Compared with UNiUNi and Fish Tank Coffee, ART Cafe is a bit obscure, but it is a unique existence in Nanjing. This shop is a private coffee nature, you need to call in advance before going, so as not to be empty. The owner, Zhu Yingjun, does not take the usual path, customers need to taste coffee under his guidance, and often break up and reorganize the guests' views on coffee, which has also won the recognition and recommendation of many coffee lovers.
Only coffee is served, and there are no snacks or other drinks to choose from. The coffee beans are available from the estate and are roasted in-store. From grinding beans to brewing, they are all taken care of by the manager Zhu Yingjun. The brewing process of this shop has changed from the factory process mode, and the characteristics of the store are highlighted by the slow cooking and slow boiling. The beans are passed through the grinder twice to achieve a very fine grind, and then the oxidation of the coffee powder is accelerated by an electric hair dryer. The old iron kettle holds distilled water, boils it over a charcoal fire, and brews it while it is boiling. After brewing, the coffee is filtered a second time to avoid leaving residues that can affect the taste. Although there is not much difference in taste between ordinary boiling water and charcoal-fired distilled water, in terms of the brewing process, it adds to the customer's experience.
At ART Cafe, the way of drinking coffee is also different from other stores, and drinking coffee becomes the process of tasting coffee. Whether you are a coffee gourmet or a coffee novice who knows nothing, you will feel the different flavors of coffee under the guidance of the barista and learn about coffee. Coffee is drunk in several stages, each with only three or four sips, and the whole journey takes about half an hour. Therefore, it is not recommended for customers who are in a hurry. The barista informs the customer in advance of what the coffee will be flavored and keeps shaking the cup to lower the temperature of the coffee. Through the change from medium temperature to low temperature, the coffee has a clear sense of layering, from sour in the mouth, to sweet and mellow taste, or fresh and lively, or clean and supple, or bright and light, but the same cup of coffee has different flavors. No matter how deep or light the beans are, baristas can make the coffee bright, clean and refreshing. Even the deep-baked double espresso, which is easy to make mistakes, has lost its own burnt and bitterness.
ART Cafe is a studio in the building and is located on the 20th floor of the office building of New World Center. There is a "Someone in the House" plaque hanging outside the door, and the door inside the house is facing the floor-to-ceiling windows. The window faces north, and the Purple Mountain, Xuanwu Lake, and Arctic Pavilion are in full view, and the scenery is excellent. Due to the cumbersome steps and the fact that only one person takes care of it, the store only receives more than 10 customers a day. The coffee here is delicious, but because many first-time customers can't get used to the barista's stubbornness in the customer's tasting steps, there are very few customers, and the main business is regular customers, which makes the shop gradually become niche.
