Pu’er Coffee

 For me, making a trip to Xiaoshan is no small thing. A one-way subway ride costs 9 yuan, which somehow already feels like crossing city borders just to be here. Walking through the streets of Xiaoshan always stirs mixed emotions in me. I don’t really recognize anything anymore, yet at the same time, it all seems faintly connected to memories buried deep inside. Maybe in a past life I had some unfinished bond with Hangzhou. That must be why, in this life, I struggle my way here again and again, just to leave a mark in my own story. Xiaoshan was where my Hangzhou journey first began. Even as time passes and visits become rare, I still hope to find moments that move me or surprise me when I return. Today, I want to talk about a café called Muchun Coffee , located at No. 24 Baichilou Road, Xiaoshan District, Hangzhou. It was recommended to me by a friend long ago, saved and bookmarked for ages, quietly waiting for the right moment of fate. Sometimes my encounters with cafés feel ver...

 As an offline “third space,” a café builds a kind of invisible boundary—a bubble—through visuals, sound, taste, and atmosphere. I often feel myself pulled into a specific mood the moment I lay eyes on a café. It’s a strange but intimate connection I have with these places. Today’s café is a bit special: STEAM ESPRESSO , located at No. 67 Huilong Temple Front, Chaoming Subdistrict, Gongshu District, Hangzhou. I call it special because, honestly, it doesn’t feel very Hangzhou at first glance—haha. The storefront is narrow, but the interior stretches deep inside. There’s a generous semi-outdoor seating area up front that feels relaxed and unrestrained. Step inside and you’re hit with a full-on concrete industrial aesthetic, paired with wild, untamed music. The whole thing leans heavily into a steampunk vibe—well, the name is “Steam,” after all… so that tracks. Orders are placed by scanning a QR code at the bar. Besides the house “Steam Blend,” the menu offers six different SOE (S...

 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 pr...

 “Almost” is a word that carries a familiar life attitude in Chinese culture. It reflects a way of thinking rooted in balance—a practical philosophy for living. Not too much, not too little. Go with the flow. Stay tolerant of imperfection. Avoid the exhaustion that comes from obsessive precision. I think this is the state many young people today are trying to explore—or hoping to become. “Almost” is no longer the numbed indifference produced by social conditioning; instead, it has become a resilient survival strategy for ordinary people navigating life with limited resources. I don’t know whether the café I’m talking about today consciously embraces this philosophy, but the moment you read its name, you feel a sense of release—like pressure quietly lifting off your chest. As Little Snake Gary once said, “My family doesn’t expect me to shoulder all the responsibility, because I don’t have shoulders!” Located at 540 Wener West Road in Hangzhou’s Xihu District, Almost Relax Café giv...

 “ The flicker of the traffic lights at the crossroads feels like a message never delivered. Watching neon, watching the crowd— at this moment, every brake light becomes a slow heartbeat. And those who wait tap lightly with their toes, guarding a small flame inside them that never goes out… ” It’s been a long time since I last explored a café in the city. Thanks to a friend, the main purpose today was simply to catch up after not seeing each other for ages. So we headed to Dengdeng , located at 132 Zhongshan Middle Road, Hangzhou , to drink the coffee he made for me—a different kind of experience altogether. In recent years, café-hopping has changed me the most. It feels as though my life has gradually woven itself together with these visits. The emotional projection isn’t just about caring more about the stories behind the owners—their struggles, joys, setbacks, and perseverance. It’s also because, as my life moves toward a slower pace, my state of mind pays more attention...