Chinese Coffees Triumph at the Masterpiece Coffee Pop-Up in Berkeley

Masterpiece Coffee in Berkeley, California. Photo by Winston Kuok, courtesy of Masterpiece Coffee.

A new company called Masterpiece Coffee is serving Asian-inspired coffee drinks at a new coffee kiosk in Berkeley, California, focusing on specialty coffee produced in Yunnan, China.

Masterpiece Coffee Founder Young Sun roasts the coffee one kilogram at a time on an Aillio Bullet roaster in nearby Fremont, supplying the kiosk that opened last October while also fulfilling online sales.

Concoctions served over the Berkeley bar showcase the natural flavors of Yunnan beans, as well as other flavors from various Asian cuisines.

Young Sun. Photo by Winston Kuok, courtesy of Masterpiece Coffee.

A January drink special was the Hong, a spicy mocha that adds gochugaru to the mix of chocolate oat milk and espresso, topped with a hit of Sichuan peppercorn. The Shiro latte, a permanent menu item, combines espresso with white miso and brown sugar plus a roasted sesame seed topping.

“We are emphasizing our Chinese-grown coffee. We have them available as pourovers and espresso for customers to try,” Sun told Daily Coffee News. “We’re also creating signature drinks like the Osmanthus Latte that highlight these coffees.”

Pastries at the Masterpiece bar are delivered fresh from Bake Sum, an Oakland bakery that also delves into Asian flavors with treats such as a croissant/Spam musubi mashup called a “croissubi.”

Photo by Winston Kuok, courtesy of Masterpiece Coffee.

Sun works with Torch Coffee Labs to bring green coffees in from China, while also working with Red Fox Coffee Merchants to round out the Masterpiece selection with coffees from Peru, Colombia and Ethiopia.

Prior to Masterpiece, Sun was a general manager for Artis Coffee in Berkeley before joining Fremont-based Devout Coffee, starting as a barista then becoming a lead production roaster.

The Masterpiece pop-up is one of three Asian American-owned businesses operating inside West Berkeley’s Imasala Collective. The coffee kiosk joins furniture and home goods retailer Clove + Whole, owned by Naomi Phan-Quang, and children’s apparel and toy seller Min’na, owned by Elena Fong.

Photo by Winston Kuok, courtesy of Masterpiece Coffee.

“We will be at Imasala for at least another year, possibly until the end of 2025,” said Sun. “During this time, we may open another location, but we also want to grow our online business and expand our roasting capacity. We do intend to open a full cafe, but we’re taking it one step at a time.”

Masterpiece Coffee is located inside the Imasala Collective at 1714 San Pablo Ave. in Berkeley. Comments? Questions? News to share? Contact DCN’s editors here. For all the latest coffee industry news, subscribe to the DCN newsletter.