Retracing Coffee Hangzhou Review | A Cozy Neighborhood Café with Warm Winter Vibes

 It’s been quite a while since I last wandered around Chengbei. I’ve always felt that this area was something of a coffee desert. But as the city continues to grow and more people live and work here, it’s clear that Chengbei, too, needs the kind of human warmth and care that only neighborhood cafés can offer. I’ve always believed that every community café is like a tiny star in the night sky—its light may be subtle, but it’s enough to illuminate your inner world. That feeling when a cup of coffee goes down and everything instantly feels brighter… who really understands that better than us?

The café I want to talk about today is Retracing Coffee, located at No. 120 Huayuangang Street, Gongshu District, Hangzhou. It had been sitting in my saved list for quite some time, and I finally found a moment to come here just for a proper cup of coffee. As soon as I drove onto Huayuangang Street, I spotted it. The quiet, understated storefront immediately draws your eye—exactly the kind of presence a neighborhood café should have. For me, the most comforting part of a winter café visit begins the moment you push open the door. The warm air from the heater creates an instant sense of belonging. Yes, this is the stop. This is the place.

I genuinely love the interior layout of Retracing Coffee. The space is actually quite large, and its split-level design creates a strong sense of depth while giving different seating areas a feeling of privacy. The seating density is low, with generous spacing that gives everyone a sense of ease and security—no matter where you sit, you’ll feel comfortable. At the front, there’s a small living-room-style sofa area; perfect for two or three friends to gather and chat. The central area features a square bar that acts as both a visual transition and a breathing space between seating zones. Walk up a few steps and you’ll reach the back area, where there’s plenty of open, uncluttered space that feels wonderfully refreshing. This also happens to be what I discovered as the “best seat in the house,” since you can take in almost the entire café from here. Highly recommended—seriously.

By default, the café offers three espresso beans to choose from. Alongside a classic house blend with traditional flavor profiles, there are two single-origin espresso options. I’d say this is a solid, well-considered setup for a café that aims to satisfy different taste preferences. I started with their No. 1 house bean, the “Dark Roast Candy Blend,” in a flat white. This blend combines Ethiopian, Brazilian, and Ugandan beans. The flavor leans heavily toward dark chocolate, with a subtle hint of spice. The integration is well done, giving the drink a round, smooth mouthfeel right from the first sip. With its solid body and clean sweetness, it’s a very traditional, no-surprises kind of base blend—but honestly, it feels perfect for winter. Exactly what a winter cup of coffee should taste like.

I also ordered a hot Americano made with a medium-light roast Ethiopian Huakui single origin. I’ve been drinking quite a lot of Huakui this year, and I’ve noticed that many roasters tend to prioritize compatibility and stability when roasting SOE for cafés. If the roast is too light, milk-based drinks can end up tasting thin and lacking in character. And from a market perspective, bright, high-acidity African coffees still aren’t universally embraced. So I’ve come to a pretty clear conclusion: most Huakui SOEs on the market today are developed a bit longer to achieve a more balanced flavor profile that works well across different brew methods.

This hot Americano was served slightly hotter than what I’d consider immediately drinkable—and that actually made sense. In winter, coffee loses heat quickly, so a slightly higher serving temperature works well. While many people now prefer Americanos with filtered-out oils for a cleaner, supposedly healthier cup, I still love an Americano with crema. It’s just more aromatic—no shame in that. At higher temperatures, the flavors are relatively subdued, almost like drinking a hot tea. You can take your time and enjoy how the flavors evolve as the cup cools. When it reaches a medium temperature, the signature Ethiopian citrus notes and gentle acidity start to emerge. Overall, the cup is well-balanced and restrained in its expression, with very soft acidity and a finish reminiscent of white tea.

I don’t often order desserts at cafés, but the menu noted that their banana pancake is made to order, freshly baked—and that instantly caught my attention. Pancakes really are one of those old-school café pairings, and it had been years since I last had one. So I enjoyed my coffee on its own first, and by the time I finished, the pancake arrived at the table. Even while drinking my coffee, I could smell the incredibly inviting, milky aroma of the pancake baking. That moment was pure comfort. The owner had clearly tested the recipe many times, and you can tell she puts real care into her work. That sense of love is something you can taste in every bite. The pancake here is truly a signature item: the exterior is wonderfully bouncy, while the inside is rich with eggy aroma and an excellent texture.

The pancake is brushed with a thin layer of maple syrup and topped with fresh banana slices. The sweetness is well-balanced, since the bananas themselves already provide plenty of natural sugar. The finishing touch is a light sprinkle of dark chocolate on top of the bananas. That subtle bitterness within the sweetness adds depth, balances the overall flavor, and allows each ingredient to shine. It’s incredibly satisfying—freshly baked, fragrant, and genuinely delicious.

Retracing Coffee closes at 7 p.m. every evening. Chatting with the café owner was so enjoyable that I completely lost track of time—once again, a café visit that lasted right up until closing. It was such a beautiful experience. Under the night sky, Retracing Coffee becomes like a small lighthouse standing quietly on the corner, guiding your way forward. Cafés are magical like that. Simply by existing, they make the world a little more beautiful.

STAIR COFFEE Qiandao Lake｜The Only Specialty Coffee Shop Worth Visiting in Thousand Island Lake

 Not long ago, I went to Qiandao Lake to enjoy the autumn scenery during the off-peak travel season. Even though it was already winter, this year Hangzhou had been unusually slow to turn cold. To me, the low season is actually the right way to experience Qiandao Lake. The trees shift through layers of color, and the lake and mountains reveal nature at its most effortless. From the moment I stepped out of the high-speed rail station, even the air felt more “health-boosting” than Hangzhou’s—haha. It’s an ideal destination for a quiet weekend escape.

Whenever I travel to an unfamiliar city, one of my rituals is to seek out local coffee shops. For me, cafés are a kind of unspoken link between myself and a city. This habit has become deeply ingrained in how I travel—it’s a way of getting closer to local culture and creating a personal, irreplaceable memory of a place. That said, based on everything I could find beforehand, there was only one café in Qiandao Lake that truly felt worth visiting. If you ask me why, I’ll be very direct: aside from the usual commercial chains, most independent cafés here still operate in a “scenic-spot style”—they sell location and atmosphere, not coffee.

That’s why a small shop that genuinely commits to long-term thinking and to cultivating a specialty coffee community feels especially precious. You can’t help but think that without real conviction and ideals, no one would choose to walk such a determined path. After my own careful selection, this visit felt all the more meaningful. So today, let me share what I consider the guiding light of Qiandao Lake’s café scene—the lone standout. It’s STAIR COFFEE (Toppo Coffee), located at No. 16-3 Qilong Alley, within the Qiandao Lake Scenic Area.

Qilong Alley itself carries many memories of everyday life for locals. Though it has been developed into a commercial street, its layered, vertical layout still retains a hint of that lively, street-level energy—almost like a miniature Chongqing. STAIR COFFEE opened in 2020, which already makes it something of a veteran. Because the space is vertically arranged, make sure your navigation is accurate when you come—I personally confirmed the location by spotting the street-side sign. A tiny detour, but nothing major.

The sign at the entrance—“Chun’an Qiandao Lake Toppo Coffee”—looks almost like a plaque from a government office, instantly adding a touch of seriousness (which I found kind of funny). The shop itself is quite spacious, and perhaps because it sits alongside a staircase, it has a perfectly fitting name and logo: STAIR COFFEE. The interior is divided into two main areas. The front space features the bar, a few two-seat tables, and a shared seating area. Deeper inside, there’s a larger, more private zone designed for relaxed breaks, with looser, more laid-back seating. This is also where the owner roasts beans day to day. There’s no flashy décor—just a sense of natural ease and openness. As a “third space,” it feels like a small living room that brings together people who happen to cross paths.

The menu pricing is incredibly friendly. Despite years of industry chatter about rising green bean costs, some café owners continue to “do charity work” by refusing to raise prices—and this is exactly where the glow and value of a true neighborhood café shine through. The shop keeps three to four espresso options on rotation. I started with an SOE Flat White made from Ethiopian Yirgacheffe beans from the Konga region. These days, when people talk about Ethiopian coffee, regions like Bensa or Alo come up far more often. But the classic, terroir-driven regions that have delivered consistent quality for years deserve even more appreciation. In my book, Konga absolutely earns its place. When I learned that this SOE came from the Konga Cooperative, I gave the owner a big thumbs up and said, “Yeah—you really know how to choose your beans.”

This Flat White was a joy. After drinking so many Ethiopian milk coffees that instantly scream familiar citrus-and-cream notes, having something a little different makes those distinctions stand out immediately. Compared to more typical natural Ethiopian SOEs, this one leaned toward layered stone-fruit notes—grapefruit and citrus marmalade—adding depth and complexity. In a milk drink, that’s a huge plus. Those flavors cut cleanly through the sweetness and creaminess of the milk, creating something closer to a fruit milkshake with lively, expressive layers, while still retaining the body a Flat White should have. It was clean, balanced, and incredibly satisfying—honestly, the best compliment is to just drink it down in one go.

Another thing that truly surprised me was that one of the regular espresso offerings was a decaf—a Swiss Water Process coffee from Colombia. I’ve always been a bit skeptical of Swiss Water decaf; in my experience, it often carries a strange, hard-to-describe off note. Still, I figured it was time to give it another chance after all these years, so I boldly ordered a hot Americano with it.

To my surprise, the flavor was impressively clean and well-structured. The base leaned toward dark chocolate, lifted by a touch of citrus acidity. There were also subtle grain-like, roasted notes—almost like toasted bread. Nothing odd or distracting, just a gentle, approachable profile. The finish even carried a maple-syrup-like sweetness. What pleased me most was the body: traditionally, Swiss Water decafs tend to feel thin, but this Americano retained good oils, aroma, and mouthfeel. It turns out Swiss Water processing has really improved.

As I chatted with the owner and sipped my coffee, he kept making pour-overs for me—this kind of generous “feeding” is something community cafés everywhere seem to share, and it always makes me feel spoiled. Whether natural or washed, you could clearly sense his roasting philosophy: clarity, cleanliness, and high sweetness. There’s something almost magical about it—you just can’t stop drinking. The coffees are incredibly easy to enjoy, and this flavor framework brings out exactly what the terroir wants to express.

Back to my opening thought: being a kind of coffee evangelist in a small town isn’t easy—some might even call it overly idealistic. But that’s precisely why it feels so valuable. Next time you visit Qiandao Lake, beyond the famous fish head dishes and scenic views, try exploring its less touristy side. STAIR COFFEE might just give you one of the most memorable moments of your trip.

Winter Café Escape in Pu’er: Cozy Coffee Shop, Dawn Redwoods & Warm Encounters

 A few days ago, I called Ms. Yang, the owner of the Beigui Coffee Warehouse branch at the Northern Wetland Park. I told her that our magazine wanted to host a coffee salon there. She agreed warmly but suggested avoiding weekends, as the place gets crowded and might disrupt the sharing session. Moved by her enthusiasm, I decided to visit her café in advance.

White clouds drifted across the blue sky. The dawn redwoods and other green trees in Pu’er’s Northern Wetland Park together painted the picture of “the season of orange and green” from Su Shi’s poem.

At 11 a.m., a few elderly visitors were sunbathing and sipping their coffee inside the Beigui Coffee Warehouse. The young barista had opened the shop right on time at 9:30, quietly waiting for customers. Her name is Xiaotong, and her shy, youthful smile is endearing.

Young barista Xiaotong

Several seniors had come from Sichuan to spend the winter in Pu’er. The warm winter sun felt comforting on their backs. When the sound of drums and singing broke the original silence, Xiaotong carefully carried the freshly made coffees to the table, laughing as she said, “The latte art on the first milk drink of the day is always so ugly!”
One of the elderly ladies took her latte calmly and began drinking it with ease.

The bestseller in the shop is hand-brewed coffee. Weekends and holidays bring in the most customers—every table gets packed. Xiaotong said she loves the environment and atmosphere of the café and is especially touched by the warmth of the regulars.

“Four aunties and uncles come by often to play cards. They’ll order coffee drinks, and every time they come, they bring me food because they’re worried I might skip lunch. A few days ago, they didn’t see me here and even called to ask where I had gone.”
As she spoke, a bright smile spread across her face, wrapped in that warmth.

Seniors who came from Sichuan to spend the winter in Pu’er

The café mainly sells products from Beigui Coffee, and there are cakes and fruit juices prepared for children. Looking out from the café, you see the sky, the green water, and distant buildings…

A grilled sausage, and a touch of winter warmth

Just as I was quietly enjoying the winter scenery of Pu’er’s Northern Wetland Park, I suddenly heard Xiaotong’s voice:
“Sis, I grilled a sausage for you!”
She handed me a delicious-looking sausage. Eating the sausage while strolling through the wetland park, admiring the winter dawn redwoods—everything felt warm and comforting.