Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/658240
66 STiR tea & coffee industry international / Issue 2, 2016 (April/May) By Mainbayar Badarch My Nichi is a local coffee shop, one of several now serving specialty coffees including direct-sourced arabica. Frigid Mongolia Warms to Coffee M ongolia is a country with a vast territory and a very small population in north- east Asia. It is the coldest country in the world. Although far below the Arctic Cir- cle, Mongolia's high altitude, which averages 4,900 feet above sea level, and arid des- ert climate bring cool summers and bitterly cold winters. Mongolia's winter begins in November and lasts through the end of April. Temperatures hover around 20 degrees below zero. The country's tea culture is closely linked to its nomadic livestock industry. Tradi- tionally Mongolians drink their tea mixed with cow's milk. A Georgian green tea is the most popular brand in the country. As the economy expands and more affluent young people emerge in the workplace, a rapidly-growing coffee industry has emerged. In Ulaanbaatar, the nation's capital, many coffee shops opened their doors during the past few years. Several are international coffeehouse chains such as The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf and Caffe Bene, a South Korean coffee chain with 1,000 stores. Last year the local company Modernize obtained a franchise from Tom n Toms coffee of South Korea, introducing a new brand. Coffee shops such as United Cof- fee Lovers, Ubean Coffee, Nayra, Caffe Ti Amo, Jack's Coffee, and Bugis coffee also provide delicious tasting coffee and service. The Ubean coffeehouse, for example, is importing green coffee from Latin America, Africa, and Asia. Mongolians are unfamiliar with the various ways coffee is brewed and until recently the many variations in drinks. They refer to Americano as a black coffee and latte and cappuccino as a milk coffee and were not keen to explore others. This is also changing as coffee use rises in the country. A visiting coffee lover consultant from the US said coffee prepared at the Nayra coffee shop was similar to Columbian coffee. He complimented the shop's cozy ambi- ance for business and leisure. Patrons engage in conversation there and read interesting books and magazines. In parallel, a Japanese expat says that although Mongolia does not grow coffee, the coffee market is emerging with an emphasis on specialty coffee. A main problem facing coffee shops in Mongolia is a shortage of coffee making equipment and the absence of repair and maintenance services, says Garid Ganbat, a