澳門90後｜社會科學碩士｜財經媒體｜澳門研究｜生活瑣事

Coffee is a nostalgia for the imagination of a better life

Jun 30, 2022 (edited)

As a city of 680,000 people, Macau has more than 100 coffee shops...

This article is part of the promotional content, but there is no charge

Author: The Man in the Room (Social Science Researcher)

When you think of specialty coffee, what's your first thought? Expensive? High style? taste good?

According to the definition of the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA), a cupping score of 80 and above can be called specialty coffee, and below 80 is commercial coffee.

If expresso-based American-style coffee, nacho and other espresso-style coffee is a daily necessity for many people, then a cup of specialty coffee of 55 yuan in Macau is definitely a luxury.

In fact, the history of specialty coffee becoming popular locally is not long. Terra is said to be the first coffee shop to sell specialty coffee. Two years later, in the catering industry survey conducted by the Macao Statistics Bureau, it was the first time that coffee shops were counted as a single item. As can be seen in the chart below, as of 2020, there are a total of 117 coffee shops with a negative profit ratio and a loss of 14.15 million patacas.

Two interesting pieces of information are reflected here. First of all, as a city of 680,000 people, Macau has more than 100 coffee shops, which is quite an astonishing number. This shows that there are many "coffee friends" who are willing to buy coffee with real money every day.

And sociologists and anthropologists will tell you that buying coffee is not just a pure consumption behavior, but also a manifestation of class and personal life taste. Therefore, when Starbucks entered China in 1999 and opened a large number of branches, it was understood as a self-construction of the Chinese middle class at the same time. Even if they may not consider themselves "middle class", it does not prevent them from sitting in a coffee shop and realizing their imagination of leisure and a better life. Even from the moment you walk out of the store, you will be greeted with "996" and "Death from Overwork".

Although according to the analysis of Liu Zuyun and Wang Danfeng, the so-called middle class in Macau also lacks class consciousness. But Tim Simpson of the Department of Communication at the University of Macau found that the logic of coffee as a life practice of self-construction also applies to Macau.

Second, drinking coffee is a pleasure, but opening a coffee shop is another. In fact, due to the small market, high rent and high labor costs in Macau, it is very difficult for self-employed coffee shops of non-chain brands to survive. In all likelihood, they lose money and close their stores. Statistics show this very well.

So if someone goes from a coffee lover to the point of jumping into a fire pit and wanting to open a store by themselves, that’s probably true love, right? "Original Coffee" owner Johnson's love for coffee is so strong.

Johnson, who went to university in Chiayi, Taiwan, first came into contact with specialty coffee and began to feel the charm of coffee. The relaxation in Chiayi and the warm interaction between baristas and guests there have always made Johnson unforgettable when he returned to Macau. So I started to teach myself how to brew by hand, and then I started to bake. I didn't expect that the coffee beans produced by the game were appreciated by my friends, and even asked if they could sell them. So he established his own brand "Original Coffee" a few years ago, and opened a physical store in March this year at Shop 1C, Shuizi Lane, Hebian Xinjie.

When I asked Macau, there are more than 100 coffee shops, what is so special about "Original Coffee". Johnson said that although there are many shops selling specialty coffee in Macau, there are still very few shops specializing in specialty coffee, especially Taiwanese specialty coffee beans. In fact, the level of Taiwanese specialty coffee beans has been getting better and better in recent years, and it has become a frequent guest of awards in international coffee evaluation competitions. Moreover, because Taiwan is close to Macau, coffee beans from Africa and South America can be transported for several months or even half a year, which can guarantee the best freshness.

On the day I visited the store, I tried the Alishan sun in Taiwan. The coffee shop has a dark roasting degree that is common in Taiwanese beans. When the temperature is too high for the first brewing, the taste is heavier and chocolatey. After the temperature drops in the latter part, it has a strong sweetness. Personally, it looks like bean paste. The body of the bean is pure and thick. Overall, it is a good drink and it is not a common single-drink bean flavor. It is highly recommended for friends who have never tasted Taiwanese beans to try it.

Johnson also said that he hopes to bring the interaction between baristas and customers that he felt in Chiayi to Macau, and he does not want selling coffee to become a purely commercial activity. Although the store is small at present, customers can read books and chat leisurely in the store if they like. Maybe this is not so much the feature of "original coffee", but it is Johnson's experience of Taiwan and the good life he once felt. Nostalgia.