Why the Nanjing 10-yuan street coffee drew a celebrity queue

A small sugarcane juice shop in Nanjing that has operated for more than thirty years became an internet talking point after singer Guang Liang was seen queuing outside for its 10-yuan coffee. The drink is made by stirring three sticks of Nescafe instant coffee powder into hot water, and the shop sold several hundred to over a thousand cups in a single day.

The brand that supplies the free goods, media coverage and celebrity check-ins all fed the surge. Shop owner Old Lady Han refused payment, so Guang Liang invited her to his Nanjing concert the following evening. Some observers questioned whether the visit was tied to slow ticket sales, and she has become a gathering point for visitors.

A 10-yuan drink made by mixing three sticks of Nescafe instant coffee powder with hot water has unexpectedly made a small sugarcane juice shop in Nanjing, which has been around for over thirty years, the focus of the whole internet. Singer Guang Liang was recently spotted queuing up outside the shop to buy one, pushing the topic onto trending searches. The brand supplying free goods, media scrambling to report, and celebrities showing up to check in—why has this cup of "pour-over coffee" in the literal sense become a traffic magnet? Is it the appeal of being cheap and good, or a bandwagon trend on social platforms? This article walks you through the course of events and explores the consumer psychology and coffee culture phenomenon behind it.

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"Sincere Grandma, authentic Nanjing Grandma handmade," "the world's first Nescafe pour-over coffee direct-sale shop," "Auntie's handmade 10-yuan 'office-worker-flavor' coffee"...

After "Nanjing 10-yuan pour-over coffee" hit trending searches, the small shop "Old Lady Han's Sugarcane Juice" from the video quickly became Nanjing's newest internet-famous check-in spot. For several days in a row, young people holding phones, cameras, and all kinds of equipment could be seen outside the shop. "Internet-famous" Old Lady Han revealed that sales soared this Sunday, selling several hundred to over a thousand cups of 10-yuan coffee per day.

And just yesterday, singer Guang Liang appeared at the entrance of Old Lady Han's shop, queuing up to check in. According to passersby at the scene, Guang Liang waited in line like an ordinary customer, and when it was his turn, he ordered a cup of sugarcane juice and a cup of coffee. Because Old Lady Han repeatedly insisted on not taking his money, Guang Liang invited her on the spot to attend his Nanjing concert the next evening.

Onlookers were surprised that a big star would actually go to a small shop in Nanjing and queue up to buy a 10-yuan instant coffee, and they all took photos and group pictures upon seeing him in person. However, some also pointed out bluntly that the reason Guang Liang showed up here might be that ticket sales for his Nanjing concert were not ideal, and he came specifically to ride the wave of attention.

Over the past week, Old Lady Han's sugarcane shop has become a gathering place for traffic and attention. First, Nescafe, the brand with the highest on-screen presence in the video, supplied Old Lady Han with free goods and invited her to appear in its livestream room. Then other brands noticed that Old Lady Han's various equipment had malfunctioned after being overloaded, and proactively contacted her to provide water boilers, beverage sealing machines, and other equipment.

Some brands unrelated to coffee making, such as Joyoung Soy Milk and Zhao Yiming Snacks, also appeared around the small shop one after another, frequently entering the lenses of netizens checking in. Reports and interviews by major media further fueled the flames, pushing this shop, which has been around for over thirty years, before the public and sparking heated discussion online.

However, after the incident fermented, many people felt very puzzled by this drink made from three sticks of instant coffee powder and hot water. How exactly did it become the recent "traffic magnet"? On social platforms, many netizens imitated Old Lady Han and set up stalls selling "pour-over coffee" made from Nescafe instant coffee. The brand proactively providing ingredients and equipment, media scrambling to report, and celebrities showing up to check in have placed this tiny shop on the fire of traffic, with popularity continuously rising.

Many people say that the brewed drink made from instant coffee powder contains non-dairy creamer, which is not beneficial to human health, and that at the same price, freshly ground coffee from Luckin, Cotti, Lucky Cup, and others is also available. They cannot understand why a coffee drink that can be made at home could have such high popularity. Or perhaps, for many young people, the drink itself is not important; whether it is trendy is more important, and whether it can be posted on WeChat Moments or Xiaohongshu is even more important.

This cup of "pour-over coffee" from the Nanjing auntie, in the literal sense, has both satisfied some consumers' pursuit of cheap and good products and opened a new world for some people who do not understand coffee, letting them know that "pour-over coffee" can actually be this cheap. For coffee lovers seeking fresh experiences, Front Street Coffee also reminds everyone that while paying attention to hot topics, you might as well try real specialty pour-over coffee and experience the layers of flavor brought by beans from different origins.

Image source: Internet

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