China is Starbucks’ Last Frontier

Take a stroll down Fuhua 3rd Road in Shenzhen, China. Trucks, cars, mopeds and bikes weave in and out, while pedestrians sporting face masks and umbrellas attempt to avoid collision. On your right, an empty Starbucks sells coffee to nobody. Directly across the street another Starbucks remains empty, despite both cafes being open. If you continue walking you will soon find yourself at yet another Starbucks cafe. It seems illogical — why would there ever be a need for more than one?

I pull up a seat facing the window and order a cappuccino. It’s only 8:30 AM but already 90 degrees outside; perhaps an iced coffee would have been more suiting. In America this Starbucks would have a line out the door, especially during the morning rush, but there is a critical reason why this one is empty.

China is not a coffee-drinking culture, yet.

As you may know, China has an infamous affinity to tea. A proud point for nearly all Chinese people, tea is consumed with nearly every meal. Business meetings, from the small Bluetooth speakers you purchased at an electronics market to the Boeing 777 Air China just leased, are conducted over tea.

In the rare event coffee is consumed, careful precautions are taken to mask the taste. Cream, sugar and syrup are used generously — to the point where the taste…