In
recent past, on every highway in Tamilnadu, original Kumbakonam filter coffee shops have
mushroomed. In South Indian culture, the visitor to a House is welcomed and
offered a tumbler of coffee. It is an energizer, many have the habit of
taking a cup of coffee immediately after consuming their food, especially
tiffin items. It is common to see people walking to restaurants / hotels
and orderonly a cup of coffee. For
most Indians, especially South Indians, the day begins with a coffee in the
morning and perhaps at least two more during the day. At home, it
is not simply Coffee, but Filter coffee – made from decoction dripping down
from coffee powder made of dark roasted coffee beans, chicory – the
hot water percolates through the thick powder solely by gravity and not under
pressure. To this decoction, is added milk, enough not to change the
colour and aura. The fresh coffee beverage literally wakes you up and
makes you open to the day’s realities.
Coffee
berries, which contain the coffee seeds, are produced by several species of a
small evergreen bush of the genus Coffea. The two most commonly grown are also
the most highly regarded Coffeaarabica, and the "robusta" form of the
hardier Coffeacanephora. One Coffee advertisement used to ask – how much
you know about the person whom you love most….. similarly can you instantly
list out at least 5 persons whom you love or list out 5 things your city is
famous for….In good olden days, whenever people used to
travel they used to travel with coffee contained in ‘kooja’ [a special coffee
pot] and then with flask-load(s) of coffee… be it a traveller, or somebody
making it at home – concocting coffee without spilling … spillage and perhaps
liability is altogether a different issue, interesting one at that.
All
that is territorial ~ as one travel to North, in those parts of India, it is
more of ‘chai’ than Coffee .. .. .. so what do you think, people of China drink
! – here is something interesting found in BBC.
In 2005, Richard Chien opened a coffee shop in
northeastern China, where an assembly line of novice baristas dished out 900
cups a day for 6 yuan – or less than a $1 – a pop. A decade later, he runs a
classy coffee school in Beijing, where trainees spend hours contemplating bean
aromas and tasting techniques for $6 brews. Chinese coffee consumption has
nearly tripled in the past four years !!
Coffee is elbowing its way into tea culture in
China, with the potential to transform one of the world’s smallest markets into
its largest. The Chinese drink less than 2% of the world’s coffee, but already
they’re reshaping the industry. The country’s “economics have changed; people
more and more understand a different living style,” said Chien. “It’s no longer
just about tea.”Chinese coffee consumption has nearly tripled in the past four
years, according to the United States Department of Agriculture, faster than
any other major market the agency tracks. And that potential market is vast:
China’s population nears 1.4 billion.
Starbucks is so confident it plans to open its
first international roastery and tasting room next year in Shanghai, and
believes the country could become its top market. The Seattle company, which
already operates more than 2,000 stores in China, plans to add 500 shops
annually for the next five years. Dunkin’ Donuts – another US chain known for
its coffee – last year announced plans to add more than 1,400 locations over
the next two decades, an increase of nearly 100-fold.Much of China’s younger
generation is coming of age surrounded by Starbucks.
Java’s rise exemplifies China’s swing toward a
consumer-driven economy, fuelled largely by changing desires of an expanding
middle class. More Chinese are travelling abroad and have sipped espressos in
Japan or finished term papers at US cafes. And unlike their parents, much of
China’s younger generation is coming of age surrounded by coffee shops. The
beverage still feels like an indulgence to many Chinese, he said, but it’s an
accessible luxury.
Coffee is an outlier in China’s cooling economy,
where demand for other commodities is declining. The country’s massive
population and a largely untapped market present unprecedented opportunity.An
average mainland Chinese person drinks about three cups of coffee a year, which
puts China near the bottom of the pile, just above countries like Sudan and
North Korea. By contrast, the US gulps 363 cups per person and the UK ingests
250 cups a year, according to research firm Euromonitor International.China’s
thirst for coffee will “totally change supply chains globally,” said Shaun
Rein, managing director of Shanghai-based China Market Research Group. Growers
will need to determine how to produce more coffee beans in response, he said,
with flavours geared toward Chinese tastebuds. “This has happened in the past,
where demand outpaces supply so the price of coffee beans skyrockets until
farmers are able to plant more.”“I wouldn't be surprised if one day we have
more stores in China than we do in the US,” Starbucks CEO Howard Schultztold
CNBC in May. Shanghai alone has about 1,000 stores, making it one of the
world’s largest concentrations of Starbucks outlets.
Cafes with wi-fi and air-conditioning, where
friends can gossip and entrepreneurs can hold meetings, are still more of a
draw than what’s behind the counter. Nestle – maker of Nescafé instant coffee –
dominates the market, and many Chinese who do drink coffee opt for instant
packets that sell for less than a dollar in cramped corner stores. Coffee shops
rarely open before 9am, and see much of their traffic later in the day. Even
then, green tea lattes and frothy milk drinks proliferate.
Both taste and cost pose threats to China’s
developing coffee market, particularly outside affluent urban areas.
Makes an interesting read !
With regards – S. Sampathkumar
1st July 2016.
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