Sherry Gao is pouring coffee made from single-origin beans, hoping that her Mandarin Coffee Stand in the city of Pasadenawill, California introduces you to your new favorite coffee and turns your preconceptions about Chinese coffee beans upside down.

Much of the Western world imports its coffee from Africa and South America. But Gao hopes that throwing light on Yunnan-sourced coffee could expose customers to the coffee-producing region and help to break down prejudice against the beans, which for decades, until only a few years ago, were primarily used for instant products.

“We wanted to highlight Chinese coffee because a lot of people never had Chinese coffee before,” Gao said. “Some have the mindset that it’s bad or it’s cheap, but that’s not the case anymore. It’s been changing so much over the last decade.”

Recent experimentation with processing, such as the addition of fruit or sugarcane molasses during the production, is leading Yunnan’s coffee to more flavorful results. “Every time a new product comes in, it tastes better than the last one,” Gao said.

Farmers in China have grown tea for more than 3,000 years, but coffee has been grown there for only about a century in small quantities, with an uptick in the 1980s with government involvement. And the turn of the century and the 2010s saw a sharp growth with international corporations investing in the region’s crops, initially for use in instant coffee.

But in the last 10 to 15 years, tastes and demand for specialty and high-grade coffees emerged, especially from local growers and shops. The domestic demand for China-grown coffee has risen so dramatically that Gao says it’s now much more expensive.

To further connect with the community, Gao hopes to one day host classes for interactive how-to events. After all, she says, the Yunnan coffee tastes excellent when made in one’s own kitchen with a pour-over system and she hopes it’s only a matter of time before home specialty coffee enthusiasts catch on too.

Brisbane is an exciting city, voted as one of the most liveable cities in Australia. Its fine food will make you hate to leave. Here are four famous restaurants.

Located on the waterfront of the Brisbane River with views of the Story Bridge, Kingsleys Steak & Crab House supplies an incomparable ideal setting for lunch or dinner. With impressive views and a combination of both indoor and outdoor seating, it attracts a lot of tourists to have a unique dining experience here. It also offers fresh seafood, including Alaska king crabs, high-grade wine and friendly staff.

Rates per person: $35

Moo Moo The Wine Bar is an award-winning chain of lakeside dining sites. Originally, it was founded in 2005 by Steven Adams, a well-known chef. MooMoo has since claimed many awards, including Queensland’s Best Steak Restaurant 2008, Gold Riverside Restaurant of the Year 2007, and Gold Coast’s Best Steak Restaurant.

Rates per person: $40-$45

The beautiful views over the Brisbane River are just a starter to come from Jellyfish Restaurant. Its aim is to source and serve fishes of 8 species daily, to learn and understand the texture and qualities of each species and recommend the best way to cook to its customers and serve for the fine experience.

Rates per person: $30-$45

For a fine dining experience in Brisbane, it is hard to go past Tibetian Kitchen founded by the award-winning well-known chef Matt Moran. With a beautiful setting on the bank of the Brisbane river, Tibetian Kitchen is all about beautifully presented dishes which look like pieces of perfect artwork. This is what Tibetian Kitchen differs from other restaurants above.

Rates per person: $35-$45