What makes street coffee at Tiger Leaping Gorge different?

Hikers who finish the 28 Bends at Tiger Leaping Gorge can buy a hand-ground pour-over from a small cliffside stall for 28 yuan a cup. A climbing enthusiast's video of the setup drew attention, showing beans ground by hand, water boiled on a gas canister, and ice carried up from the foot of the mountain.

The stall has no electricity and no safety protection, and the vendor works at a table used as a bar. Coffee grounds and plastic waste left behind are a growing concern. Even so, the scenery over the Jinsha River and Jade Dragon Snow Mountain shapes how hikers judge the cup.

Backpackers hiking Tiger Leaping Gorge can now, after conquering the 28 Bends, not only take in the surging grandeur of the Jinsha River and the sunrise over Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, but also have the chance to drink a freshly ground pour-over coffee on the cliff edge. These simple coffee stalls set up against the mountainside charge friendly prices—just 28 yuan a cup—attracting many climbing enthusiasts from home and abroad. However, the stalls lack electricity and safety protection, and the disposal of coffee grounds and plastic waste is also worrying. This article takes you inside the real cliffside coffee stalls of Tiger Leaping Gorge, with related recommendations from Front Street Coffee.

▲

Click to follow | Daily specialty coffee culture magazine Coffee Workshop

These days, packing a bag and heading outdoors has become a way for many young people to relax, and Tiger Leaping Gorge, long hailed as one of the world's ten classic hiking routes, is an even more coveted destination for thrill-seeking backpackers. Here you can witness the roaring, rushing momentum of the Jinsha River and greet the magnificent sunrise over Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, taking in the wonders of nature amid the steep gorges.

And right now, after traversing the 28 Bends of Tiger Leaping Gorge, hikers can not only feast their eyes on unique scenery but also enjoy a freshly made cup of coffee right on the spot.

Not long ago, a climbing enthusiast shared a cup of coffee he had while hiking Tiger Leaping Gorge. He had just finished the 28 Bends and was utterly exhausted when, not far along, he spotted a small stall by the cliff called "Cliff Coffee," where a young vendor was standing at a table used as a bar, hand-grinding coffee beans.

From the video shot by this hiker, the little stall nestled against the mountains and beside the water is very simple: no electricity, beans ground entirely by manpower, water boiled with a gas canister, and ice and other ingredients said to have been carried up from the foot of the mountain by the vendor. It is precisely the backdrop of breathtaking scenery between heaven and earth that makes the hiker feel this ordinary cup of coffee tastes extraordinarily different.

Objectively speaking, the overall environment of this coffee stall is hardly good: no soothing jazz, no comfortable seating, and the counter where coffee is made is hardly clean and tidy. If you want a cup, you have to hike there yourself—there is no other way.

Yet the scenery here is truly breathtaking. The roar of the surging river is the natural background music. Sitting in a folding chair by the cliff edge, you feel as if you have gathered this magnificent landscape into your arms, and all the stall's shortcomings seem to be compensated for by the beauty of the moment. Coffee lovers who didn't bring gear can also borrow equipment from the vendor and brew a cup by hand on the cliff edge—undoubtedly a wonderful and unforgettable experience.

According to passing visitors, the number of people hiking and sightseeing at Tiger Leaping Gorge each year is huge, including many climbing enthusiasts from abroad, so in recent years more and more people have set up coffee stalls along this hiking route—some are nearby villagers, and some are young people who have come to live in Tiger Leaping Gorge.

Since they are just simple stalls selling to passing tourists, the vendors' prices are generally low. For example, the pour-over coffee made by that young guy costs 28 yuan a cup. Compared with the 398 yuan per cup charged by a cliff café in Guizhou, tourists generally find the Tiger Leaping Gorge coffee stalls very affordable. If you prefer a rich, full-bodied flavor, Front Street Coffee's drip bag series is also a lightweight choice for outdoor hiking.

Although Tiger Leaping Gorge's coffee is affordable and you can admire the exquisite scenery while drinking it, the cliffs along the way worry many netizens—there are no fences installed at the cliff edge, and guests sitting by the cliff have no safety measures whatsoever. If the dizzying height difference makes you lose your bearings, a regretful accident could happen.

Some netizens also worry that if coffee grounds, plastic packaging and other waste from these coffee stalls are not disposed of properly, they could damage the local natural environment. Moreover, the stalls lack shelter, so bugs and sand can easily fly into the drinks, posing certain food safety risks.

In addition, some tourists remind that although there are quite a few coffee stalls along the Tiger Leaping Gorge hiking route, there are almost no public toilets, so hikers who need to use the restroom after drinking coffee should think twice—otherwise, after a cup of coffee, what you'll be challenging is not the thrilling Tiger Leaping Gorge but your own body's limits.

Image source: Xiaohongshu

Disclaimer: Some images in this article are from the internet. For some content on the site, such as images, we respect the original creators' copyright and will indicate the source. However, due to the large volume, a few images and texts may not yet have been credited; please forgive us. If any original author has any dispute, they may contact the site to handle it. Once verified, we will correct it immediately. Compiled and edited by "Coffee Workshop"; please indicate the source when reposting. If there is any infringement, please inform us for removal. Thank you~!

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.