Chinese consumers developing affinity for black coffee

Black coffee has joined the latte as a favorite form of coffee for Chinese consumers, indicating a more mature and diversified taste.

Nescafe, part of Nestle China, has seen double-digit growth in its black coffee products during the recent June 18 shopping festival according to sales data on major e-commerce platforms compared to that of last year.

Sherry Zhao, head of Brand Communication, Innovation and Renovation for Coffee at Nestle China, said the shift of tastes from lattes to black coffee has demonstrated the diversified and developing preferences in the coffee drinking community in China.

Nestle coffee, which has three distinct brands in the Chinese market -- Nescafe, Nespresso and Starbucks -- has used coffee beans grown in Yunnan province for years.

Its coffee farming unit in Yunnan, founded in 1992, has promoted the local coffee industry and supported 45,000 farmers.