Futuristic, Refreshingly Cold Coffees Served Up at 17 Café in the CBD

If you’re craving more than a standard cup of joe, then the far more creative cupfuls at 17 Café should do the trick.

The Central Park café’s summery options include a foamy nitro cold brew (RMB 58) that is infused with nitrogen. Yes, that sounds straight out of science fiction, but don’t worry – it has a foamy yet hearty consistency that’ll remind you of a stout from your favorite craft beer joint, though it leaves you feeling fully caffeinated instead of inebriated. Owner Jeffrey Lau says, "Think of it as the whipped cream. The capsule emulsifies (i.e. a mixture of multiple liquids) the grease in the cold brew and it foams up." It's made with naturally processed Ethiopian beans that are strong and rich, leaving you peppy at first sip.

The menu says this nitro cold brew has twists of lemon, likely meant to offset its bitter flavor and hearty consistency. That citrusy element was evident when we gulped it down, though the hedging was hardly necessary for the invigorating deep and dark brew.

If that doesn’t sound tempting, try the Americano with homemade orange syrup. Yes, its citrusy aroma and fruity, syrupy sweet aftertaste make it an upbeat alternative to the more intense nitro brew.

There’s also a few non-caffeinated options that’ll provide quick relief on even the muggiest of August days. Their RMB 42 glasses of olive tonic spritz very much live up to their name, the olive extract and bubbly tonic water balanced with a touch of candied shredded ginger for a sweet finish. A straight-up sugary alternative can be found in the bubbly sakura. Also RMB 42, the fruity pink drink is loaded with marinated cherry blossoms and syrup.

Above all, we liked the pickled plum fizz (also RMB 42). It featured pickled plum puree, soda water, and perilla leaves, the latter being a common garnish throughout Asia and a Chinese medicine mainstay that you might know better as shiso or Japanese basil. With its sour and salty flavors, along with the hint of an exotic aroma from the Perilla, this menu item stood out for its originality and complexity. 

Considering the modern chicness of the drinks, 17 Café’s atmosphere is decidedly (and surprisingly) old-fashioned and homey. Plenty wood grain surfaces, paintings of cutesy animals, numerous pots overflowing with flowers, a rickety ladder propped up in the corner and all give the place a look akin to that of an antiques shop or a small-town home décor store. We thought the clean, minimalist atmosphere of other Beijing café’s like Analogue, The Corner, or Big Small might jive better with 17’s new-agey java than the natural-looking, lived-in style. That's not a bad thing necessarily, though it did surprise us and challenge our preconceived notions. However, its grandmotherly décor does snugly suit its strong selection of desserts, like passion fruit cupcakes (RMB 32), slices of brown sugar walnut pie, pieces of red velvet cake and cheese tarts (all three priced at RMB 36).

The café’s biggest draw, however, is its curiously creative drinks. Their fizziness will tickle every corner of your palate and, thanks to their icy temperatures and the generous amount of caffeine in their coffees, also amount to a major pick-me-up that’ll thoroughly cool you down.

17 Café
Daily, 8.30am-9.30pm. 101B, Bldg 1, 6 Xincheng Guoji, Chaoyangmen Waidajie (in Central Park, around the corner from LMPlus) (186 0014 9523)
朝阳门外大街6号院新城国际1号楼101B

Photos: Kyle Mullin, Dianping