Always searching for a new coffee experience in Shanghai, I saw a story about Sumerian Specialty Coffee and decided that we just had to go.  So, we set off walking and ended up on a familiar street, Shaanxi Bei Lu, where we go for the best bagel in Shanghai-Egghead Bagels.

Well, next door we had seen a coffee shop with dogs sleeping on the floor and never stopped in. Turns out, this was the café we had set out to find and didn’t know we had walked by it many times.  Filled with expats, both inside and outside, the drink we had come to try out was the “Nitro” special–a special coffee blend brewed under pressure of nitrogen and CO2.  Yep.  That’s what I said. I don’t think even in coffee-crazy Seattle that they have tried this one before but the U.S. does have all those crazy FDA rules and here anything goes.

Just like pulling a Guinness, it comes out cold,dark and smooth with a slight fizz on the tongue.  Unexpected and totally a new tasting sensation for me.  Combine that with hot cookies out of the oven from Strictly Cookies that they have partnered with and my favorite cookie in the whole wide world and I think founder David Seminsky has found a winning combo to keep us coffee junkies happy and coming back.  Fellow café patrons were enjoying the caffeine offerings plus wraps and bagel sandwiches–lots here to keep all the xpats well fed while they socialized.  The table next to us spilled over with Brits while there were some locals also enjoying the bright and airy place.  I loved the plants hanging on the wall in glass containers held onto the rustic boards with steel clamps-totally going to copy that idea for our apartment.  If anything, David needs to expand because there were no seats available and this wasn’t even a peak time.  If you’re ever in Shanghai, check it out and see if you have the courage to try the Nitro!