee to big cities in China, according to government data.
Liao's family has run the Xiaowazi, or Little Hollow, coffee plantation for three generations. Little Hollow produces around 500 tonnes of raw coffee fruit each year.
China's coffee production has significantly increased in recent years. However, it is still much lower than that of major producers like Brazil, Vietnam and Colombia.
Yunnan produces almost all of China's coffee, mainly in Pu'er.
Officials are keen to expand the sector further.
Answer: coffee made with locally grown beans
