First Glance: Coffee Holic, Chaowai Soho

First Glance: Coffee Holic, Chaowai Soho

Jessie Bryson | Aug 27, 2015 9:00 am | Add a comment | 3039 reads

Collins English Dictionary describes the suffix -holic as “indicating a person having an abnormal desire for or dependence on” (examples given: workaholic, chocoholic). So while the word coffeeholic isn’t in our everyday vernacular just yet, it may be soon, thanks to the newest addition to Beijing’s growing list of java-centric venues: Coffee Holic.

This new boxcar-sized shop located in Chaowai Soho is, as the name suggests, a carefully curated and quietly obsessive coffee haven. As I sit down on my first visit, I note the science lab-worthy display of coffee equipment – chemex pots, cold brew drips, mugs and cups of every shape and size, a top-of-the-line espresso machine, and (as I later learn) an award-winning grinder from Germany that is bigger than most of my own household appliances. If none of that equipment made much sense to you, well, it’s probably because you are not a coffeeholic – not yet, at least.

From the menu I settle on a filter coffee, priced at RMB 45/50/60. Prices delineate not between size of cup but instead between good, better, and best of coffee beans in your brew. Factors include origin, roast, and grade. With my preference for a dark earthy roast the barista, Annie, nudges me towards selecting an Indonesian Sumatra bean for my drip coffee. And priced at the lower end at RMB 45, I don’t argue with that.

Next I am forced to meet my maker. Literally. I must choose which device will be used to make my cup of black magic, cementing myself deeper into a coffeeholic state. I am most attracted, naturally, to the shiny, glowing, stadium light bulb-looking directly thing in front of me. I feel like a giant moth. It turns out I picked the siphon coffee pot, and as I watch Annie make my cup of brew she casually drops coffee facts at me. Did you know the beans are roasted in China? Did you know that the water a barista uses severely affects the flavor, thus quality, of coffee? Did you know there is a world championship of coffee?

With the selection process, my short discussion about coffee with Annie, and the time it took for my slow drip coffee, my time spent at Coffee Holic was a far cry from my usual morning grab-and-go. But rest assured the cafe offers options for those on the run. Menu options include Cold Brew (also RMB 45/50/60), espresso beverages and flavored drinks (RMB 19-32), milk teas (RMB 30), and even a few cake selections (RMB 20-24). Wi-Fi is available, and outlets are located next to each of the few seating arrangements for those with laptop in tow. Who knows, if you spend enough time here, you might come out declaring yourself as a bona-fide coffeeholic.