Things hot up as Shanghai prepares for coffee culture week

With the arrival of spring, the aroma of coffee these days fills just about every corner of Shanghai, the East China city with the most coffee shops in the world.

Various districts have started to hot up as preparations speed up for the third Shanghai Coffee Culture Week to be held later this year, aiming to tap into the consumption potential of coffee lovers and boost the market recovery.

Xuhui district, which boasts more than 900 cafes of various types and ranks first in the city – in terms of overall scale, range of boutique coffee shops and number of cafes per 10,000 people – launched a coffee life festival recently.

The event, which runs to April 2, features five themes: coffee and life, coffee and cars, coffee and art, coffee and consumption and coffee and public welfare.

It has attracted the participation of many coffee companies headquartered in the district – including Starbucks and Peet's – as well as upstream and downstream enterprises that supply coffee beans and coffee machines.

As a result, customers can not only taste specialty coffees at discount prices but also learn all about the industry stories behind them.

Meanwhile, at Sinan Mansions in Huangpu district, Lavazza opened its first onsite brand experience exhibition in China recently. The exhibition, which goes to March 31 and has free public admission, showcases four customized styles of coffee made by baristas on site for espressos, Americanos, cappuccinos and lattes.