The Swedes Come Through

Next stop on the coffee search: Ciao Coffee Bar on Wangfujing.

I broke down and stocked up on canned coffee last week. It's crap stuff and not worth reviewing here. So when I spotted Ciao in the lower level of the Oriental Plaza Mall, I felt that I deserved splurging on what I hoped to be good coffee. A large cup, which is roughly the size of a Starbucks' tall (smallest size), costs twice as much as a small bowl of soup noodles at a fast food joint. It better be good!

Sipping their "favored in the South of Sweden" Skane Exclusive, I finally felt that lovely rush of caffeine. Sweetened with just a touch of sugar, this dark roast hit the spot. Oh my, oh my, real coffee tastes so good after a week of hotel coffee and whatever that stuff was that came out of a can.


You bet I savored my first cup of damngood coffee in this city. I sipped slowly out of that paper cup for an hour while reading and watching people browse the shops around me. Draining my cup, I skipped outside into the freezing sunny weather satisfied and properly caffeinated.