Capital Caff: Hoper Renovates, River Sludge at Kong Coffee

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Don't talk to me until I've read Capital Caff: Your guide to the latest in coffee happenings around Beijing.

Hoper gives its tiny space a big upgrade

Hoper Select was already well-liked for its quality pour-over coffee, but its hole-in-the-wall, to-go-only Andingmen shop wasn't exactly the ideal setting to dish out what is inherently a meditative form of caffeine intake. Perhaps that was the thinking behind the shop’s recent renovations that expanded what little space was available into a limited-seating establishment.

In keeping with the unfinished style that Hoper Select had embraced since opening, the space surrounds coffee drinkers with exposed plywood on all sides, plus a few vintage tidbits and jewelry shown off as well. The other advantage to having walk-in space is that the shop can now serve cocktails in the evening, providing an alternative watering hole to Hoper's larger bar just off of Beiluoguxiang.

Dig into the river sludge at Kong Coffee

The latest shop to grace the recently thriving Maizidian neighborhood is Kong Coffee, a which opened a fairly sized shop with a modern Chinese aesthetic and both indoor an outdoor space late last year, but is now finally finding its post-pandemic feet. Its minimal menu features just a few coffee options, the first three of which are familiar: pour over, latte, and flat white. Kong also recently added the experimental Osmanthus flower latte, but one item in particular stands out as warranting a trip out to the shop – the Liangma River Dirty (or, translated directly from the Chinese name 亮马河淤泥拿铁 Liàngmǎhé Yūní Nátiě, the Liangma River Sludge Latte – RMB 38). This thick drink is mildly sweet with the flavor of black sesame, which gives it its blackish-blue color, making it a customer favorite.

In the evening, consider the Baily’s Dirty, perhaps paired with a flight of craft beer and ciders, sourced from various brewers.

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Milky coffee cocktails at Naive Café

Inside and out, Naive Café embraces a boundry-crossing aesthetic that utilizes textures from dark wood to white marble to concrete and decorative sculptures that combine ancient, vintage, and modern styles, but that’s just half of what makes it the latest Guomao hotspot for amateur coff-otographers.

The other part of the equation are the inventive coffee drinks and cocktails that look pleasing enough to draw in the hoards of wanghong while also providing an interesting flavor combination to keep you coming back to try them all. Most popular would be the Light Republic (RMB 58) served in a stemmed glass with oat milk, tea liqueur, and a dried orange slice for garnish, while the espresso comes on the side to be poured in at the customer’s leisure. The latter detail is also the case with the Strawberry Pudding Cocktail (RMB 78, pictured at top).

As for non-alcoholic options, the Young Grapefruit (RMB 58) would be rather refreshing on a hot day with its grapefruit and white peach soda water, while the Life at Sea (RMB 48) might be perfect for grey-sky days, matched by its own grey-ish color, flavored with cinnamon and salt-milk topper.