(smartshanghai.com)
Updated: 2008-03-27 11:23

Milano

Situated in deepest, darkest Pudong, Milano Fine Italian Food isn't the easiest coffee shop to find for most Shanghai expats. But if you're (un)lucky enough to live across the river, are heading back from the Maglev, or decide to spend a spring day in Century Park, it is one of the few places in the city to pick up some real Italian coffee. The shop stocks coffee by Giovanni Erbisti, an independent coffee roaster rarely found in Europe, let alone China. And it doesn't end with Italy -- the shop also stocks Haitian coffee and a cherry roast produced in Southern India. The coffee is almost strangely complex when you drink it straight after trying less interesting roasts, but absolutely delicious. Prices aren't too shocking either with 250g bags available for either 78rmb (cherry roast) or 99rmb (Giovanni Erbisti or Haiti Komet) it's no more expensive than Starbucks and is genuinely good coffee. Plus, the gourmet shop is accompanied by a café and restaurant -- a good place to rest your legs after the hike across town.

Starbucks

Like its stores in the US and the UK, Starbucks sells packs of its own ground coffee to take away, and so is one of the easiest places in Shanghai to find it. But while nipping into one of Starbucks' 84 Shanghai stores couldn't really be easier, as with everything Starbucks you will pay for such accessibility (and not necessarily the quality of the product.) They sell their House Blend at 85rmb, and others at prices ranging between 85 and 95rmb. The coffee is remarkably similar to normal Starbucks coffee except that you can choose the strength. To be fair on Starbucks, it is one of the very few places in Shanghai where you can get decaf ground coffee -- although most people who are going to look this hard for coffee may at least want a caffeine hit. Plus they do grind the beans in front of you so you know it's fresh, and it makes your handbag smell nice.

Online

If you don't see the point in paying for caffeine only to plough through it trying to find a shop to re-stock, there are a few online options from which to purchase fresh coffee in Shanghai via the Internet.

www.fresh724.com

This website offers Yunnan coffee delivered to your house or workplace. The coffee is good; quite sweet but aromatic and a lot more interesting than the more widely-available branded coffees. As there are no import charges it's reasonably priced and the delivery charges (free to French Concession and Jingan, 10rmb to other areas in Puxi and 20rmb to Pudong) are not too bad either. There is also no minimum order, so it's not aimed exclusively at businesses or caffeine addicts.

www.arabicaroasters.com

This is the website equivalent of one of those shops where you are greeted when you enter and the assistant asks you every five minutes if there is anything she can help you with. A website for ardent coffee lovers, you have to make an account before you can order and there is a minimum of 200rmb per order. Saying that, they sell every gadget a coffee fan could ever want and an excellent range of coffee (including organic and fair trade varieties which are almost impossible to find elsewhere in Shanghai) and the website is very beautiful.

Editor's Note: We're going with the Yunnan coffee from the fresh724.com website. Its cheap, they deliver, and "we get this coffee imported renowned coffee artisans in Yunnan province" sounds impressive when you offer it to guests.

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