"Butter tea 'meets' coffee, like the smell of perfume in the air"

China News Service Lhasa, December 12 title: "Butter tea 'meets' coffee, like the smell of perfume in the air"

China News Service reporter Ran Wenjuan

"My mother and wife both love coffee. In our home, butter tea is as indispensable as air, and coffee is like perfume, and the smell of perfume wafts in the air. Speaking of his own daily dining habits, Basang Tsering, the head of a restaurant chain in Lhasa, made such a metaphor.

This weekend, the "Second Tibet Coffee Culture Festival Lhasa Station" is in full swing. A series of activities such as coffee grinding, roasting teaching, coffee pulling flowers, brewing competitions and so on bring together coffee practitioners and enthusiasts in Lhasa to exchange ideas in the aroma.

According to the data, the first café in Tibet, "Luocuo", appeared in Gyantse around the 1930s. Nowadays, coffee, a foreign tea, is getting closer and closer to the daily life of people in the snowy plateau. On the streets of Lhasa, all kinds of cafes can be found everywhere, and more and more young people regard drinking coffee as a daily choice for social and leisure.

"Coffee has a wide audience in Tibet, and everyone's consumption habits are slowly forming." Chu Liqun, president of the Tibet Autonomous Region Culinary, Catering and Restaurant Industry Association, said that since the first coffee culture festival was held last year, there have been nearly 100 newly opened coffee shops in Lhasa, and the industry's attention has increased. She said: "I hope that through the activities, I will create a tasting and consumption scene for coffee lovers in Tibet, and also create a better employment environment for practitioners." ”

Miao Weile, who is engaged in coffee training and store opening planning, expanded his business to Tibet in 2019. According to his observation, Lhasa's coffee market has undergone significant changes since july last year. "The decoration, equipment and coffee production of coffee shops are more bold and innovative, and the coffee quality of some stores can be comparable to that of first-tier cities." Many stores are also doing well. ”

The streets of Lhasa are lined with cafes that show the economic vitality and inclusive openness of the area. When coffee gradually opens the taste buds of people in the snowy plateau, it also opens up the collision and integration between different cultures. A cup of coffee is wafting with a rich Tibetan cultural "aroma".

"Coffee is the medium of our communication and dialogue with the world. I hope to show the Tibetan people's attitude towards ecology, environmental protection and all living things through coffee creation. In the eyes of Basang Tsering, coffee is not only a drink for people's entertainment, but also a carrier for spreading Tibetan culture.

He used his own products as an example, and when making coffee, he cleverly added barley, milk residue and other unique Tibetan raw materials. In addition to the tongue, it also highlights the humanistic temperament of coffee. "For example, in this coffee pulling flower show, we presented a group of animals that have disappeared from the earth, hoping to arouse people's attention to ecology."

"We advocate the combination of coffee and Tibetan culture. For example, in the latte latte flower competition of this cultural festival, the contestants used auspicious eight treasures, yaks and other patterns. Ingredients such as yak milk are also used to make coffee. Chu Liqun said.

"Coffee can have many variations, and Tibetan culture brings more inspiration to coffee creation." Miao Weile believes that in the future, there will be more coffee shops in Tibet, the quality of coffee will be better, and it will also achieve a deeper integration with local culture. (End)

Source: China News Network