Pu’er Coffee

 Every time I go to a coffee expo, it feels like I need to come away with something for it to feel worthwhile. For me, the biggest value of these events is that they offer a concentrated window into brands and products that are new, distinctive, and sometimes even pleasantly surprising. What I’m sharing this time is another discovery from late November last year at the Shanghai Coffee Expo—a startup roastery from Shanghai called Stellaria . I noticed their booth the moment I walked by. The packaging was fresh and clean, and you could sense the emotional value the brand wanted to convey through subtle design details. They have a rather romantic and idealistic interpretation of their brand story: “Named after ‘celestial radiance,’ and paired with the simple ‘-ia’ suffix to enhance memorability, Stellaria captures the essence of youth and cutting-edge technological design. In Chinese, it evokes the poetic image of stars drifting quietly across the night sky, symbolizing the rich a...

 Recently, Arabica coffee futures on the New York market hit a historic record of $4.36 per pound , with a single-day surge of nearly 4% . While the global coffee market fell into cautious observation amid skyrocketing prices, China’s market showed a striking contrast—coffee traders in Beijing, Shanghai, and Jiangsu kept purchasing large volumes of Ethiopian beans , with some popular varieties even facing shortages. This phenomenon of “buying more as prices rise” isn’t simply fueled by enthusiasm—it’s a result of intertwined factors: supply-demand dynamics, cost management, and consumer traffic . 01 Buying More Despite the Price Hike: Four Core Drivers The global price surge has done little to dampen China’s purchasing appetite, which is supported by four key forces . As of August 2025 , China had 288,000 café and beverage outlets , with freshly brewed coffee shops accounting for over 60% . In emerging first-tier cities, store counts grew 18% year-over-year , and coffee now c...

  ☕ Origin & Location Core Region: Yirgacheffe lies in the Sidama area of southwestern Ethiopia. Although Ethiopia underwent administrative restructuring in 2019—placing the town of Yirgacheffe under the Gedeo Zone of the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region—the term “Yirgacheffe” still refers broadly to the highland coffee-growing belt surrounding the town and its neighboring districts. Geography: This region sits high on the Ethiopian Plateau, at elevations between 1,700 and 2,200 meters (5,600–7,200 ft) . Its remarkable combination of altitude, volcanic soil, abundant rainfall, mild temperatures, and lush shade trees creates the perfect conditions for world-class coffee. Representative Villages: Yirgacheffe’s core micro-regions include the town itself and surrounding areas such as Kochere and Gedeb (also known as Gotiti ). These micro-lots are celebrated for their exceptional cup quality, each expressing subtle differences in aroma and flavor. 🌸...