食物和飲食方式的傳遞，如何跨越或突破文化上的障礙是食物史研究中最令人好奇的問題。其中，咖啡是如何進入具有千年飲茶文化的中國，為一極具研究價值的議題。在中國，咖啡是舶來品，隨著來華外國人的飲食習慣而被引入中國，在道光年間已有外國人於澳門飲用咖啡，且外國來華人數的增加與西式飲食文化的逐漸流行，使咖啡得以透過西餐的食用而為人所知，而咖啡館的開設，亦為中國提供了一種嶄新的飲食文化與休閒空間。隨著國內咖啡消費量的增加與外國消費的龐大商機，中國開始在華南與西南地區嘗試咖啡的栽培與加工，惜因產量不豐導致消費市場的主要貨源仍來自於外國。中國的咖啡輸入記錄始自1863年。此後，在年度進口量和進口值方面，大致呈現成長趨勢。主要進口來源則由西方國家轉變為東南亞及中南美洲等咖啡原生產國。在輸入口岸方面，以上海最為重要，並由東南沿海逐漸向南北擴散，隨著內河航運權的開放，逐漸由沿海進入內陸。因此，整體咖啡進口量的增加也意味著中國咖啡消費的發展趨勢。

How foods and ways of eating and drinking spread and break through cultural barriers is an intriguing question in food history research. So the question of how coffee was introduced into China, an area where tea drinking had a long history and had formed a distinctive culture, is a question well worth investigation. Coffee was exotic to China, and was introduced along with foreigners and their diet customs. It is likely that even as early as the reign of Daoguang (道光) there were foreigners who drank coffee in Macao. When the numbers of foreigners in China increased and Western dietary culture became more familiar, coffee came to be recognized as a part of Western food. Especially with the establishment of coffee houses, China was provided with a new food culture and a new leisure space. With the domestic consumption of coffee increasing and handsome business profits to be gained by trade with foreigners, some Chinese tried to cultivate coffee in the southern and southwestern China. The amount produced however was small. Coffee for consumption in China still came mainly from overseas. Records for the import of coffee into China began in 1863. According to these accounts, the annual import volume and value generally showed a growth trend. The major import countries changed from Western countries to Southeast Asia, Central America and South America. Shanghai was the most important port for the import of coffee. There were also several ports for coffee imports along the southeast coast, and these gradually spread to the north and south. When foreigners obtained the right to domestic navigation, importing gradually turned from the coast to the interior. The increase of coffee imports also meant the development of coffee consumption in China.