Is Brewing Things are perking up nicely for Beijing's growing numbers of coffee lovers.
Latin music plays quietly in the background, and on weekends there is a live band.
Welcome to Johnny's Coffee Shop in . . . No, on the Third Ring Road in Beijing. Four years ago, there was barely a fresh coffee bean to be had in the whole of China, apart from those used to brew up the bland and expensive fare served in international hotels. If you wanted a decent cup of the real stuff, you probably had to fork out for an airline ticket to Hong Kong. A U.S. student at Peking University, he hankered for the kickstart to the day he used to get back home in Denver.