Tea king Pu'er now becoming famous for coffee

KUNMING — At a coffee shop in Pu'er, Yunnan province, barista Zi Mengjun makes a point of enthusiastically introducing the cafe's signature drink, "Cold-brew Coffee with Tea Aroma", to each customer.

To create this magical beverage, which blends the flavors of tea and coffee, Zi starts by washing locally grown Pu'er tea leaves, brewing them in water and then pouring the boiled tea over cold-brew coffee.

A delightful mixed fragrance soon fills the air, tempting both tea drinkers and coffee lovers to take a sip.

"It has a unique taste," Zi said with a sense of pride.

Renowned for the tea variety named after it, picturesque Pu'er has long been closely associated with China's tea culture.

Official data shows that last year, the city's tea planting area totaled 139,333 hectares, which produced over 140,000 metric tons of tea leaves and recorded a comprehensive output value exceeding 39.2 billion yuan ($5.49 billion).

The idyllic environment of Pu'er has also proved to be perfect for growing coffee beans, a booming industry in China thanks to the evergrowing demands of local coffee drinkers.

According to official statistics, Yunnan is China's largest coffee-producing area.

In fact, the province is responsible for nearly all of the nation's coffee bean production.

Last year, the coffee planting area in Pu'er covered more than 45,000 hectares, and the output value of the coffee industry exceeded 5 billion yuan.

Manya Coffee is one of the local brands in Pu'er that is riding the wave of both the city's rich tea culture and booming coffee industry. Through a combination of locally grown coffee beans with Pu'er tea, the company has created a series of drinks that blend the two flavors.

Last year the company's annual revenue reached 46 million yuan, with 16 brick-and-mortar stores opened both in and outside of Pu'er, according to Zhang Rui, assistant to the chairperson of Manya Coffee.

"Centuries ago, merchants on horses shipped Pu'er tea to other parts of the world through the ancient Tea Horse Road. Likewise, our objective today is to deliver our own flavor to more areas globally," Zhang said.