Cao Zhen

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Several new coffee shops are brewing up new concoctions and classic go-to drinks across Shenzhen. Here’s a look at some of the interesting coffee shops to add to your drinking agenda.

Swedish Café 宜家咖啡馆

Many Shenzheners may grab a 1-yuan ice cream or a 5-yuan hotdog at Ikea after shopping in its maze-like store. Now the Swedish furniture company has launched the Swedish Café in Shenzhen for customers to take a break from shopping and experience the Swedish tradition of fika (a break during which people drink coffee and eat cakes or other snacks). Stay for a moment of togetherness with a fresh cup of Swedish lingonberry blueberry iced tea, Oatly coffee latte or iced Americano, along with such delights as croissants, Danish pastries and tiramisu.

Add: Inside Ikea, Nanshan District (南山区宜家家居内)

Metro: Line 7 to Longjing Station (龙井站), Exit D and then take a taxi

Café Leitz 徕卡咖啡馆

Café Leitz is a life-style café where it combines photography, food and coffee. For those who are not that into photography, the special ambiance still invites you to pause for a moment and relax. The interior is airy and minimal, incorporating the complete Leica experience: Leica Galerie (amazing works on display shot on a Leica), Leica Store (camera and lens on display), Café Leitz and a merch zone all under one roof.

Expect a creative menu featuring a full range of hot and cold brew coffees, as well as specialty drinks like citrus oolong tea, affogato, osmanthus espresso tonic, as well as German wurst (sausages), cakes and panna cotta. In the future, professionals from Leica will give workshops at the café on photo taking, new techniques and complex functions that are hidden in their expensive cameras.

Add: Inside The MixC, Luohu District (罗湖区万象城内)

Metro: Line 9 to Ludancun Station (鹿丹村站), Exit C

Peet’s Coffee 皮爷咖啡

Peet’s Coffee is a San Francisco Bay Area-based specialty coffee roaster and retailer. Founded in 1966 by Alfred Peet in Berkeley, California, Peet’s opened four coffee shops in Shenzhen in the past four months and a fifth one will open later this month at the InJoy (卓悦汇) shopping mall in Meilin, Futian District. Its menu features a full collection of coffees with the options of whole milk or oat milk and various coffee beans, as well as frappes, matcha latte and mango pomelo sago. Specialty coffees include latte with truffle and rum flavors, Valrhona mocha and cortado.

Add 1: 1/F, Maoye Plaza, Huaqiangbei, Futian District (福田区华强北茂业天地一楼)

Metro: Line 2 or 7 to Huaqiang North Station (华强北站), Exit B

Add 2: 3/F, Ping An Finance Center, Futian District (福田区平安金融中心三楼)

Metro: Line 1 or 3 to Shopping Park Station (购物公园站), Exit D

Add 3: Inside MixC World, Nanshan District (南山区万象天地内)

Metro: Line 1 to Hi-tech Park Station (高新园站), Exit A

Add 4: Inside The MixC Qianhai, Guiwan Road 4, Qianhai (前海桂湾四路深圳万象前海内)

Metro: Line 5 to Guiwan Station (桂湾站), Exit E

Lavazza 拉瓦萨咖啡

In less than two months, Italian coffee brand Lavazza, founded in Turin in 1895 by Luigi Lavazza, opened four coffee shops in Shenzhen. Try its Kafa coffee which has intense floral bouquet with notes of ripe cherries and aftertaste of honey and dates, or nitro cold brew coffee. The restaurants also serve lasagna, brownies, focaccia, wafer sandwiches, croissants, cannoli, arancini and gelato.

Add 1: Zone B, Uniworld, Longhua District (龙华区壹方天地B区)

Metro: Line 4 to Longhua Station (龙华站), Exit A

Add 2: Zone B, Sea World, Nanshan District (南山区海上世界B区)

Metro: Line 2 to Sea World Station (海上世界站), Exit A

Add 3: Block H, OH Bay, Bao’an District (宝安区欢乐港湾海府一号H栋)

Metro: Line 5 to Linhai Station (临海站), Exit B2

Add 4: Inside The MixC Qianhai, Guiwan Road 4, Qianhai (前海桂湾四路深圳万象前海内)

Metro: Line 5 to Guiwan Station (桂湾站), Exit E

Tims Tims 咖啡

Tim Hortons has opened 14 coffee shops across Shenzhen since July last year. In addition to a full range of coffees, frappes, soft drinks and tea drinks, the Canadian fast-food restaurant chain also serves a variety of bagels, scones, croissants, doughnuts, ciabattas and tacos including one with cha siu (Cantonese style barbecued pork) fillings in Shenzhen. Special coffee choices include oat milk latte with dark beer-flavored syrup and various cold brew options.

Most of the Tims coffee shops here are located in shopping malls, such as OH Bay (欢乐港湾), Century Place (世纪汇) and Link City (连城新天地), but one in Kexing Science Park is esports-themed with state-of-the-art facility. The shop is a joint venture between Tencent and Tim Hortons. It is a place for gamers to watch and play esports tournaments, a bit like an internet cafe but with more modern technology that better suits the needs of mobile and offline gaming.

Tencent and Tim Hortons are building a new kind of experience for gamers with esports at the shop, including a dedicated esports zone, interactive rooms and themed drinks, etc. For those who look to get something to drink when playing the “League of Legends” game, they can order the “red buff” cold brew coffee or the “blue buff” sparkling water.

Esports shop: Inside Kexing Science Park, Nanshan District (南山区科兴科学园内)

Metro: Line 1 to Shenzhen University Station (深大站), Exit A3