I biked by a tiny cafe on Taiyuan Road the other day on my way out of yoga class, its coffee aroma so alluring that I slowed down to do a double take…Ah ha, another new coffee shop in town.
某個風和日麗的午後，我上完瑜伽課，（自我感覺）一身輕盈地騎著自行車經過太原路時，被一陣濃郁的咖啡香給吸引了。忍不住慢下速度轉頭一看…喲？又是一家新的
上海咖啡館。
That in itself isn’t really exciting news, for coffee shops have been popping up non-stop in Shanghai during the past three years, with few leaving a memorable mark in my mind. So I didn’t think much of this new cafe at the time, and biked away without even finding out its name.
近幾年來上海大大小小的咖啡店越開越多，不過能讓人留下印象的倒也沒幾個。不是說新店中沒有好的，而是因爲已有那幾家熟悉、不用多想就能輕鬆享受的店。所以當我看到這家新店時，心裏飄過一句 “噢，又來了一家“，甚至連店名字都沒看清楚，就加速離開了（一部分原因是因爲當時肚子很餓，趕著去喫晚飯…）
But for some reason, the coffee aroma I’d taken in on this particular afternoon kept wafting in my head, so I finally decided to go back to look for it. On this visit, I found out its name – “O.P.S., a spoonful of curiosity”。
不過也不知爲何，那誘人的咖啡香一直在我腦海裏飄呀飄。於是某個（同樣）風和日麗的午後，我約了朋友又回到了建國西路太原路口，順著馬路找到了這家咖啡店。這次看清楚了名字，是 O.P.S.，下面付著一句 “a spoonful of curiosity”。
Upon entering, it’s easy to see the 10 sqm shop in its entirety. The palette is composed of white, grey, and a soft pinkish orange, pleasant, with no crazy designs or decorations screaming for attention. The barista workstation takes up about half the tiny space, with the rest occupied by a slender bar and two seats by the wall.
推門而入，10平米的小店一目瞭然。以白、灰、以及淡淡粉橘爲主色調的空間非常柔和，沒有刻意誇張的設計來引人注意。小巧玲瓏空間裏，咖啡工作臺佔了一半的位置，剩下的是一個細長的吧檯以及兩個靠牆的座位。嗯，感覺不錯，那就留下來喝一杯吧。再說店這麼小，咖啡師們又如此溫暖地對著我們微笑了，這個時候再走出去多尷尬啊（笑）。
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The two baristas here are Ahguang （the 2015 Chinese representative for World Barista Championship） and Siwei （ex-Cafe del Volcan）。 The soft, mellow vibe of the shop fits right in on the quiet Taiyuan Road. Though located more or less near the city center, OPS is not on a particularly busy strip. The pace is just right, said Ahguang and Siwei, it’s not too fast, allowing them plenty of time to take good care of each customer.
這裏的兩位咖啡師，是 2015 年代表中國在世界咖啡衝煮大賽（WBrC）得名的阿光，以及之前在 Cafe del Volcan 工作了三年的 Siwei。兩人說話都柔柔地，店裏氣氛與安靜的太原路非常搭調。OPS 地點雖然是在市中心，但由於不是一個特別方便的地方，所以店裏大部分是慕名而來的客人，而阿光和 Siwei 說這樣的節奏正好讓他們有充分的時間瞭解和照顧好每個人。對專程來喝咖啡的人來說，感覺踏實。
A very cute Dalla Corte Mina.
Mina，Dalla Corte 的小可愛單頭意式咖啡機。
On the menu, coffee is divided into a few categories: “Curiosity” signatures, cold brew, nitro coffee, drop coffee, and espresso-based coffee. The coffee beans are all 90+, divided into O, P, and S according to their unique characteristics. If you are interested in the details, just pop in and ask – Ahguang and Siwei would be more than happy to share their passion.
OPS 的菜單上，簡潔地列著幾個系列：“Curiosity” 招牌咖啡、冷萃咖啡、氮氣咖啡、手工衝煮咖啡、以及義式咖啡。 咖啡豆全部使用90+，分爲 O、P、S、三大系列，對應不同風格與用途，在不同季節會根據每款咖啡的特性做自家拼配或是單一咖啡呈現。有關咖啡豆的詳細信息，可以自己去店裏和阿光及 Siwei 聊聊，他們會很樂意跟你分享。
There are three choices in the Curiosity series: Rose Bouquet, Lemon Engine, and Cold Fashion. I tried the Rose Bouquet, which is cold brew coffee paired with rose water, brown sugar syrup, and a whiff of rose essence at the end. Elegant and balanced, not too sweet. The Lemon Engine which the customer next to me ordered also looked very refreshing, must make time for it before summer ends.
Curiosity 招牌咖啡裏目前有三個選擇：Rose Bouquet、Lemon Engine、和 Cold Fashion。這次嚐了 Rose Bouquet，日曬處理的咖啡經過長達8小時的低溫萃取，搭配了玫瑰水與紅糖水，最後噴上一抹玫瑰香氣。整體平衡優雅，不會太甜也不會太重。隔壁客人點的 Lemon Engine 看起來也相當清爽，裏面加了 OPS 自家釀的蜂蜜檸檬片和聖培露氣泡水，趁著夏天還沒結束，想回去試一試。
If you are into drip coffee, it might be of interest to come and try a brew from Ahguang, the Chinese representative for the 2015 WBrC. Another fun detail: customers can use this hand grinder to ground the beans themselves, a la minute.
喜歡手衝咖啡的人，可以來這裏試試阿光的手藝 —— 他可是在 2015 年世界咖啡衝煮大賽的中國代表呢。咖啡豆是用這臺手工磨豆機新鮮研磨的，有興趣的話也可以自己玩。
Of course, you can also get a cup of glorious latte （with beautiful latte art） at OPS.
當然，如果你想要一杯柔順的拿鐵，OPS 也有 espresso 系列的咖啡。Piccolo、cortado、flat white、latte…拉花也是美到不行。
Other than excellent coffee, OPS also offers a unique space for socializing. The cafe is so tiny that you can’t possibly not overhear your neighbors, and it’s got such a chill, convivial vibe that you will likely find it very easy to join in on conversations.
除了提供出色咖啡之外，OPS 還是一個迷你卻充滿可能性的社交空間。因爲店小，很容易聽到（應該說不得不聽到）其他人和咖啡師談話的內容，不知不覺中大家都聊了起來。在這裏喝咖啡，因爲人與人之間的聯繫，格外溫暖，給我的感覺就是個充滿咖啡香的小天堂。
So what does OPS stand for anyway? Openminded, Possibility, Space. To create an openminded space with endless possibilities, this is what Ahguang and Siwei are hoping to do through coffee.
所以 OPS 到底是什麼的縮寫？Openminded, Possibility, Space —— 這是阿光和 Siwei 的一個理念：成爲一個思想開放、沒有偏見的 （Openminded）、能持續探索和接納可能性的 （Possibility） 空間或場所 （Space）。
“我們希望建立這樣一個場所，咖啡師願意持續創造和學習，消費者可以通過拿在手裏的這杯咖啡，能感知到原材料被應用的方式、包裝設計、手工製作的整個過程，從而對咖啡產生了更多的情感聯結。”
O.P.S., a spoonful of curiosity.
這個週末，帶著滿滿一勺好奇心去吧。
地址：太原路177弄1號臨
電話：15618060636
時間：10am-6pm
價位：咖啡 25-48 元
造訪：2017年9月
