Matter of taste

Victory hasn't slowed him for a second. At home, his cafes are frequented by fans.

One user on Xiaohongshu, or RedNote, Li Yizhu, shared that she's been drinking coffee from Peng's cafes since 2015. Even when visiting other cities, she often finds coffee shops using beans roasted by Peng's team. "This shop holds a special place in my heart," she wrote. "I've been drinking their coffee for 10 years."

She also offered tasting notes from Peng's Guiyang locations: "The Wenchang location has higher foot traffic, but the drinks are consistently good — especially signature drinks. The Taiping Road shop is perfect for hand-brews, especially during quieter hours."

In Shanghai, Peng calls his cafe a "flavor museum". It's where he hopes customers will slow down and truly taste the nuances of a cup of coffee. His Guiyang locations, by contrast, are his "daily clubs" — spaces that serve as community hubs for casual gatherings and coffee lovers alike.

He's also planning a second "flavor museum" in Guiyang, with more cities on the horizon.

His win is also emblematic of Guiyang's fast-rising coffee scene. While the city doesn't grow its own beans, its population of over 6 million and more than 3,000 cafes have brought forth one of the most vibrant coffee cultures in China.