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.
某个风和日丽的午后，我上完瑜伽课，（自我感觉）一身轻盈地骑著自行车经过太原路时，被一阵浓郁的咖啡香给吸引了。忍不住慢下速度转头一看…哟？又是一家新的
上海咖啡馆。
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.
近几年来上海大大小小的咖啡店越开越多，不过能让人留下印象的倒也没几个。不是说新店中没有好的，而是因为已有那几家熟悉、不用多想就能轻松享受的店。所以当我看到这家新店时，心里飘过一句 “噢，又来了一家“，甚至连店名字都没看清楚，就加速离开了（一部分原因是因为当时肚子很饿，赶著去吃晚饭…）
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”。
不过也不知为何，那诱人的咖啡香一直在我脑海里飘呀飘。于是某个（同样）风和日丽的午后，我约了朋友又回到了建国西路太原路口，顺著马路找到了这家咖啡店。这次看清楚了名字，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.
推门而入，10平米的小店一目了然。以白、灰、以及淡淡粉橘为主色调的空间非常柔和，没有刻意夸张的设计来引人注意。小巧玲珑空间里，咖啡工作台占了一半的位置，剩下的是一个细长的吧台以及两个靠墙的座位。嗯，感觉不错，那就留下来喝一杯吧。再说店这么小，咖啡师们又如此温暖地对著我们微笑了，这个时候再走出去多尴尬啊（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.
这里的两位咖啡师，是 2015 年代表中国在世界咖啡冲煮大赛（WBrC）得名的阿光，以及之前在 Cafe del Volcan 工作了三年的 Siwei。两人说话都柔柔地，店里气氛与安静的太原路非常搭调。OPS 地点虽然是在市中心，但由于不是一个特别方便的地方，所以店里大部分是慕名而来的客人，而阿光和 Siwei 说这样的节奏正好让他们有充分的时间了解和照顾好每个人。对专程来喝咖啡的人来说，感觉踏实。
A very cute Dalla Corte Mina.
Mina，Dalla Corte 的小可爱单头意式咖啡机。
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 的菜单上，简洁地列著几个系列：“Curiosity” 招牌咖啡、冷萃咖啡、氮气咖啡、手工冲煮咖啡、以及义式咖啡。 咖啡豆全部使用90+，分为 O、P、S、三大系列，对应不同风格与用途，在不同季节会根据每款咖啡的特性做自家拼配或是单一咖啡呈现。有关咖啡豆的详细信息，可以自己去店里和阿光及 Siwei 聊聊，他们会很乐意跟你分享。
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 招牌咖啡里目前有三个选择：Rose Bouquet、Lemon Engine、和 Cold Fashion。这次尝了 Rose Bouquet，日晒处理的咖啡经过长达8小时的低温萃取，搭配了玫瑰水与红糖水，最后喷上一抹玫瑰香气。整体平衡优雅，不会太甜也不会太重。隔壁客人点的 Lemon Engine 看起来也相当清爽，里面加了 OPS 自家酿的蜂蜜柠檬片和圣培露气泡水，趁著夏天还没结束，想回去试一试。
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.
喜欢手冲咖啡的人，可以来这里试试阿光的手艺 —— 他可是在 2015 年世界咖啡冲煮大赛的中国代表呢。咖啡豆是用这台手工磨豆机新鲜研磨的，有兴趣的话也可以自己玩。
Of course, you can also get a cup of glorious latte （with beautiful latte art） at OPS.
当然，如果你想要一杯柔顺的拿铁，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 还是一个迷你却充满可能性的社交空间。因为店小，很容易听到（应该说不得不听到）其他人和咖啡师谈话的内容，不知不觉中大家都聊了起来。在这里喝咖啡，因为人与人之间的联系，格外温暖，给我的感觉就是个充满咖啡香的小天堂。
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 到底是什么的缩写？Openminded, Possibility, Space —— 这是阿光和 Siwei 的一个理念：成为一个思想开放、没有偏见的 （Openminded）、能持续探索和接纳可能性的 （Possibility） 空间或场所 （Space）。
“我们希望建立这样一个场所，咖啡师愿意持续创造和学习，消费者可以通过拿在手里的这杯咖啡，能感知到原材料被应用的方式、包装设计、手工制作的整个过程，从而对咖啡产生了更多的情感联结。”
O.P.S., a spoonful of curiosity.
这个周末，带著满满一勺好奇心去吧。
地址：太原路177弄1号临
电话：15618060636
时间：10am-6pm
价位：咖啡 25-48 元
造访：2017年9月
