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The detailed and Shanghai and Beijing, and has a more extensive content
She published her Walking Coffee Map of both
personal knowledge covering many Chinese cities on her online account,
which is now called Walking and Coffee. Over the years,
of the city makes the her account grew to be one the most influential profes-
sional coffee social media in China, and she utilised that
description of any influence in organising specialty coffee events across
local cafes vivid. China to further promote the industry.
The Angle of a Local

For coffee enthusiasts, coffee is an important way
to connect with the society. Coffee shops are where they
work and social, and coffee is the lens through which
they view the world. Their coffee guides might be pas-
sion-filled and personal, but if it’s the coffee guide of
their hometown, it becomes powerful.
They know the city well, they know the local cafes
well, they establish a perception of their home city
The Angle of Profession through coffee, and the coffee culture nurtured them is
shaped by the city. Their detailed and personal knowl-
The angle of profession includes a wide range of edge of the city makes the description of any local cafes
different perspectives. Industry insiders have their own vivid, and their home city coffee guide is the lens visi-
specialised field and when it comes to designing a city tors can use to observe the city.
coffee guide, their extensive knowledge of coffee shines The rise of specialty coffee has successfully built
through the short paragraphs and brings much more a pool of knowledgeable loyal followers, some of whom Photo / instagram @f.o.v_
in-depth information to the audience. Moreover, they can even match professionals. When enthusiasm
are able to dig up the hidden treasures and promote to mixed with knowledge and a local background, the
the public who normally finds recommendations from result is unbeatable.
professionals more reliable. It is under their efforts Bex is a Londoner. She started a personal blog in
through making city coffee guides that the coffee in- 2007 and changed its name in 2013 to Double Skinny
dustry heads to a healthy direction, which will eventu- Macchiato, which is one of her regular coffee orders. coffee shops are a direct presentation of the city, and it Coffee shops in her photos are places that we would
ally lead to a better local economy. Coffee, travel, and books are the main themes on her is also driven by the modern digital lifestyle. want to go regardless the quality of coffee, and she put
When commissioned to write London Coffee, blog, and the content under each section is equally One basic need in this digital era is Instagramable, the ones serving good coffee together to present us a
Lani, who works as a coffee-writer and global food impressive. In her London coffee guide there are about which means looking good in pictures takes the priori- beautiful little guidebook.
industry consultant, had a clear picture of what her 150 coffee shops, and according to her, most of them ty. An Instagram friendly coffee house will attract much Being an important part of the modern urban living,
book would be like. are still in operation. more customers, some of whom might even be not that coffee houses do more than just serving coffee. They
“...the book is less a guide book and more a portrait While most other coffee guide creators will have into coffee. From a business point of view, making a reveal a deeper bond between the city and its people.
of a coffee industry. The intent was to dig into a coffee a set of criteria when selecting coffee shops, Bex doesn’t. bigger effort in designing the cafe makes great sense Each city is different, each city’s specialty coffee scene
history that goes back to the 16th century, and profile She simply records coffee houses she has been to and nowadays. What’s more, calling the public to pay more is different, and the same coffee scene is different
some of the current businesses and operators that make likes, and instead of trying to sell them to her audience, attention on the appearance is also a positive move to through different people’s eyes.
London’s coffee scene what it is today.” she tries to tell stories of them. It is for this reason that aesthetic education. Each city’s coffee guide represents the creator’s
Her coffee guide will unfold not only the history reading her London coffee guide is like walking down Helen is an architect and designer living in Hong unique understanding of the city’s coffee scene, and this
of London coffee but also the backstage scenes of coffee the streets of London with your good neighbour, chat- Kong. She started her Instagram account, @f.o.v_, with understanding can influence the readers who come to
houses and their owners. ting about your shared interests, and planning the next a passion on desserts, soon after she fell in love with visit, during which they will bring some changes to the
When Xue decided to create an online account to coffee shop hunting trip together. coffee and started to review coffee houses as well. She city that eventually will show in its coffee culture.
promote the emerging Chinese specialty coffee culture also has an online blog on coffee, food, travel, and ar- Thanks to the many dedicated city coffee guide
in 2015, she also had a clear vision of the basic concept, The Angle of Aesthetics chitecture, and her blog is so well designed that it is a designers, the specialty coffee culture is still booming
which is reflected in the name of her coffee guidebook joy to look at. after nearly two decades. There are many more angles
series, Walking Coffee Map. She values the intercon- Though not exclusively third wave specialty coffee She also published a book, Hong Kong Coffee Guide, to design a city coffee guide than those listed above,
nection between coffee shops and the city, and she was related, the design of coffee houses has always been part with a focus on rather than solely coffee, but the over- and hopefully there will be more inspiring city coffee
determined to draw a coffee map of China. of the specialty coffee culture. The look and style of all experience created by the space of each coffee shop. guides in the coming future.

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