When drinking coffee, should we recognize the brand?

When we buy a product, we always subconsciously choose some famous brands. Even if we have never used those brands' products, we can feel at ease to make our first purchase through various recommendations and existing good reviews. This phenomenon is no exception in the coffee industry. Try to recall, when you first wanted to try coffee, which brand did you drink?

Why do we choose branded coffee?

It has to be said that our coffee is dominated by brands. China's coffee market and its immature coffee culture have always been nurtured by large foreign brands. Nestle instant coffee, which entered China 30 years ago, still has a profound impact on Chinese people's understanding of coffee and even taste preferences.

20 years ago, the arrival of Starbucks gave Chinese people a new understanding of coffee and shaped the impression of coffee shops for most people. Once, in most people's minds, "coffee = Nestle", and then "coffee = Starbucks" took over. When we want to drink a cup of coffee, we subconsciously choose to open a Nestle 3-in-1, or go to Starbucks to queue up for a latte or Americano.

Whether it is Nestle or Starbucks, or even other coffee brands that have emerged as the coffee market continues to develop, we will not have any psychological burden when buying. In fact, by choosing a brand, we have handed over part of the right to choose to others, and at the same time saved the time and energy needed to get a cup of coffee that suits us. After all, not all coffee drinkers are baristas, and they do not need to know what kind of plant coffee is, where it is grown, what chemical changes occur during the processing process, and a series of knowledge from seeds to cups in order to have a cup of coffee.

On the other hand, choosing branded coffee is also a way to avoid risks. It doesn’t mean that branded coffee will taste good, but in many cases, Chinese people don’t even know how to be particular about the taste of coffee. With mechanized mass production and streamlined operation, branded coffee ensures the quality of coffee from all aspects and minimizes the negative impact of human operation, ultimately providing customers with a cup of coffee with a high cost-effectiveness. Therefore, with branded coffee, we can basically get a coffee experience that meets psychological expectations at an acceptable price.

How can we drink coffee without looking at the brand?

If we don’t choose a brand, will we have no coffee to drink?

Of course not. Although we are always surrounded by branded coffee, our own knowledge of coffee is constantly improving. We can no longer rely on brands, but go to find good boutique coffee shops on our own, and even brew coffee ourselves.

In this process, many coffee lovers have also developed a dislike for branded coffee. Some people believe that the bigger the brand or the coffee from the chain store, the less it can be considered coffee. They claim that the mass-produced drinks given the name of "coffee" from big brands do not have the flavor of "specialty coffee" that they pursue. To really drink coffee, you should go to a private coffee shop filled with specialty beans from various production areas that have a cupping score of 80 or above.

However, in reality, you cannot necessarily get a good cup of coffee by going to those private boutique coffee shops. Today, boutique coffee shops of all sizes are springing up in China, but the quality of these coffee shops varies. It is a blessing to meet a good one, but meeting a bad one will simply push your tolerance limit.

As mentioned above, branded coffee has strong strength and resources to maintain the quality of its products, so as to meet the tastes of most people. For ordinary private coffee shops, from raw beans, roasting to brewing, they will face a series of constraints such as the quality of the supply and equipment, the knowledge and technical level of the staff, etc. Finding a good boutique coffee shop is actually not an easy task.

Nowadays, we have more and more choices for drinking coffee. Even branded coffee is no longer just a compromise. There is nothing wrong with coffee branding. Providing more people with a cup of "moderate" coffee is actually more conducive to the development of this industry. Coffee has never been something that is admired by itself, but a popular drink that we love.

Finally, let me ask everyone, do you have a favorite coffee brand? Or do you dislike branded coffee?