Starbucks

Thank goodness they’re here

China does not have a “coffee culture.” Your hotel is incapable of brewing a good cup. That’s OK if you’re in the main cities, as salvation is within walking distance.

It’s the same products, with the same names. If you want a decaf venti mocha latte, order “decaf venti mocha latte.” And it’s good - even better for having gone without for several days...

Same comfy chairs, wi-fi, and napkins. Same tasty yet expensive sandwiches and baked goods. (You’ll pay as much for a latte, Frappucino, or brownie as you do in the States... which you can read as an indication of how the middle class in China is growing.) The brochures and comment cards look the same but are in Chinese, which is neat. The little packets of sweetener are in Chinese, but you’ll know what is what at a glance.

The most important thing about Starbucks in China, however, isn’t the coffee, or the food, or the wireless. It’s the air conditioning. It works, and that’s reason enough to give them some business.

Bonus: each city’s locations sell mugs and travel tumblers with artwork specific to that metro area. Among your fellow China travelers, having Starbucks mugs from several cities increases your “street cred.”

Starbucks

Shamian Island, Guangzhou

We now have scans from a recently issued beverage ordering guide. See how they describe your familiar favorites, and how to order!

And speaking of comment cards, here are its scans. Note how Chinese addresses are formatted on this postage-paid reply form!

The location information for this Guangzhou-division brochure is already hopelessly out of date, so just click on it to link to the Starbucks.cn store finder...

‣weninchinainfo@mac.com

‣Breakfast Buffet
‣Around Shamian Island