Nanjing “10 yuan hand brewed coffee” auntie: Once it’s hot, it’s very satisfying

In early spring and March, the cherry blossoms at Jiming Temple in Nanjing are in full bloom, and a large number of tourists are crowding here. One kilometer away, deep in the alley, in front of the once bustling "Old Madam Han Sugar cane juice" store, the usual calm was restored, and the regular customers of the store were still the surrounding residents.

Han Suzhen unexpectedly became popular in 2024 due to her hand brewed instant coffee. Image from Modern Express

Nearly two years ago, 74 year old shop owner Han Suzhen unexpectedly became popular for a cup of "10 yuan hand brewed instant coffee", attracting young people from all over the world to flock there, and even celebrities came to check in and buy coffee. Three pieces of Nestle instant coffee, a pair of red and yellow iron scissors, a red old-fashioned hot water bottle, and several "retro" items made her repeatedly appear on the hot search list. At its peak, the store sold over 1000 cups of coffee in a single day.

Traffic comes and goes quickly.

Nowadays, fewer and fewer people are taking pictures of Han Suzhen with their phones, and the number of customers ordering coffee has dropped to a maximum of over 100 cups per day, with only two or three cups on some days. But the memory of the Internet is still there. Some tourists who come to Nanjing will still clock in at this small store, take a group photo with the "hand brewed coffee aunt", and send another circle of friends as souvenirs.

Upon hearing someone mocking 'Han Lao Tai's coffee has cooled down', Han Suzhen no longer cares and shows a calm attitude of 'neither favor nor disgrace'. She repeatedly emphasized that "making more money when it's hot, feeling comfortable when it's cold, and having good health are the biggest sources of traffic." Compared to the noisy atmosphere of cooking oil in a blazing fire, she said she enjoys the current tranquility more.

Aunt Han Suzhen's life in Nanjing's "10 yuan hand brewed coffee" has returned to calm. Looking back on those days, she said it felt like she had a dream. Once it went viral, she felt very satisfied and lived a life worth living. Pengpai News reporter: Qiu Haihong Editor: Hu Baoxiu (02:45)

Traffic has changed the battlefield

For the shopkeepers in the four alleys where "Old Madam Han Sugar cane juice" is located, the stream of people has become a distant memory. As the traffic recedes, people and cars come and go in the alleys, just like the ordinary streets and alleys in Nanjing city.

The barbecue stand of Mr. Xu and his wife is across the road from "Old Madam Han Sugar cane juice". They have been here for nearly eight years. They have never seen netizens from all over the country rush in like a tide, taking pictures of a store with their mobile phones. During the peak period of traffic, long queues also formed in front of their barbecue stalls, and business skyrocketed by two or three times.

The Afu lamb soup shop next to Han Suzhen sells lobster in summer. A self media blogger came to capture the time when Han Suzhen was making coffee, eating lobster next to her when she was hungry. The store is packed every day and can't sit down. The owner initially placed the table at the door, and later moved it across the street, next to the barbecue stall.

These shop owners couldn't understand it, but after the carnival, the traffic quickly shifted to the battlefield. The young man holding his phone to shoot videos and live streams aimed his camera at the "Braised Goose Brother" in Chongqing and the "Chicken Chop Brother" in Jingdezhen, Jiangxi. Even "pigs" came to grab traffic – a girl from Hechuan, Chongqing posted asking netizens to help kill the New Year pig at home, which accidentally became popular.

Without the support of traffic, the small shops in Shitiao Lane continued to operate as usual, but their business gradually declined from high levels. Lao Xu's wife said that at its peak, barbecue can sell for over 800 yuan a day. Now, the main customers are the old customers around, with a turnover of only two or three hundred yuan. 'Those good days are over'.

"Old Mrs. Han Sugar cane juice" opened the door for business. The picture was taken at around 10:00 am on January 29, 2026. All images in this article, except for the annotations, are taken by journalist Qiu Haihong from The Paper

The traffic has left, but Han Suzhen herself has already become accustomed to it. Nowadays, there are no young men or women from other places who line up early to wait for her to open the door, and no one follows her step by step all day long. Han Suzhen didn't have to open the door on time. In the cold morning, she could sleep in. Before 9 o'clock, she ate a bowl of Wonton and a large row next door, and then bent down to open the shop's rolling door.

At 9 pm, she used an iron hook to pull down the rolling shutter door and rode a small electric donkey for 3 minutes to get home. She didn't have to go through a few alleys anymore, just to shake off the self media blogger following behind her. All of this is like most of the past 30 years, following the routine and taking it easy.

One day at the end of January this year, the surging journalists stayed in the "Old Madam Han Sugar cane juice" store all day. At 10 o'clock that day, Han Suzhen's first business was two cups of Sugar cane juice. She put on a disposable plastic glove in her right hand, pushed the chopped sugarcane into the mouth of the machine, held the plastic cup in her left hand, and unconsciously leaned to the left. With the sound of "creaking", the crushed bagasse slid from the iron channel into the big blue trash can outside the wall. She sealed the mouth manually with a sealing machine, and handed Sugar cane juice to a junior high school boy. "He grew up drinking my Sugar cane juice".

Han Suzhen enthusiastically talks with tourists from other places and often sends blessings.

Throughout the day, the interview process was repeatedly interrupted due to customers. Most of them are residents of the surrounding area, with a small portion being tourists from other places. Among them, a 20-year-old Wuxi youth bought a glass of Sugar cane juice and politely asked Han Suzhen if it was convenient to take a group photo. When Han Suzhen learned that the customers who came from afar had already started working, she would bow with both hands and wish them "smooth work and all the best". A young female teacher from Changchun, Jilin took photos and checked in at the sign of her small shop, and even posted on her WeChat Moments saying, 'I saw an internet celebrity, Auntie is super enthusiastic.'.

During the whole day, more than 100 cups of Sugar cane juice were sold, and only two or three cups of coffee were sold. "The day before yesterday, more than 100 cups of coffee were sold, and more Sugar cane juice was sold. Today, it doesn't matter how much coffee is sold." Han Suzhen said that when she was free, she liked to put her arms on the glass counter and look out of the shop through the sales outlet. Occasionally, the picture of the hot shop flashed in her mind. At that time, more than 1000 cups of coffee were sold at most one day.

Who knew coffee would become popular

After removing the red light ring from the internet, Han Suzhen's life returned to its original state.

She still sprays styling gel on her permed curly hair every morning, applies some whitening cream to her face, and puts on lipstick before going out. When meeting Han Suzhen for the first time, her exquisite dress will leave a deep impression on people. A customer said she looked like Korean actress Luo Wenji. Han Suzhen waved her hand and smiled, saying, "She's a celebrity. I'm an ordinary old lady, and I can't compare to her

Han Suzhen, originally from Yangzhou, was born in Nanjing in 1951. She once went to the countryside as an educated youth and was assigned to work as a purchaser in a department store after returning to the city. She traveled all over the country. Since her youth, Han Suzhen has had a fashionable tone. She always perm her black curly hair every six months, and even if her hair grows longer, it doesn't matter. She ties it up with a rubber band.

At that time, I liked to wear cheongsams, a pair of 5cm high heels, and a small suit on top. In the summer, I used a parasol to go out and didn't have a high chance of turning back! "Han Suzhen proudly said.

In the 1980s, the spring breeze of reform and opening up swept across the north and south of China. Young men and women in the city have become popular drinking coffee. One time, a friend gave Han Suzhen Nestle coffee, which was an old-fashioned two can, one can coffee and one can coffee companion. "At that time, giving coffee to people was considered very high-end. Han Suzhen couldn't bear to drink it, so she drank it once every two days. Over time, she became addicted to it, and gradually, drinking coffee in her spare time became a habit.

Later on, instant Nescafe coffee in strips appeared, and Han Suzhen felt that the taste was right and started drinking it at home. Every time, she puts two into the cup, pours in boiling water, and stirs vigorously with a spoon. The aroma of coffee wafts away, and she sits down to savor it slowly. Han Suzhen's spouse is several years older than her, and in her heart, she is patient, has a good temper, and is very considerate to her. As soon as she gets home at night, her husband will make a cup of coffee and wait for her. While others may not be able to fall asleep after drinking coffee at night, Han Suzhen doesn't. Instead, she can't sleep without drinking. In 2022, her husband passed away due to illness, and no one made coffee for her when she returned home. Due to her longing for her spouse, instant coffee became a source of comfort in her heart.

In 1992, individual businesses had already blossomed everywhere. Han Suzhen retired early and opened this Sugar cane juice store. Before going to the store every day, she always puts a few pieces of instant coffee in her bag, and when she wants to drink it, she takes it out to make a cup. Sometimes I forget to bring it to the store, and that day I don't have anything to drink. "Later, she simply put the instant coffee on the counter, but unexpectedly someone asked and someone bought it.

After several years of operation, the store only added a "side business" of hand brewed instant coffee, "just selling coffee by the way, who knew coffee would become popular". Han Suzhen said that when mobile phones were not popular, people had already queued up to buy Sugar cane juice.

When young people become addicted to coffee jargon such as freshly ground, drip, extracted, latte art, and deep roasting, instant coffee has long been forgotten. However, in the depths of a small alley in Nanjing, an old lady deftly cut three pieces of Nestle instant coffee in front of customers, picked up a hot water bottle to brew, picked up a spoon to stir, and sealed the milk tea packaging machine. This simple "retro" process went viral.

Cool and hot, calm and composed

Han Suzhen's store is located in a good location, at a crossroads. The store is not big, less than 10 square meters, and is divided into two rooms, one large and one small. The smaller one is the "sales room", which houses a glass cabinet with bar shaped instant coffee. To the right is a sugarcane juicer, as well as short cut sugarcane and a water tank; The larger one is a "warehouse" that houses refrigerators, heating and water purification machines, and also sells food such as live beads. A backrest chair is used by Han Suzhen to rest during her free time.

Although the scene is no longer grand, the photos of Han Suzhen and Guangliang posted in the store, the photo of her wearing a qipao to participate in an event after becoming popular, and the banner sent by Nestle Coffee all clearly tell everyone that she was once an "internet celebrity".

Han Suzhen's popularity originated from a short video titled "When I Bought a Handmade Coffee for 10 Yuan" on May 17, 2024. Within a few days, a cup of hand brewed instant coffee turned a 74 year old ordinary lady into a "traffic internet celebrity", and her small shop became a check-in spot for various self media.

The flow of people is like a tide rushing here, including Hainan, Chongqing, Jiangxi, Inner Mongolia, Xinjiang… and even many foreigners who come to buy coffee, shoot videos, and even live stream outside the store for a long time. "The long queue at the door of the store is more than 50 meters long." Lao Xu, the owner of the barbecue booth opposite, witnessed the prosperity of "Old Madam Han Sugar cane juice".

There is a photo of Han Lao Tai and singer Guang Liang on the door when she became popular. Guang Liang invited her to the concert.

After being hit by the overwhelming traffic, Han Suzhen ushered in a "highlight moment" of her life in her seventies – Guang Liang invited her to a concert and interacted with fans on the big screen; Nestle Coffee invited her into the live broadcast room and promised her lifelong free supply; A well-known scenic spot in Nanjing rushed to the store and asked her to endorse it.

Because Han Suzhen has become popular, there are many companies that come to "ride on traffic". From small items like hot water bottles and milk to large ones like water dispensers, air conditioners, and televisions, gift givers say these products are free.

At first, there were people who gave me a hot water kettle as a gift. There were too many people buying coffee, and it was too late to boil the water. Later, I kept a water boiler, but politely declined everything else, "Han Suzhen said.

However, coins also have another side. Along with the traffic, the words and deeds of internet celebrities will also be scrutinized under the spotlight. After Han Suzhen became popular, various "noises" began to spread. Some people say she has a team behind her, while others say she earned millions in just over twenty days

Han Suzhen felt helpless about this. "As an old lady, where did I come from? Someone pretended to be me, and my nephew helped me get the Tiktok number. I have a private account. I usually send some life videos and occasionally broadcast them live."

After the hustle and bustle, at the end of June 2024, Han Suzhen noticed that the crowd in front of the store was gradually dissipating. After the National Day holiday that year, peace was completely restored. Without a gap, how can there be any gap? "Faced with the retreating crowd, Han Suzhen did not feel disappointed.

Han Suzhen closes for work.

For me, 'fire' is already a pie in the sky. As an old lady in her 70s, opening a shop can become popular all over the country and attract so many people's attention. What is there to be unsatisfied with? I think this life is worth living. "Han Suzhen laughed heartily, her laughter echoing in the small shop.

She said that she had known for a long time that there would be a "cool" day, and flowers would not turn red for a hundred days. It was impossible for them to keep burning. If it's not popular, there should be fewer selling points. Just enough to eat and use. Speaking of which, if the fire keeps burning, my body won't be able to handle it, and I'll eventually collapse. When the fire started, I didn't eat half a pound of rice for three days and lost six pounds. One time, I almost fainted on the workbench. During that time, I was working hard with all my might, and this was not acceptable

Nowadays, this old lady from Nanjing still stays in a small shop of less than ten square meters every day, using three Nestle instant coffees and an old-fashioned pair of scissors to continue her unique dialogue with this era. She insists on not doing live streaming sales or opening chain stores. She said she doesn't understand traffic and how to receive traffic. "As long as she's healthy, the small store will continue to operate