Starbucks pushes China sales with local brew

Banking on China growth to offset the business slump in the United States, Starbucks, the world's largest coffee shop chain, is doing more than just opening more outlets. It is brewing a new blend, romantically called "South of the Clouds", of beans grown in Yunnan, the scenic southwest province that is better known for its dark tea than brown coffee.

How would the Seattle-based coffee vendor describe the taste of its new brew to attract newly converted Chinese coffee drinkers? Imagine these definitions of the abstract taste: bright acidity, herbal spiciness and cocoa feel.

As confusing as these words may sound to the intellect and the senses, the company is going ahead to introduce the mysterious blend first in China and then in Singapore and Malaysia. The innovative move is seen as an important part of Starbucks strategy to maintain a double-digit growth rate in the China market at a time when business in the US is taking a hard hit from the fallout of the credit crisis.