China is not thought of as a coffee country, but Yunnan grows nearly all of the coffee produced domestically, on the hills of the south-west, and in recent years the domestic market for it has grown quickly. Coffee from Yunnan is now sold roasted and bagged across the country under regional names, and small roasters and cafes have appeared not only in Kunming but in the tourist towns, where a mild climate and a steady supply of visitors make the economics work.
Coffee in Lijiang
Lijiang's old town is a maze of stone lanes, canals and courtyard houses, and it fills with cafes of two kinds: small independent places roasting beans from Yunnan and Pu'er and serving them pour-over or as espresso, and larger courtyard establishments selling coffee alongside cakes, beer and live music to a tourist crowd. The independent end of the market is genuinely good - the beans are the same ones that exported Yunnan coffee is made from, and the roasting is often done on the premises - and a cup costs a fraction of the city price. The lanes are quiet in the morning, when the flower growers and the delivery carts are still moving through, and deafening in the evening.
Sitting still for an afternoon
The pleasure of Lijiang is not its sights, which are crowded, but its habit of sitting: courtyards with wooden benches, tea and coffee, a book, and the sound of water running through the channels that thread the town. The Naxi residents who built these houses brought water from the mountain through every street, so the whole old town is a continuous gradient of canals and small bridges, and the cafes use them - tables beside the water, willow trees overhead, geese and koi, and the mountain visible above the rooftops when the weather clears.
Practical notes
Lijiang is reached by train from Dali and Kunming and by air from several Chinese cities. Cafes open early and close late, and most take mobile payment; the best independent roasters are tucked away from the main tourist streets and are best found by wandering. If you want to buy beans, ask for the roast date, since Yunnan coffee is often sold far fresher here than it is exported. Winter days are sunny and cold and the courtyards are pleasant; summer is the rainy season, when an afternoon indoors with a book is no hardship.
