[Shenzhen] Nantou Ancient City 南头古城 was one area I wanted to spend more time exploring on this Shenzhen trip.
There is something quite interesting about walking through the older lanes here, where residential blocks and historic structures now sit alongside cafes, small bars, galleries and independent shops.
Nantou has a history stretching back almost 1,700 years, though I liked that you can still turn into a quieter lane, see residents going about their day, then suddenly come across a coffee shop or creative space around the corner.
One of the cafes I wanted to check out here was GIF COFFEE 集福咖啡, a home-grown Shenzhen specialty coffee brand along Zhongshan West Street.
The brand was founded by Wang Guifeng 王贵峰, better known as Stephen, who opened his first cafe in Shenzhen in 2018 before going on to win the 2022 China Barista Championship.
He had already placed second nationally in 2020 and third in 2021, so there is some serious coffee pedigree behind the rather casual-looking cafe.
The Nantou outlet itself is fairly compact, with warm orange-brown wood, stainless-steel counters and most of the attention centred on the coffee bar.
There is also a sizeable rotating filter selection from Panama, Colombia, Ethiopia and Kenya, including some more premium lots if you want to spend a little more on the hand drips.
For the espresso-based drinks, choices include Long Black (¥24), Coffee Latte (¥30), Caramel Latte (¥34), Flat White (¥24), Dirty Plus (¥38) and Guava Plus 拔仔 (¥42).
The Dirty, Guava Plus and hand drip coffees are among the more popular orders on Dianping.
I was especially curious about the Guava Plus 拔仔 (¥42), because guava, ginger and coffee sounded like a combination I had never really thought of putting together.
There is southern ginger powder around the rim, with guava adding a tropical fruitiness to the coffee underneath.
It sounds slightly odd at first, though the sweet-savoury combination somehow works and makes this much more memorable than another flavoured latte.
For something sweet, the Sea Salt Jasmine Chiffon 海盐茉莉戚风 (¥38) came generously covered with cream and crisp flakes.
The chiffon was soft and moist, while the jasmine added a gentle floral fragrance and the salted cream kept the sweetness from becoming too much.
GIF COFFEE 集福咖啡 makes a good coffee stop while exploring Nantou Ancient City, especially if you want something a little more interesting than the usual mall cafe experience in Shenzhen.
GIF COFFEE 集福咖啡
9 Zhongshan West Street, Nantou Ancient City, Nanshan District, Shenzhen
深圳市南山区南头古城中山西街9号
Opening Hours: 10am – 7pm (Mon – Sun)
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