Visit Yunnan again for a coffee
The 3-day China (Pu'er) International Coffee Expo was held in south Yunnan’s Pu'er city from January 5 to 7.
Venue of the China (Pu'er) International Coffee Expo
Gathering 200 plus int’l coffee businesses
With the theme of "Chinese Coffee, Globally Shared”, the coffee expo was attended by more than 200 international coffee companies, as well as by coffee professionals from over 10 countries and regions.
The expo covered an exhibition area of 15,000 square meters, displaying raw coffee beans, cooked beans, instant coffee and other varieties.
A barista displays coffee-making skills at the expo.
Coffee business insiders identified products and equipment for coffee processing, as well as utensils, materials and services related to the coffee industry.
Coffee-making competition in full swing
During the expo, four professional coffee competitions were staged, including the Finals of the 6th China Barista Team Championship 2023 and the Professional Coffee Athletics (PCA).
Baristas create coffee with the patterns of camel, elephant and others.
Baristas from China, Viet Nam, Thailand, Malaysia, Australia and others competed on the same stage to show their coffee-making skills. An exquisite pattern from the dense milk bubble is indispensable aesthetics for a cup of coffee.
Using milk and coffee, baristas at the competition created the lively patterns of camel, elephant, poodle, eagle and others.
Visitors at the coffee expo
Yuan Yi, a PCA judge from east China’s Shanghai, is the Chinese champion of the 2016 PCA competition.
Latte art seems easy, but it’s tricky. Yuan Yi said: "The latte art is different from other coffee-making skills, calling for long-term practice. Every year, we use 2 or 3 tons of milk in training for the art. Latte artists are the same as professional athletes. If you don’t move forward, you’ll lag behind."
Coffee varieties at the expo
Making Yunnan coffee better known
During the expo, international coffee authorities, scholars and representatives of well-known coffee enterprises spoke at the Chinese coffee forum on industrial innovation and development, discussing coffee trade, consumption trends, brand marketing and technological innovation.
"After 20 plus years of growth, Pu'er is now home to over 200 coffee houses. The city shows the developmental momentum in Chinese coffee," said Yang Shun, general manager of Beijing Taigu Coffee Co., Ltd. To make Chinese coffee thrive, Yang thinks it necessary to brand coffee varieties in Chinese regions, while ensuring coffee quality.
A barista displays coffee-making skills at the expo.
Li Junwei, founder of Cloves Coffee, hoped that Cloves could become a national coffee brand that can represent Yunnan coffee. Featuring a place of origin, Cloves will make Yunnan coffee better known.
With the rise of Chinese coffee brands, Chinese coffee will enrich and diversify the coffee industry worldwide.
By YICC reporters