BEIN Coffee Hangzhou Review: A Hidden Gem Near Expo Center Worth the Journey

 This café visit was another full-on journey—seriously, I had to go the distance for this one. It’s actually my first time coming to the area around the Expo Center, and I’ve got a nickname for places like this. I call them the “edge of the universe.” If you’ve been following my Hangzhou café posts, you probably already know what I mean. Any café that can convince me to spend 8 RMB one way on the metro is definitely not ordinary. It has to come with curiosity, with anticipation, and with my own confidence—built from visiting countless cafés—that I can spot something truly special. Haha.

And today’s spot absolutely delivered. The café is called BEIN, located at No. 18 Juxiu Lane, Guanpin Mingyu, Xiaoshan District, Hangzhou. It’s just a short walk from Exit B1 of Expo Center Station on Metro Line 6, super easy to find. The space itself is also impressively large. The moment you see it, there’s this immediate sense of understated elegance—clean, refined, and effortlessly relaxing.

This area is surrounded by high-rise buildings, but unlike the cold, steel-forest vibe of the Yuhang area where I’m usually based, this place feels different. It has this grounded, “old money” kind of charm—if you know, you know. I even joked with the barista that everything around here, whether it’s office buildings or residential complexes, just looks expensive. Haha.

What really stood out to me was how quiet the neighborhood is—but not in a lifeless way. It’s a kind of calm that feels balanced, lived-in, and self-aware. There’s a rhythm to it, a sense of maturity in how everything coexists. Honestly, it felt so unique that it didn’t even seem like Hangzhou anymore.

BEIN, both in its exterior and interior design, hits all my aesthetic preferences perfectly. The generous use of warm wood tones and soft yellow lighting creates this instant sense of comfort—as if you’ve just come home, no matter when you visit. That kind of immediate warmth and approachability might just be what defines a café’s “soul.” It also makes perfect sense that BEIN is extremely pet-friendly. They even place food bowls outside for cats, and apparently there’s a whole little family of stray cats that regularly comes by for meals.

The café itself is a large, open, high-ceilinged space. The vertical height gives it a sense of openness and freedom, while the spacious floor plan lets you choose any seating area you like. The massive coffee bar also acts as a subtle “social barrier,” naturally separating different seating zones while still keeping everything connected.

The menu is pretty interesting too—it’s very much a “food and drinks” kind of place. Since I had traveled all this way on an empty stomach, I had to grab something to eat before diving into my “serious coffee mode.”

BEIN mainly focuses on ultra-extraction brews, and they offer four different beans for that. You can tell the owner really loves the Sidama Bensa region—great taste, honestly. I love it too. I always say: Bensa is the kind of coffee you can order with your eyes closed. You just can’t go wrong.

So I went straight for Bean No.1 without hesitation. I’ve lost count of how many Bensa coffees I’ve had, and I can practically recognize the profiles of 74158 and 74112 without even thinking—but somehow, they never get boring. They just hit that perfect sweet spot on your palate every single time.

This ultra-extraction was outstanding. The biggest advantage of this method is that it preserves the clarity and layering of flavors while adding this irresistible smoothness and roundness—that’s what makes it so addictive. You get this soft citrus, almost like fresh orange juice, combined with delicate white floral notes and a clean, honey-like sweetness. How could you not love that?

Of course, I also had to try their only house espresso blend. It’s a mix of Colombian and Costa Rican beans, and I ordered a flat white. As expected, it leans into classic dark chocolate and nutty notes. The washed Colombian component really contributes to the clarity, and the chocolate profile is quite solid and pronounced. No matter the milk ratio, the flavors come through strongly. The finish is a long, lingering caramel sweetness. It’s not surprising or unconventional, but its richness and fullness definitely leave an impression.

Besides the coffees I had already planned to order, I was also convinced by one of the staff to try Bean No.3—a washed Geisha from Huila, Colombia, processed with a “dark room drying” method. This method is interesting because it maintains the cleanliness of washed processing while allowing sugars to develop slowly during drying, giving you a sweetness somewhat similar to natural processing.

I decided to try it as an iced ultra-extraction—which is actually something new for me. They do a double filtration process here: first through the espresso machine portafilter, which still retains some oils, and then a second filtration using a V60 paper filter. For the iced version, the bypass is essentially done with ice, and once everything melts and integrates, it reaches the intended balance.

That said, the ice dilution made the flavor cleaner and more refreshing, but it also reduced some of the body and complexity. It felt like the flavors disappeared just as I was starting to enjoy them. I could pick up some citrus acidity and a strong sweetness, but beyond that, the distinct flavor notes were quite muted. I have a feeling the hot version would really unlock this bean’s full potential.

So honestly, I’d strongly recommend going for hot black coffee if you want to fully experience the depth and layering of flavors.

Now, let’s talk about the food. I went for the basil sausage and mushroom sandwich. Everything is made fresh to order. It comes on sourdough, loaded with sausage slices and mushrooms, topped with a bit of arugula and a perfectly runny egg.

One bite instantly took me back to Australia. It was seriously good. The portion is generous and satisfying. As the juices soak into the sourdough, the texture becomes this perfect balance of chewy and slightly soft—something I personally love. The flavors are gentle and well-balanced, and even if you pair it directly with coffee, it doesn’t overpower the drink at all. It’s the kind of combo that makes for a truly comforting, healing afternoon.

Yu Yue Café in Hangzhou: A Hidden Community Coffee Shop Near Wan’an Bridge

 It had been quite a while since I last visited local cafés in Hangzhou. Among the newer cafés popping up lately, I’ve noticed a trend: small yet beautiful coffee shops quietly opening along narrower, more intimate streets. This kind of refined approach to cultivating a local coffee community allows you to see, more directly, the warmth and harmony of what people often call “neighborhood business.”

Today I want to talk about a place called Yu Yue, located at 115 University Road in Hangzhou. The café doesn’t have a prominent storefront sign. Instead, it features an open, square layout. Whether you’re standing outside or sitting inside, the moment you spot it, there’s an instant sense of openness and calm. It’s just over a 300-meter walk from Wan’an Bridge Metro Station. I’ve explored this area quite a few times in the past—there are several community cafés scattered nearby. It’s the kind of neighborhood where everyday life feels calm and ordinary, yet occasionally ripples with a touch of romance.

The owner of Yu Yue is my old friend, A-Kang. Wherever he is, there’s always coffee, cocktails, and sometimes even the chance to enjoy his surprisingly good cooking. I’ve always felt that the dependable, home-loving nature often associated with Cancer signs somehow shows up in his café as well.

Maybe because I was visiting a friend’s new shop, I felt completely at ease—almost like coming home. Excited and cheerful, I walked up the steps through the open doorway, greeted him briefly, and then naturally found myself a seat. Everything felt effortless and smooth. Even if it’s your first time here, the place feels minimal yet warm.

The layout is refreshingly simple. Tables are spaced comfortably apart, leaving room for personal space. The color palette is bright and clean, and wherever you sit, it feels like you have your own little world.

I especially love the bar stools here—the height and seating comfort are just right. It’s the kind of detail that reveals how much care the owner has put into the place. Only when you truly sit down and experience it do you notice those subtle touches of thoughtfulness and understanding that don’t need to be spoken.

To me, a café is a lot like a person. It has its own personality, attitude, and philosophy. When you walk into a café, there’s an unspoken connection between you and the space. The coffee, the atmosphere, the energy—everything begins to answer you in its own quiet way. Before you know it, you’re sitting there, and leaving suddenly doesn’t feel so easy anymore.

Yu Yue also has a rather interesting “hidden feature.” Customers can buy coffee beans at the shop and store them there, or even bring their own beans to be brewed in the café. It’s a fascinating approach—a hybrid model where coffee beans are the core, service extends the experience, and a membership-like relationship connects the community. It reflects the essence of community café culture: moving from simply selling a cup of coffee to cultivating a long-term coffee relationship.

Of course, I had to follow the local custom. I brought along a bag of espresso beans roasted by Elixir Coffee, which I had picked up in Brisbane, Australia. Bringing your own beans to share and discuss with others in the café is a wonderful feeling. When people with the same interests gather around coffee, everyday life suddenly regains a sense of ease and relaxation that feels rare these days.

A-Kang’s café feels a bit like Doraemon’s pocket, because you’ll always find a surprising variety of beans on the menu. Sometimes there are estates or regions I’ve never tried before, and unlocking those new discoveries is always exciting.

One coffee immediately caught my eye: a Colombian Geisha from La Guayacana Estate, processed with a double-fermentation washed method. I had never tasted beans from this estate before.

La Guayacana Estate is located in the Buesaco region of Nariño, Colombia, nestled among mountains at around 2,000 meters above sea level. The owner, Jhon Gomez, is a local coffee producer who grew up in the region. In 2020, he won third place in the Colombia Cup of Excellence (CoE), and that same year he met Felipe Henao, the competition’s champion. The two quickly connected and decided to work together with a higher starting point and a long-term vision—to unlock the potential of Geisha coffee in this region.

The estate enjoys cool temperatures, gentle sunlight, and fertile soil. Combined with Jhon’s years of experience in processing coffee, these natural advantages allow the farm to produce beans that are balanced yet highly distinctive, expressing the elegance typical of high-altitude coffees.

After grinding, the dry aroma of this double-fermented washed Geisha burst with a delightful sweetness reminiscent of fruit candy. There was already a layered complexity of floral and fruity notes, making me even more excited to taste it once brewed.

The roast level was quite light, with a color value around 94. Once brewed, the cup presented delicate yellow-flower aromatics intertwined with citrus tones. It had an incredibly easy-drinking charm—the kind that makes it hard to put the cup down.

You could clearly taste sweet orange notes, and in my mind it painted the image of bright yellow summer fruits. The coffee was juicy and refreshing, with a clean, rounded finish that lingered pleasantly. It’s a bean I truly loved, and I’ll definitely keep an eye on La Guayacana Estate in the future.

And of course, whenever you visit A-Kang’s café, you simply have to order a milk-based coffee made by him personally. The perfect integration of espresso and milk, combined with that glossy, reflective crema surface, is almost impossible to resist.

Since I had brought my own espresso blend, I asked him to use it for a milk drink. Great beans really show their strength—they perform consistently even with standard brewing parameters. A-Kang couldn’t help but remark on how impressive the green coffee sourcing and roasting quality from Australia can be.

We drank the coffee I brought, talked about coffee, and shared our thoughts about flavor and brewing. Conversations like this—where people truly have something meaningful to say—make café socializing feel more tangible and more immersive.

When you talk about coffee with friends, there’s always more to say. Leaving a little bit of the conversation unfinished each time feels like the best part of friendship.

Yu Yue—yes, this is exactly the kind of little café where your soul can finally feel as comfortable as a fish in water.