China's stressed and overworked youth skip the tea and reach for coffee

China has overtaken in the U.S. with the most branded coffee shops in the world as young people start drinking coffee to cope with a competitive job market and workplace.

BEIJING — For more and more people in China, coffee has become their cup of tea.

Last year, China overtook the United States as the country with the most branded coffee shops in the world, according to a report by World Coffee Portal. The number of outlets in China grew 58% in 2023 to almost 50,000, compared with about 40,000 in the U.S.

The Chinese coffee market used to be dominated by foreign brands such as Starbucks, Tim Hortons of Canada and Costa Coffee from Britain. But they face intensifying competition from Chinese coffee chains such as Luckin, Cotti and Manner, as well as local independent cafés in big cities like Beijing.

For coffee drinkers, that means more choice than ever, whether it’s a plain Americano or a latte infused with pork flavors or Chinese liquor.

Though tea remains foundational to Chinese culture, some young, middle-class consumers are finding coffee’s caffeine kick to be more suited to the pressures of a competitive job market and workplace.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/china-stressed-overworked-youth-coffee-market-surge-rcna144402

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