What Is Inside the Blue Bottle Coffee Space in Panlong?
Blue Bottle Coffee's fourth Shanghai store opened on April 28 in Panlong Tiandi, Qingpu District, set between a century-old residence and a new building in the Jiangnan water town style. The site is split into three areas, the old residence, the new building and a public gathering space, keeping the traditional structure while adding modern design elements.
The store also serves a water chestnut cake affogato that pairs the soft, subtly sweet local cake with creamy affogato and coffee's light bitterness. The choice follows a broader trend of brands moving into old buildings, as younger consumers show more interest in local culture and regions try to revive dormant heritage sites by mixing modern design with original architecture. Panlong Tiandi grew out of the former Panlong Ancient Town.
Blue Bottle Coffee's fourth store in Shanghai has settled in Panlong Tiandi in Qingpu District, choosing a site between a century-old ancient residence and a new building, integrating the brand space into the ancient town style of the Jiangnan water town. The store is divided into three areas: the ancient residence, the new building, and the public gathering area, injecting modern design language while preserving the traditional architectural structure. In addition, the Panlong store has also launched a water chestnut cake affogato that blends traditional flavors, combining the soft, glutinous, and subtly sweet water chestnut cake with the rich, creamy affogato and the slight bitterness of coffee, bringing a unique taste experience. Follow this article to explore this Blue Bottle Coffee in the ancient town and experience the collision of coffee and local culture.
For professional coffee knowledge exchange and more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style).
For more specialty coffee beans, please add the private WeChat of Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee), WeChat ID: qjcoffeex.
After enthusiastic discussions among netizens, Blue Bottle Coffee's fourth store has finally been confirmed to be located in Panlong Tiandi, Qingpu District, Shanghai, and will officially open its doors to welcome guests tomorrow (April 28).
In recent years, how to revive dormant local culture has become a widely discussed topic in the design field. The younger generation is placing increasing importance on the display and dissemination of local culture, and many regions have begun trying to incorporate modern design techniques while preserving the original appearance of ancient towns and old buildings, creating opportunities for people to learn about urban culture. Brands across various industries have also successively opened stores in old buildings, connecting the brand with local cultural traditions and the environment, allowing consumers to form a deeper understanding of the brand in spaces that carry memories.
Blue Bottle Coffee's fourth store is located between a century-old ancient residence and a newly built house in Panlong Tiandi, and is overall divided into three functional areas—the ancient residence area, the new building area, and the public gathering area.
Panlong Tiandi was formerly Panlong Ancient Town. The ancient town was built along the water and possesses the unique charm of a Jiangnan water town. After restoration and renovation, the experience of Jiangnan culture and water town life has become more prominent. The century-old ancient residence where Blue Bottle Coffee is located adopts a "baosha" structure, which is relatively rare in local architecture—that is, a small structure attached to one side of the main building around the main hall.
Blue Bottle's main operating area is set in the main hall of the ancient residence. The main hall uses a canvas-like white as its primary color tone, visually bright and soft, paired with wooden doors and windows embedded with lattice patterns, blending with the ancient town scenery like a Jiangnan painting. Inside the main hall, the original "chuandou tailiang" wooden framework of the ancient residence is preserved. The restored-to-original-condition ebony wood contrasts with the contemporary stainless steel bar counter and equipment. In color, it echoes the strong contrast of traditional Jiangnan white walls and black tiles, and also creates a sense of dialogue between tradition and modernity.
The seating area is arranged in two small rooms facing the courtyard, echoing the typical layout of an ancient town with "shop in front, residence in back." The furniture is selected from traditional couches, tea tables, square tables, and long tables given a contemporary interpretation. On the west side of the ancient residence, on the public square adjacent to the side of the ancient town theater stage square, Blue Bottle Coffee has set up a circular seating area between the original rest pavilion and camphor trees, continuing the life scenes of residents once coming and going in the public square.
The new building area is located opposite the ancient residence, separated by a small path, with its back facing the waterway that runs through the entire ancient town. Here, you can see the stone bridge crossing the river and the dock where boats are moored. The overall transparent and open design allows people to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the Jiangnan water town even while in the ancient residence area.
Looking back at Blue Bottle Coffee's several stores in China, the Yutong store chose a small Western-style building with a blend of Chinese and Western styles, the Zhangyuan store is located in a shikumen building in a traditional old alley, and the Panlong Tiandi store is situated in an old residence in an ancient town in a Jiangnan water town. Each site selection allows consumers to experience the brand's charm in an environment full of memories and historic buildings. In addition to the appeal of the architecture itself, this time the Panlong store has also launched a special product with traditional flavor—water chestnut cake affogato.
Water chestnut cake is a traditional snack in Jiangsu, Guangdong, Fujian, Guangxi, and other places. Due to historical population migration, it has also become one of the many memories of old Shanghai alleys. The soft, glutinous, and subtly sweet water chestnut cake, paired with the rich milky flavor of affogato and the slight bitterness of coffee—this combination is truly something to look forward to!
Image source: Internet
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
