Is it the last day of a 6-day week? How did your son do on his last exam? Where are you going on holiday?
These are each just a sample of that you might overhear drinking a cup of coffee in Human Coffee, with the classic group of mums getting the lowdown on each-others’ children’s lives. As the name says, it’s very human.
Months ago, when I first arrived in Nanjing I would always think, how nice it would be to have a coffee in a coffee shop where I felt comfortable and welcomed in my neighbourhood. I live in Gulou, which is by no means short in supply of hip, fancy and conceptual coffee shops, but I was finding myself with a need to find a simple welcoming coffee without all the flairs that sometimes accompany a cup of ¥50 coffee in China.
So, when I was exploring my local area I happened upon, that which to this day is still my favourite cafe in Nanjing.
Human Coffee is a small alleyway coffee shop close to Nanjing University just off Shanghai Lu. It is a quirky but quite small place, with comfortable chairs, calming low lighting and a relaxed feeling which sets the scene for a chilled-out coffee during the day and for deep conversations over a beer at night. With the average coffee priced at ¥22 there is no need to worry about breaking the bank here. Y
et, it also must be said that the environment in this coffee shop by far trumps the coffee itself, so if you are a connoisseur, this place may not be the next place to grab an award-winning cup. Although, they do make a strong Americano for those times where your work needs that extra fuel. They also offer a wide selection of other beverages; coffee with syrups, teas, smoothies, infusions and more, as a regular visitor since arriving in Nanjing I would recommend their green tea latte, it’s delicious!
Human Coffee lives a double life, at night changing into a bar under the name of Craft Beer, profiting by jumping on the recent trend of selling imported beers. They offer a wide range of foreign imported beers from across the world, at a competitive price compared to many other bars in the area, with a classy rustic ambiance to suit.
Human Coffee is located at 20-1 Nanxiu Cun (off Shanghai Lu). Tel 186 0250 3067.
