What the Shanghai specialty coffee tie-up means for arabica coffee bean sourcing
HEYTEA's bottled Inspiration Bus finished its run in Shanghai, working with 13 independent coffee shops in Jing'an, Changning, Xuhui, and Huangpu districts on 22 limited-edition drinks. The collaboration ran from October 12 to November 12, with the bus parked at 1107 Yuyuan Road, Chuangyi Space, from 1 PM to 6 PM. Previous stops were Guangzhou and Chengdu.
HEYTEA's ties to coffee go back to 2014, when the company, then called Royal Tea, launched a coffee series made with arabica coffee bean. It invested in SEESAW COFFEE in 2021. The Shanghai drinks mix bottled sparkling water and fruit tea with espresso, which makes them approachable, though pure coffee still shows the bean's character more directly than a blended specialty coffee drink.
The final stop of HEYTEA's bottled Inspiration Bus has arrived in Shanghai, partnering with 13 independent coffee shops across Jing'an, Changning, Xuhui, and Huangpu districts to launch 22 limited-edition "Inspiration Coffee" drinks. Previously, the bus had stopped in Guangzhou and Chengdu, collaborating with 20 and 23 coffee shops respectively to launch dozens of special blends. HEYTEA's connection with coffee dates back to 2014, and it has continued to innovate since then, officially entering the coffee sector in 2021 by investing in SEESAW COFFEE. However, these special drinks, infused with fruit juice and sparkling water, while friendly to those new to coffee, raise a question: are those who drink special blends truly savoring the flavor of coffee? Perhaps while enjoying mixed drinks, one should also bravely take a step forward to experience the unique charm of pure coffee.
At around 4 PM on October 16, HEYTEA's official Weibo announced that the Inspiration Bus had arrived in Shanghai. From October 12 to November 12, over a one-month period, HEYTEA will collaborate with 13 independent coffee shops in Shanghai's Jing'an, Changning, Xuhui, and Huangpu districts, using HEYTEA's bottled sparkling water and fruit tea as ingredients to create 22 limited-edition "Inspiration Coffee" drinks.
Shanghai is the final stop of HEYTEA's bottled Inspiration Bus. Yesterday and today, from 1 PM to 6 PM, the bus made a limited-time stop at 1107 Yuyuan Road, Chuangyi Space.
Previously, this bottled Inspiration Bus had stopped in Guangzhou and Chengdu. From October 1 to October 3, it appeared for a limited time in front of the Ancient Tree Square in Yongqingfang, Liwan, Guangzhou, partnering with 20 local coffee shops to launch 32 limited-edition special blends.
From October 5 to November 5, over a one-month period, the bus collaborated with 23 coffee shops in three areas of Chengdu—Yulin Road, Kehua North Road, and Dongmen Bridge—to launch 64 limited-edition drinks.
HEYTEA's connection with coffee has a long history. As early as 2014, when HEYTEA was still called "Royal Tea," the store already had coffee products. According to a message posted on HEYTEA's official Weibo on April 21, 2014, the "Royal Café Golden Special Coffee Series" was officially launched that day, using Arabica coffee beans.
By March 22, 2019, HEYTEA launched HEYTEA Coffee, breaking the boundary between tea and coffee and even adding some ingredients typically found in milk tea to the coffee. Without specifically mentioning that it contains coffee, the appearance is almost indistinguishable from regular milk tea.
On June 8, 2019, HEYTEA introduced Ovaltine Coffee Ice; on June 29, 2020, Coconut Grain Coffee was launched. In July 2021, after clarifying it had no intention of acquiring Lelecha, HEYTEA ultimately invested in another brand, officially entering the coffee industry. Unlike Mixue Ice Cream & Tea, which focuses on the lower-tier market and launched a sub-brand "Lucky Coffee," HEYTEA chose to invest in SEESAW COFFEE.
Since then, HEYTEA has continuously added new items to its coffee menu, including Raw Coconut Latte, Grape Americano, Ganlan Americano, Lemon Americano, and Red Grapefruit Americano, and even collaborated with SEESAW to launch mooncakes made with coffee, tea, fruit, and cheese for the Mid-Autumn Festival.
These special coffee drinks are very friendly to those new to coffee. But are these people truly coffee lovers? Are they the ones seriously savoring the flavors of coffee?
Coffee beans from each region have their own unique flavors, and tea from each garden has its own special taste. Adding ingredients like fruit juice to pure coffee or pure tea can indeed greatly enhance the complexity of the drink, but how many people stop at just "tasty" without advancing to "understanding" the flavors? Some always mention that coffee is something "mystical," but why not bravely take a step forward and try more pure coffee flavors?
Perhaps, once you understand it, you can also whip up your own custom special coffee at any time.
Image source: SEESAW COFFEE official Weibo, HEYTEA official Weibo, internet
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The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
