What Is Matcha Coffee Doing at a MUJI Pop-Up in Suzhou?

MUJI opened its first national coffee pop-up store at Suzhou Yanlord Cangjie Commercial Plaza, and customers queued under nearly 40 degrees Celsius heat with umbrellas. The store serves regular drinks plus three limited-edition matcha beverages, but the main draw was two Suzhou-exclusive brand badges, which shoppers feared would sell out.

The pop-up runs until November, and visitors who already endured the heat advised waiting for cooler weather unless the free giveaways matter. Complaints centered on weak air conditioning indoors, drinks that were not cold enough, and ice cream melting quickly. The scene shows how limited merchandise, rather than the drinks themselves, can drive coffee retail traffic.

On a sweltering 40°C day, most people would rather stay cooped up in air-conditioned rooms, yet an unusual queue formed at Suzhou Yanlord Cangjie Commercial Plaza—outside the nation's first MUJI coffee pop-up store, customers were waiting in line under the scorching sun, holding umbrellas. What drew them wasn't a new matcha product, but two Suzhou-exclusive brand badges. However, the queuing process was nothing short of a "roasting" ordeal; indoors was no escape from the direct sunlight either, weakening the air conditioning and leading to frequent complaints about drinks not being cold enough and ice cream melting instantly. This pop-up event will continue until November, and those who have already "braved" it are advising: if you're not dead set on the freebies, it's better to wait for cooler weather.

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Just past the weekend, temperatures soared to nearly 40 degrees, and for most people, such weather is best spent indoors with air conditioning. Yet yesterday, outside Suzhou Yanlord Cangjie Commercial Plaza, a coffee pop-up store had a long queue, making one wonder: what force compels passersby to endure nearly 40-degree heat, holding umbrellas and waiting under the sun?

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be the Japanese brand MUJI opening its first national coffee pop-up store here. A sign at the entrance showed that besides regular drinks, the store also launched three limited-edition matcha beverages, truly tantalizing matcha lovers.

However, what actually drove people to queue was not these vibrant limited-edition drinks. After all, this pop-up event doesn't end until November, so if you just want a taste, you could easily pick a cooler day and even snap a few photos with fewer crowds.

What made customers willing to wait under the blazing sun with umbrellas was actually the limited-edition badges from this event. According to official promotional information, MUJI specially designed two limited-edition badges incorporating Suzhou's local characteristics for the pop-up. Consumers could buy them separately or choose a package to get free giveaways. Merchandise enthusiasts worried about missing out if they came late, so they rushed to queue as soon as the event started, eager to get the badges.

According to netizens who visited the scene, the store officially opened at 2 p.m. yesterday. The queue for ordering wasn't as exaggerated as one or two hours, but the waiting process was truly "torturous."

Keep in mind, yesterday Suzhou's highest temperature was close to 40 degrees Celsius. The uncovered outdoor plaza was scorched by the sun, and standing outside for even a short while made you feel the heat penetrating your body. Moreover, this MUJI pop-up store faces west, directly into the sunlight, so customers queuing at the entrance couldn't avoid the intense exposure and had to rely on umbrellas to shield themselves from the harsh sun.

Upon entering the store, the "trial" brought by the sunlight didn't end; glaring light slanted through the floor-to-ceiling glass into the interior. But inside, you couldn't use an umbrella, and customers waiting for their orders were almost all exposed to direct sunlight. Some complained, "Queued for 15 minutes, roasted for half an hour," while others grumbled, "Even ordering made my feet burn, unbelievable."

Besides the harsh sun, what customers discussed most was the heat. From photos shared by netizens, the store used a floor-standing air conditioner for cooling, but the queue blocked the glass door, preventing it from closing, making it hard for the cool air to lower the indoor temperature.

As a result, some customers remarked that the cold drinks they received were "not cold enough," and ice cream melted quickly, greatly diminishing the product's taste. One person commented, "The ice melted in three minutes, it's like drinking room temperature," while another complained, "Waited an hour, got two lukewarm cups."

Those "warriors" who endured the high-temperature "roasting" admired their hard-earned spoils while reminding friends interested in the MUJI pop-up: if you don't care about the giveaways, you can simply come when the weather cools down. After all, the event lasts over two more months; there's no need to risk heatstroke for a tiny badge.

Image source: Internet

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