ALT COFFEE is from the same school as the Ashida family, but the popularity of ALT in Shanghai is far less than that of the Ashida family. Most people are familiar with the Ashida family's Matsuya hand brew, but they don't know that Shanghai's originator Matsuya coffee is from ALT COFFEE. ALT COFFEE opened in 2004, the full name of ALT COFFEE is "Altneuland Coffee", which is taken from the German meaning of "new" and "old", meaning that this café gives people the atmosphere of old Shanghai and serves new era coffee.
ALT COFFEE only offers matsuya style pour-overs, no Italian style, and no desserts. The baristas at ALT COFFEE have been learning Matsuya-style pour-over coffee in Japan for many years and have obtained a license to operate Matsuya-style pour-over coffee. Matsuya style hand pouring is one of the three major schools of Japanese hand brewing, which is different from other hand brewing methods in that it needs to be covered and steamed, and the function of smoldering is to release carbon dioxide in coffee, so that the coffee powder absorbs water evenly, so that the subsequent coffee extraction is uniform. After extraction, the coffee liquid needs to be added with a 1:1 ratio of water, which is the official completion of a cup of Matsuya style hand pour-over.
ALT's coffee beans are sourced from Japanese traders, and the resulting beans are of high quality and low defect rate. There are nearly 30 kinds of single coffee beans in the store, and there are also self-blended products, and there are about 15 kinds of blended products. The taste that can only be drunk in ALT is naturally a blend coffee with its own brand, and the Anonlan coffee named after the store is the signature blend here, which is made of four kinds of coffee beans according to a certain proportion and different roasting degrees, and the bitterness, aroma, and sweetness of this coffee are more prominent, the sourness is low, the taste is moderate, and the audience is wider. The coffee beans in the ALT store are self-roasted, and the freshness of the roast is maintained at the best flavor time. All pour-over coffees here are priced at a flat price of 40 RMB, whether you order the signature Aynlan or Kenyan AA, or the top-of-the-line Colombian SP. Each cup is served with a glass of water and two biscuits, which can be used as a gargle or into a cup with a small amount of coffee left at the end for another coffee experience.
ALT COFFEE is also a well-known roaster in the local area, providing home-roasted coffee beans to many cafes, restaurants, bookstores, beauty salons, hair salons, etc. in Shanghai and Suzhou. The store manager has been holding coffee classes in the store for a long time, mainly introducing Matsuya-style hand-brewing and coffee tasting. Regulars like to sit on the bench on the first floor and listen to the barista's Matsuya-style pour-over while listening to the barista's anecdotes about coffee. On the table, test tubes and Erlenmeyer flasks display coffee beans of different varieties and roasting degrees, and there are also coffee beans that have failed to roast in the array, which is comparable to a coffee laboratory.
ALT COFFEE is located at No. 30 Wusong Road, and the store has no signboard, so it is easy to miss it for the first time. Please also note that ALT COFFEE is not open every day, and the store is closed every Monday, so please be careful to avoid the store holidays when visiting.
*Encyclopedia of knowledge
What are the general brewing methods of specialty coffee?
Common specialty coffee brewing methods in cafes include hand pour-over, siphon, aero press, and ice drop.
Regarded by the industry as the most professional and ceremonial brewing method, it has strict requirements for every detail of the coffee, and the hand pour often reflects the barista's skill level.
Siphon is a retro brewing method that many cafes use as a stylish decoration.
The AeroPress is a kind of instrument used for brewing coffee by hand, the principle and shape are similar to those of a syringe, and the operation is very convenient and simple. A professional-level barista adjusts the flavor of the coffee by varying the thickness of the coffee grind and the speed at which it is pressed.
Ice drops take the longest time and are extracted by slowly dripping water melted from ice cubes onto ground coffee, and the coffee comes into contact with the air in the process, resulting in a unique flavor of coffee.
