Wichita coffee shop getting a jump on Lunar New Year with special release
Lunar New Year won’t be celebrated until Jan. 29 this year.
But a local coffee shop is getting a jump on celebrating the Year of the Snake with a special coffee release and event coming up on Wednesday.
Andrew Gough, the owner of Reverie Coffee Roasters at 2202 E. Douglas will be celebrating the limited-time release of a single-origin coffee from Da Lat, Vietnam, which it’s calling Sweet Lunar.
What makes this coffee special? Gough said that it’s made from a higher-quality arabica bean, where most coffees sourced from Vietnam are lower-end robusta beans. Arabica beans provide a smoother finished product.
“In Wichita, I don’t know if anyone else other than us has ever sold Vietnamese coffees that were not robusta,” Gough said, adding that a similar product last year sold out quickly.
Starting on Wednesday, Reverie will offer the special coffee for just four weeks — or until it sells out.
People can get it at the flagship cafe on East Douglas, at Reverie’s Newton drive-through at 220 E. 12th St., or online at www.reverieroasters.com/products/sweet-lunar
Wednesday’s release event will run from 11:30 a.m. until noon at the East Douglas store and will include a live lion dance performance by the East High School Lion Dance Team. Gough said a portion of the proceeds from the sales of Sweet Lunar will benefit the dance team, which was founded in 2007 and is one of a few teams in town that packs its schedule with performances every Lunar New Year.
Those who attend the release event will be able to try free samples of the coffee as well as baked goods made in-house, including a lumpia croissant inspired by flavors of the Philippines.
The first 50 customers who purchase a bag of Sweet Lunar coffee on Wednesday will receive a mystery gift, Gough said. The art on the Sweet Lunar bag was created by local artist Hung Le and was meant to celebrate the Chinese lion dance.
Also: Watch next week for my list of Wichita Lunar New Year events featuring local lion dance teams that will happen on and around Jan. 29.
This story was originally published January 20, 2025 at 5:02 AM.
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