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Fermentation breeds high-quality culture! Coffee permeates the life of Hong Kong people from different angles

Published: 2024-11-03 Author: World Gafei

Last Updated: 2024/11/03, Professional baristas exchange please follow the coffee workshop (Wechat official account cafe_style) out of the traditional tea restaurant, Hong Kong people, what kind of spiritual sustenance? Yes, there is. Push open the door of the independent cafe, the salvation of office workers, the tipsy of Yiwen coffee, just have a cup of coffee. Under the influence of British colonial history, Hong Kong people enjoy milk tea most often, and coffee has always been the second drink.

For professional baristas, please follow the coffee workshop (Wechat official account cafe_style)

What kind of spiritual sustenance do Hong Kong people have to get out of traditional cafes? Yes, there is. Push open the door of the independent cafe, the salvation of office workers, the tipsy of Yiwen coffee, just have a cup of coffee.

Under the influence of British colonial history, Hong Kong people most often enjoy milk tea, and coffee has always been the second choice of drink. At first, ice rooms and teahouses provided more instant coffee, and gradually evolved into deep-roasted coffee. It was not until the Starbucks chain coffee brand, which originated in Seattle in the United States, entered Hong Kong in 2000 that coffee became popular. The boutique coffee didn't really ferment until several years later. Independent small shops such as Barista Jam and Coco Espresso are often infected by Australian coffee culture. Through self-study or learning from Taiwanese staff, they join and promote the development of the industry, so that the boutique coffee culture can blossom rapidly in ten years.

Although Italian coffee is still the mainstream in Hong Kong, more and more people begin to appreciate the multi-flavor of individual coffee. At present, independent cafes are spread all over the 18 districts of Hong Kong, and the trend is becoming more and more hot. recently, four boutique coffee shops have been opened in just a few hundred meters of Peel Street in Central, which has become a new scenic spot visited by young people on holidays.

The cost of rent and personnel in Hong Kong is high, and it is not easy to survive. on the contrary, it has given birth to a diverse cafe culture in Hong Kong. we should not only pay attention to the quality of coffee, but also take into account the aspects of decoration, marketing and packaging, so as to increase the turnover of domestic meals and coffee takeout. Brands that can gain a foothold in Hong Kong have also opened branches in recent years, and even set foot in coffee roasting wholesale to become coffee roasting suppliers.

Coffee professionals also make good use of Hong Kong's international advantages, not only actively introducing micro-batches, competitive beans and new mixed single beans from various places, but also delving into the newly launched coffee equipment and the impact of mineral salt on water quality, and so on. The pace of receiving new knowledge of science and technology is in line with that of the world. Hong Kong, which has always attached great importance to creativity, is also combining boutique coffee with fine chocolate and craft beer to enhance the overall taste experience and infiltrate the lives of Hong Kong people from different angles.

Redemption of office workers in Central

Amber Coffee Brewery

Ding, ding, ding! The careless bell of the tram awakened the sleeping Central. While office workers are still sleeping on their vehicles, Amber Coffee Brewery owner Dawn Chen has been stationed in the store as usual, personally correcting coffee bean flavor and brewing settings, so that office workers start the day with a charming coffee smell.

Dawn, who has been stationed in the store for a long time, always brews every cup of coffee attentively and carefully. Photo / Guo Youyou

Central is a prime commercial location in Hong Kong. Whether it is a chain or an independent mode, there is a cafe in a few steps, and they have already accumulated their own regular customer base. The competition is so fierce that the new flag-planting Dawn not only holds the reputation of "fourth place in the World baristas Competition", but also provides high-quality and stable individual coffee, focusing more on the design style and interactive atmosphere of the restaurant. From the Italian European tiles just stepped on the store, the military blue ceramic tile copper bar, and even the Danish ceramic handmade coffee cups held in the palm of the hand, it is not difficult to see the fashionable design, so that the shop presents the same elite temperament as Central.

Long bar, shorten the distance between barista and guests, might as well order a single latte with clear pattern, and crisp horn crisp, while listening to the gentle Dawn tell his story, explore the wonderful and esoteric world of coffee. The concept of Coffee Bar in Europe and the United States is also introduced here. At six o'clock every night, the tungsten light gradually softens, accompanied by jumping off and brisk jazz music, and the drinks are replaced with selected wines, leading the drinkers into another world of deja vu and tipsy.

Tai Kok Tsui Golden tongue Baker

Craft Coffee Roaster

In recent years, Hong Kong coffee professionals have come to the fore on the international stage. Chen Tianle, the owner of Craft Coffee Roaster, who just won the 2017 World Cup Coffee Cup tester Competition (World Cup Tasters Championship), has no arrogance at all.

The itinerary of visiting the manor is the 'prize' to win the competition. This time I went to Brazil and visited more than a dozen manors in one breath. In addition to the cup test, I also saw with my own eyes the process of raw bean processing and ripening, and got to know Brazil's amazing raw beans. " Talking about the local news, A Le can't hide his excitement.

A Le, who is always meek and shy, has no pride of champion. Photo / Guo Youyou

After the competition and visit to the manor, he admitted that he felt an extra responsibility. "I don't just want to challenge myself, but I want to know more about the origin and the manor. In fact, farmers have no idea what customers think of their coffee. I hope to help them improve their production process, improve their quality and promote the development of the industry. " He revealed that he is working on writing a new batch of raw beans about the manor history, concept, climate, etc., so that more guests can understand the story of what is in the cup.

The main customers are all surrounding office workers, winning proud rankings. He laughs that it does not have much impact on the business, but is afraid that the landlord will use it to increase the rent. Looking back from the printing major to the runway to join the coffee industry, in order to expand the baked bean business, I gradually found that I had a keen sense of taste, but also fully experienced that it was not easy to find a balance between dream and reality. His trusted partner, Ah Hao, works with him to guard the store and provide high-quality medium-and shallow-baked SOE (Single Origin Espresso). He is looking forward to launching a single hand-brewed coffee discovered in Brazil at the end of the year, which will surely open the eyes of coffee fans.

The golden and heavy coffee oil is the best proof of Ale's medium-and shallow-roasted SOE quality. Photo / Guo Youyou

North Point shallow Baking Pioneer

Brew Note Coffee Roaster

"Hong Kong people always like espresso best." Hong Jiawei (Vincent), a Brew Note Coffee Roaster owner and baker rooted in North Point, shares his observation of opening the store for three years. Having been in the profession for seven years at the age of 26, he was determined to become a barista before graduating from high school. immediately after graduation, he was immersed in the fields of coffee brewing, raw bean roasting, cup test identification, and so on, relying on professional knowledge to accumulate the respect of his peers and customers.

Young Vincent coffee is rich in professional knowledge and has more ideas and action power. Photo / Guo Youyou

Brew Note, which just set up a roasting plant this summer, is a pioneer of shallow roasted coffee in Hong Kong. Vincent has been promoting shallow roasted coffee, not blindly chasing the fashionable Nordic roasting style, but focusing on preserving the sweetness of coffee beans and showing the interesting flavor of buried beans. He is good at figuring out the flavor of coffee: Apple pie, citrus jam, red bean paste, etc., allowing beginners to enter a kaleidoscope-like world. Recently, he made good use of the good relationship he established with raw bean merchants in his early days, introducing single beans from Panama and Guatemala, and making hand-brewed, cold-brewed coffee and earbags, respectively, to satisfy the novelty-seeking mentality of coffee fans.

Paintings by local painters are often exhibited, cultural lectures are held from time to time, and jazz musicians are invited to perform. This place can also be said to be one of the best in Hong Kong. In Brew Note, regular customers always huddle around the bar to share coffee, life and feelings with the family-like Vincent. Order a hidden version of cold coffee before dusk, hand-chiseled ice puck is cool and clear, under the reflection of the dim yellow tungsten lamp, the sweet fruit rhyme is as distant and profound as old whisky, and the leisure and sense of life rarely seen in Hong Kong can be enjoyed luxuriously here.

The philosophy of Aberdeen Brand

Sensory ZERO

"making coffee is only a basic skill." Said Alvin, one of the founders of sensory ZERO. When many employees delve into how to make fine coffee better, or bid for more limited raw beans, Alvin has already gone further and started to build a distinct brand image.

Hong Kong appraisal system is the motto of the brand. Alvin hopes to continue the brand through quality and reputation. Photo / Guo Youyou

Alvin, who majored in finance at the university, joined the largest catering group in Hong Kong and a famous international hotel group in charge of purchasing, brand development and expansion. He co-founded the "Taste Palace Carpenter" with Dixon, who has been a coffee professional for many years. After laying the foundation, he opened sensory ZERO in Wong Chuk Hang, Aberdeen.

With the withdrawal of Lane Crawford, the furniture display store, and the recent expansion of the space of the Huangzhukeng store, the large and tall space makes the sense of life even stronger. Photo / Guo Youyou

Alvin believes that details can bring uniqueness to the brand, including cups, uniforms and product packaging, and, more specifically, pressing the nozzles of French perfume bottles and sniffing the aromas of about 10 individual beans. In Hong Kong, sensory ZERO has a rare spacious and high space, with dazzling sunlight falling from floor-to-ceiling windows, allowing each guest to spend most of the day comfortably, lazily enjoying coffee and meals.

Although coffee has become very popular in Hong Kong in recent years, not many people know how to feel the flavor of caffeine. Alvin said. But he believes that there is no need to deliberately push boutique coffee, but as long as uphold the quality and credibility, good things can stand the test, and slowly get understood.