Even though I’ve visited over 1,300 coffee shops around the world, you know what? I still come across small places that surprise me when I slow down and pay attention to the details. That sense of discovering a hidden gem is something I truly treasure—it feels like a privilege. Boredom, to some extent, comes from predictability, but the world of coffee is vast and boundless. Along the way, this mutual exchange—between people, places, and flavors—is what keeps my curiosity alive and my sense of freshness intact.
The café I want to talk about today is one I initially slightly underestimated. But after a friend recommended it, I figured I should check it out—and I’m incredibly glad I did. It turned out to be absolutely fantastic. It’s Under Coffee, located at No. 14 Dongyuan Street, Chaoming Subdistrict, Gongshu District, Hangzhou.
By the time I visited, it was already a well-established neighborhood café with a strong base of regulars. When I stopped by on a Sunday afternoon, it quickly filled up, almost to the point of bursting. The place became lively in an instant. You could really feel how a café, in the midst of ordinary life, can be a source of light. Everyone there looked energized and full of life—proof that sometimes, a cup of coffee really can solve more than you’d expect. People were genuinely enjoying themselves, and it showed.
Over the past couple of years, I’ve noticed Chaoming Subdistrict popping up more and more on my radar. This area seems to be quietly cultivating a distinct coffee community, with customers who have a surprisingly refined palate. That’s been my consistent impression after visiting several cafés nearby.
Under is a fully self-roasting café. The owner roasts all the beans in-house and mentioned that he sometimes roasts more than 20 different beans in a single batch. In addition to supplying his own shop, he also roasts for partners. One of the biggest advantages of a self-roasting café is the strength and diversity of its bean lineup, along with the ability to constantly introduce new offerings. That’s exactly why I’m always drawn to places like this. You can clearly feel the vitality and versatility of the shop—so much so that it’s almost impossible to define. Every visit brings something new to taste.
The menu here is equally impressive, offering up to six different espresso beans at a time, all single-origin (SOE). The owner regularly refreshes the entire lineup, so while these six beans are what I experienced, you might encounter a completely different selection when you visit. What matters is using each bean’s roast profile and flavor expression to understand the owner’s technical skill and creative intent—that’s what I was most interested in capturing during this visit.
As we all know, nearly every café—regardless of how many beans they carry—typically has a classic, traditional option with nutty and dark chocolate notes. This serves as the foundation and is usually the shop’s most popular “workhorse.” While this flavor profile is common, it requires strong performance and versatility across different drinks. That’s why these foundational beans are often blends—it’s rare to find such richness, intensity, and body in a single-origin bean.
This is where Under really stands out, along with the owner’s thoughtful approach. Instead of a blend, he uses a medium-dark roasted Costa Rican washed Caturra to deliver this classic flavor profile. At first glance, it almost feels counterintuitive. Most Costa Rican coffees are honey-processed, so finding a washed one is already quite unusual. Pair that with a medium-dark roast aimed at achieving depth and structure, and you’ve got something truly distinctive. As the shop’s “No.1 bean,” it immediately sparked my curiosity—so I chose it for a flat white.
One particularly delightful detail I noticed while watching the owner work was his “little trick” with milk. For the flat white, he uses Weiquan Full-Fat Milk 4.0 and adds about 15 grams of rice milk. It’s a subtle but clever touch. The result is a gentle boost in sweetness that complements the darker roast profile—but in a very refined way, with no sense of imbalance or intrusion.
The final cup was beautifully integrated. The first sip delivered rich chocolate and nutty notes—deep and satisfying. But what surprised me most was that, despite its intensity, the flavor didn’t transition into the usual caramel sweetness at the finish. Instead, it shifted into a remarkably clean sweetness reminiscent of cane sugar and maple syrup. It was so clean it almost felt like a break in the flavor continuum—truly fascinating.
I also ordered a hot Americano made with an anaerobic natural Bensa. Whenever I see Bensa on the menu, it’s almost an automatic choice for me—I just love it. This Americano was generous in volume and very satisfying. At the front, you get a hint of tropical fruit notes from the anaerobic process, though they’re quite subtle. Soon after, it transitions into a more classic natural profile, with bright citrus and a touch of berry-like acidity—juicy and pleasant. Through the mid to late palate, it remains consistently sweet and clean.