Two Tales of Coffee: From Milano’s Rituals to Shanghai’s Innovation

Milan was my first stop in Europe, which left me with a lasting impression that a typical European day starts with a freshly brewed cup of coffee in the morning.

I stayed in a charming attic loft in a lively neighborhood near Centrale. This community is brimming with small bistros, bakeries, and a fresh market where you can experience authentic local life. Across the street from the loft was a local bakery offering a cup of espresso or Americano for around €1.5 to €2, along with a large slice of freshly baked focaccia. Before I came to Milano, I often boasted that Shanghai had the most coffee shops in the world, nearly 8,000 at its peak, and claimed that I was a true coffee aficionado.

However, on my very first day in Milan, I learned a humbling truth: Milano is the “grandfather” of modern coffee culture, steeped in heritage, tradition, and craftsmanship, while Shanghai is still a teenager, brimming with energy and innovation. Here, I summarize some observations from Milano and found some interesting comparisons with Shanghai.

Photo by author, shot in Milano

1.     In Milano, coffee is the air of life; in Shanghai, it’s a lifestyle choice.

In Milan, I often drank coffee as if it were water, strolling through the city’s historic streets just like the locals do. Everywhere I went, people were drinking coffee. It felt like an inseparable part of daily life. Coffee here is wonderfully approachable, priced like a “cabbage” (as we say in Chinese to mean something cheap), usually within three euros a cup, and almost always of high quality. In contrast, in Shanghai, coffee remains relatively expensive compared to most drinks, such as tea, even though some modern Chinese tea brands now charge prices comparable to those of coffee.

Unlike me, the Milanese prefer to drink their coffee standing. They sip quickly while chatting with others before hurrying off to something else important. In Milano, coffee is a fast and bustling everyday ritual that connects people from all walks of life. In Shanghai, it’s slower—something to sit with and savor, more of a deliberate lifestyle choice.

Photo by author, shot in Milano

2.     In Milano, coffee embodies oldness, rooted in tradition, heritage, and a particular philosophy of living; while in Shanghai, it stands for newness, ever open to experimentation and reinvention.

I had an unforgettable coffee experience at a premium café, Lavazza’s flagship near Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II. My latte macchiato was beautifully crafted by a skilled barista, crowned with a delicate leaf pattern on the foam and accompanied by a small piece of chocolate, a familiar gesture I often encounter in Shanghai too.

But then came the surprise that caught me off guard: a small cup of sparkling water and a few savory crisps on the side. Served in what looked like a shot glass, the sparkling water puzzled me at first. I didn’t even dare to touch it. Only after being told it wasn’t alcohol but simply sparkling water did I realize it was part of Milan’s refined coffee ritual, a gesture meant to cleanse the palate, balance flavors, and elevate an ordinary cup into a sensory experience. The savory crisps, too, revealed a touch of Milanese sophistication, a continuation of light social culture, and an embodiment of artisanal, detail-oriented coffee service.

Photo by author, shot in Milano

This experience refreshed my understanding of modern coffee culture. In Milan, coffee pays homage to heritage and tradition, serving as an integral part of the city’s gastronomic experience. It’s about order, rules, balance, and harmony, a quiet ritual of respect and refinement.

In Shanghai, by contrast, coffee culture is a kind of creative chaos. Coffee is constantly reinvented, infused with seasonal flavors, blended with local tastes, and open to endless experimentation. In summer, cafés might tempt you with an iced sour plum sparkling Americano; by autumn, the flavor shifts to osmanthus-infused brews. Coffee in Shanghai can be anything, a playground for innovation, unbound by tradition or rules. Unlike Milan, where coffee is defined by heritage, Shanghai’s coffee is new, fluid, restless, and full of infinite possibilities.

3.     In Milano, coffee is the art of living; in Shanghai, it is more often a business.

As a self-proclaimed coffee aficionado, I have to admit that in Milan, coffee feels more authentic, while in Shanghai, it has become more of a flavored beverage. The Milanese treat their cup of coffee as a part of life; every detail reflects their attitude toward living: authenticity, discernment, and sophistication.

In Shanghai, by contrast, as the leading coffee market in China, coffee is increasingly driven by business rather than ritual. The landscape has been reshaped by aggressive mass-market chains, led by Luckin Coffee. In Milan, I came to realize a simple truth: Luckin isn’t really selling coffee, but coffee-flavored drinks within a highly digitalized ecosystem. More precisely, Luckin is a technology company rather than a coffee company, one that uses algorithms, data, and digital convenience to deliver millions of cups of “fast coffee.”

In a market where coffee culture is still young and diverse, such a model thrives. But in Milan, where coffee borders on an obsession, immersed in heritage, precision, and pride, such an approach would never take root.

Two cities, two tales, told through a cup of coffee, different in spirit, yet equally fascinating in how they reflect life, business, tradition, and unapologetic innovation.