Pu’er Coffee

 The first time I tried a Dirty coffee served in an ultra-low-temperature ice cup was back in 2023, at UNCLE SHU Coffee in Binjiang, Hangzhou. It was my first real encounter with that striking “hot-meets-cold” contrast, and the experience left a strong impression. Dirty coffee is something most coffee lovers in China are already familiar with. It’s fairly common in cafés across Asia, yet you’ll rarely find it in Europe or the U.S. At its core, a Dirty is simple: ice-cold milk topped with hot espresso. This collision of temperatures creates a dramatic, almost theatrical drinking experience that many people love. In recent years, however, a new trend has taken things to the extreme—using ice cups chilled to −86°C to make Dirty coffee. Compared with a traditional Dirty, which usually uses milk and a cup chilled to around 4°C, a −86°C ice cup paired with espresso at roughly 65–70°C creates a temperature difference of more than 150°C. This extreme contrast delivers a sharper, more int...

 Every morning in office buildings you’ll see coworkers clutching a cup of coffee — like they can’t function without it. But things have flipped: some Silicon Valley folks are actually using coffee to help them nap . As life speeds up, more young people have joined the “I’m exhausted, coffee is my steel” club. Over time, many develop a kind of caffeine immunity : they can drink coffee in the afternoon or evening and still fall asleep at night. Now cue concerned relatives and a chorus of wellness accounts: “Just take a nap! Napping is better than coffee!” True — a short nap is a proven way to shake off sleepiness. But what if you combine coffee and a nap? Turns out, that combo can work even better. How Caffeine Keeps You Awake Caffeine wakes you up by blocking adenosine , a chemical in the body that promotes sleep. Adenosine binds to receptors in the brain and reduces neuron activity, which makes you feel drowsy. Because caffeine’s molecule looks similar to adenosine, it can bin...