Coffee At The Beijing Language and Culture University

Let me guess, you love coffee, right? Wait, don't tell me, you drink at least six cups a day? What's that, you drink more than six cups a day? Wow, that is impressive. But hang on a second, you're going to to study Chinese at BLCU in Beijing. Surely people in China only drink tea? I mean, China is famous for its tea, right? So what are you going to do in a coffee-less country?


Coffee-less? Are you kidding me? Ha! This may come as a surprise to you, but a lot of Chinese people love coffee. In fact, by 2015 Starbucks plans to expand to 1,500 stores in China. That's a whole lot of expresso machines grinding and working away each day across the Chinese Mainland!

So, where am I going with this? Well, the point I'm trying to make is that you don't have to worry about giving up your coffee drinking habits! You can keep on chugging away at that sweet black nectar of the gods. In fact, you might even end up drinking more coffee once you get to BLCU than you did before! Why? Because it's pretty damn affordable considering it's mostly imported from South America and other coffee-growing countries.

I know what your next question's going to be: How much does a cup of coffee cost in Beijing or around the BLCU campus. Well, to be honest prices vary. It depends on whether you're going to a Starbucks (such as the one in Wudaokou or Liudaokou, both walking distance from the university) or just a cafe on the university campus.

When I studied Chinese at BLCU between 2010-2011, I paid something like 10 RMB for a coffee at LaVita Cafe (which is on campus). And it was damn good coffee, too. Then I also sometimes used to go buy a coffee and study at another cafe next to Dorm 2 (the scholarship dorm) which I think was called Friend Cafe, but my appalling memory has failed me again on this one (I'll try to update this if the name comes back to me!).

Anyway, at this Friend Cafe they serve Illy coffee which, if you don't know, is pretty expensive stuff. It's certainly one of the pricier coffees that you can buy in the supermarket (which is why I never do!). A cup at Friend Cafe will cost you around 8 RMB, if I remember correctly. Not too bad at all!

What about Starbucks? Well, at the Starbucks in China you can expect to pay roughly the same as you would back home (be that Europe, the US, Australia, or wherever you're from). However, the few times that I did buy coffee from here (usually at he Wudaokou or Liudaokou chains, as I've already mentioned), the Americanos were awesome. Very strong and full of punch. Getting a large one and sharing it between two people (as me and my girlfriend used to do) makes it pretty good value too, or at least a bit more affordable when you're on that Chinese budget that no doubt some of you students will be trying to stick to!

I don't really want to start cycling through all the different places around BLCU that you can buy a coffee from. Take my word, there are enough! Especially on the campus itself, but also off-campus. So you can let out that sigh of relief. China is not a coffee-less nation! Beijing is not a coffee-less city! In fact, I remember reading last year that Starbucks had signed deals with Chinese coffee-growers to produce for them. So, if anything, coffee is only going to get more popular in China.

Buying fresh ground coffee from supermarkets

Now, I know I've been talking about places you can go to drink a freshly brewed cup of ground coffee around the BLCU area, but what can you buy in the supermarkets in terms of bags of ground coffee, or even coffee beans? Here, again, I think you're going to be pleasantly surprised!

At the huge supermarket under the U-Centre in Wudaokou, just a five minute walk from the university campus, there is a pretty decent selection of imported coffee for a very reasonable price. I think me and my girlfriend used to buy a bag of French ground coffee for between 30-40 RMB. If that't not reasonable I don't know what is! French ground coffee in Beijing for that price? Not bad at all! I'll take two please.

However, after a while of buying our coffee there, we discovered an even better place. It's a lot further from campus, certainly not walking distance unless you're up for a real hike, but most definitely do-able on bikes or scooters. The place I'm talking about is none other than the Carrefour supermarket. They have a truly great selection at great prices. Of course, they stock the more expensive brands such as Illy and others, but there are also plenty of inexpensive options too.

How do you get there? Continue straight all the way through Wudaokou and keep going until you come to Peking University. Turn left and continue straight again. It's in that area. I know these directions are vague but at least it's a starting point and you can get more specifics from people who are already there and know the area. As I said, it's not really in walking distance. However, if you don't have bikes or scooters, there is a bus that can take you.

I do not remember the bus number, though it stops outside the BLCU South gate. Just take a left and it's the stop you come to after a minute or two. The destination you're looking for is the electronics district in Haidian (and again the Chinese name escapes me, so ask around and someone will be glad to point you in the right direction)! The fare is negligible, probably under 1 RMB.

So, these have been my thoughts on the coffee situation that you're going to find yourself in once you step off the plane in Beijing and take a taxi through to BLCU. Doubtless it won't be long before you're craving some of that sweet black nectar of the gods. But do not fear, your next fix is only a cafe away! Or supermarket, as the case may be.

One last thing...

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