Rumors Coffee Roasters

Rumors Coffee Roasters opened on Hunan Lu in 2011, started by a Sino Japanese couple who built the shop around Japanese kissaten style hospitality rather than the espresso bar format common elsewhere in the city. The larger Xingguo Road branch that followed keeps that same philosophy: pour over only, made to order through a V60, poured by eye rather than by timer, and tasted by the barista before it reaches the table.

The bean list runs to about twenty single origins at any time, roasted on site in a cramped loft space reached by ladder above the kitchen, with unusual entries from Australia, Hawaii, and Yemen alongside more familiar African and Central American lots. Full table service and endless warm water refills make it easy to sit for an hour over a single cup, in a room lit by a full width skylight and tall street facing windows.