The speakers of the fourth BlackWaterCrunch (Coffee Symposium), Pak Gu Zhe and Zhao Jiabao

The coffee seminar "BlackWaterCrunch" hosted by BlackWaterIssue will be held at the LW Convention Center in Seoul, South Korea on August 4th. Two of the speakers are from overseas, namely 2016WBrC champion Sakatani (Tetsu Kasuya, Japan) and 2014WBC runner-up Zhao Jiabao (Capo Chui, Hong Kong). Before the seminar, we BlackWaterIssue conducted an interview in advance.

Q) Hello, Zhao Jiabao. Your "Cupping Room" (coffee shop) in Hong Kong is one of the most successful examples in many cafes. So how is the boutique coffee market in Hong Kong?

(Zhao Jiabao) the coffee market in Hong Kong is similar to other Asian markets. At first, people who only drink milk coffee are more and more fond of hand-brewed coffee, and many boutique coffee shops pursue shallow roasting and emphasize the personality of the coffee producing area.

The main difference is that Hong Kong has a short history of coffee. Coffee consumption habits are lower than those in Taiwan, South Korea and Japan. Most customers in Hong Kong think, "do I want some coffee today?" But customers in other places where they are used to coffee think, "where am I going to have coffee today?" . Wherever they are, they are ready to consume coffee. This is a great challenge for the Hong Kong coffee market. And the rent in Hong Kong is very high, it is not easy to survive by selling coffee alone. Therefore, apart from other coffee shops, boutique coffee shops in Hong Kong also have to compete with restaurants, bars, bakeries, fast food restaurants and so on.

But such a challenge can be an opportunity. Because of the short history of coffee in Hong Kong, customers can accept fine coffee more openly. In general, customers are more likely to choose boutique coffee shops when they are able to make a choice. they do not grow up in families that drink instant coffee and are more likely to accept black coffee.

We Cupping Room are willing to accept a reduction in profits in order to buy high-quality raw beans. We hope to give our customers special coffee experience.

Q) Hello, Sakuzhe. You are the coach of Sam Corra (Australia), which won the runner-up in this year's World Coffee Brewing Competition. Most of the players are willing to accept the guidance of their own coaches. This is a rare thing.

First of all, I don't mind my nationality. Coffee can connect people all over the world, only people-to-people relationships, no nationality. So as long as I have real trust, I am willing to help contestants from any country and try my best to make them number one in the world.

What I gave sam this year was mainly sensory scores. Many people do not know what kind of coffee is well received in the world competition. I told him that. In addition, I instructed him to explain the details.

Q) many baristas already know you. What do you want to say to them about coffee extraction?

Extracting coffee is not a difficult thing to do, but experience is important. In order to experience all kinds of experiences, we have to make continuous efforts. Don't stand still and make self-breakthroughs constantly. You can extract better coffee. Of course, you can't lose the heart of enjoying coffee.

The Prospect of the third BlackWaterCrunch of ▲

Q) Zhao Jiabao, what have been the changes in CuppingRoom recently?

(Zhao Jiabao) from 2011 to 16, CuppingRoom had only one store. Until now, with the help of many people, we have been able to run a small business successfully (retail business). I am now planning to sell more coffee beans (wholesale). We recently opened a bakery in Po Hing Fong in Hong Kong with Probat UG-15. I will be there as the chief baker and continue to pursue CuppingRoom's coffee philosophy. CuppingRoom's baking style is the pursuit of extreme sweetness. I think coffee should have a good sweetness and flavor. I use a unique baking method for this.

Especially this year, I represented Hong Kong at WBC in Seoul. I hope I will become another Asian champion this year.

Q) Please describe your goal.

Zhao Jiabao) the goal is to upgrade the career of baristas to the professional field. In Hong Kong, young people who become baristas mean accepting the minimum wage. Many people join the industry because they love coffee, but they have to give up in the face of many practical problems. In order to prevent this problem, we CuppingRoom pay more than 30-40% of the wages of our peers. Of course, this is not an easy task, but I would like to recommend it to other store owners. More and more coffee shops are becoming small chain brands. At this time, there is a greater need for bakers, trainers and store managers. To ensure their treatment, the brand can continue to develop.