Faces of Jingmaishan 4: Northeastern Coffee Bro Finds His Zen on the Mountain

This is Part 4 of my 4-part Faces of Jingmaishan series, which are short vignettes of people I met and conversations I had in Jingmaishan, a tea mountain in southern Yunnan, west of Xishuangbanna, close to the border with Myanmar. You can read Part 1 here, Part 2 here, and Part 3 here. This content was originally posted as a twitter thread on 26 March 2024. It has been edited lightly for essay format.

Heading down the mountain on our way out, we chance upon a surprisingly modern coffee shop in Jingmai Village (景迈大寨). I’m craving caffeine, so we pull over so I can get my fix. I am even more surprised when our burly, apron-clad barista, as tall as I am, greets us with a thick northern accent.

This guy is a long way from home. I have to figure out his story.

"Hey bro, what are you doing here? You don't sound like you're from here. You sound like you're from...the northeast"
"Yeah, that's right. I'm from Harbin."

"How does a guy from Harbin end up running a coffee shop in Jingmaishan in Yunnan?"
"Well, I got married..."

"You met your wife here?"
"No, my wife is from here, but she left for college. After we met and got married, I followed her back here."

"How is the life here for a northern guy? Is it too hot for you? Or do you like it?
"Of course I like it...the weather here is great".

"What's it like, being an outsider coming to live here? Were the locals welcoming?"
"Yeah very welcoming. The people that live here are simple and honest (淳朴). Actually, when they meet me, they usually offer to introduce me to a local girl..."

"What? Aren't you married?"

"Well yeah. I mean, they don't offer once they know I'm married. But if they don't know, then they will offer."
"I guess you haven't been here very long, or else everyone will already know you...and know that you are married"
"Yeah, I only came last year...”

“Did you have a coffee shop before?"
"No, I only learned how to make coffee after I came here. I'm still learning. I used to be a house decorator."

"Do you prefer making coffee?"
"Yeah, it's much more relaxed. I don't have to work too hard. I can have a more slow-placed life here."

"Is it a profitable business?"
"Not bad. During the holiday, we had a lot of tourists...then it's too busy. I don't want to get rich from having a coffee shop. I just want to make enough money to go traveling. If you see me here making coffee, it means I don't have money. When I have it, I travel."

"What kind of coffee beans do you use here?"
"I use all Yunnan beans, from local farms. Well, except one. I have one Yirgacheffe bean. You know, from Ethiopia. It's good for pour-overs."

(honestly did NOT expect to be discussing Yirgacheffe pour-overs on this mountain)

"And I noticed you also have fresh milk for your lattes, not long-life UHT milk. How do you buy that here?"
"I bring milk up here with me. I live down the mountain in Huimin Town and come up here every day. You can't use long-life milk for lattes. It doesn't taste good."

"What does your family think about you living here? Do they come visit?"
"No...they didn't support me coming here. They are afraid it's not safe."
"Not safe? Why?"
"Because it's a border area"
"You're from Harbin! That's nearly a border area too"
"Nah, it's different. They're worried about me being here, because it's close to Myanmar and Laos. They are worried about drugs and scams. They think it's very messy (乱) here."
"Well, I think it seems very safe here. We had to cross a police checkpoint on the highway to enter Lancang County."

"Yes, they will check everyone. Because it's a border area."
"Yeah I found out." I said. "It's a headache for me, because the system can't process foreign passports. So I had to get out of the car and register manually. They have signs about some criminals they are looking for."

"Yes, that's why my family thinks it's dangerous. They want me to return to Harbin, but I don't want to. It's too cold. Hey, try this coffee."

(while we've been chatting, he's been making another pour-over)

"Mmm, that's very good. It's grassy...actually..kind of like tea".

"Yes that's kind, that typical of the coffee from here. When it's fresh, and has a light roast, it tastes like tea, maybe some tree bark, and grass."

He pours me another cup, then brings the pot outside to pour free coffee for another table of guests. After a minute, he returns.

"Well man, we've getting ready to leave. We came up here to see the villages and the ocean of clouds (云海) but because of the dust in the air we can't see anything. So we're going to go get lunch down the mountain".
"Hah...sea of clouds. I've seen it so much. I'm sick of it."

"Well, we haven't! We came from Shanghai to get away from the bad winter weather and enjoy the famous "four seasons like spring" (四季如春) weather in Yunnan. But actually it's so dry here...and dusty."

"Four seasons like spring...hah. That's bullshit. Kunming maybe. Not here."

"Yeah...so we discovered..."
"You should have come last month. It was very clear...blue skies, white clouds..."
"Oh gee thanks for telling us...Well we're going now. Good luck with, your business." "Thanks, see you next time"

And that's how we leave this big northern dude, the former Harbin house decorator: In his coffee shop on the mountain, 4000 km from home, in a village of 500, surrounded by tea terraces, hunched over his coffee pot, intently swirling hot water into his pot of Yunnan light roast.

If you ever get a chance to head up there, be sure to stop by Miracle Tree Coffee, say hi to the Northeastern bro, and take a moment to marvel, like I did, at the serendipity of life that brought him 4000 km from Harbin and me 12000 km from Maine to meet on a mountain in Yunnan.

And that's it for the series! 4 vignettes of daily life for 4 very different people in their remote little corner of the world on Jingmaishan, Pu’er City, Yunnan. Thanks for reading! Next time, we’re going to Zhejiang!