7 Hong Kong Boutique Cafes

Five years ago, if you wanted to find a good cafe in Hong Kong, the number would have been so small that you could count it with five hands. Now, there are so many quality cafes that you can count them with several pairs of hands. After the program "tasting Coffee" launched by TVB last year, Chen Hao published a very interesting guide to coffee in Hong Kong, which caused a coffee craze, and the general public learned to drink coffee. Compared with coffee shops in chain stores, which are just for convenience, it seems that more Hong Kong people tend to pursue more quality and distinctive boutique coffee.

So since last year, nearly a dozen boutique cafes have opened one after another. Some of the best cafes pay special attention to the quality of coffee, such as freshly roasted coffee, mixed coffee made from a variety of coffee beans, and single roasted coffee extracted from a single kind of coffee beans. Now Hong Kong is entering a new era of coffee, and these new cafes are the pioneers of boutique coffee.

We are glad to see that many exquisite boutique cafes have the courage to break the chain coffee shop model. Here are the seven boutique cafes in Hong Kong reported by CNN earlier:

Barista Jam

Barista Jam knew his boss was a coffee buff when he heard his name. There is a very professional La Marzocco coffee machine in the store, which operates constantly, and the brewing and filtering handles rotate alternately to brew selected coffee beans from all over the world. The talkative owner and barista-William always likes to brew milk coffee with mixed beans, and likes to mix it at will; the special coffee that guests drink in the store, with a sweet taste of milky foam, is very delicious and palatable. It is highly recommended to try Ristretto (HK$16) in this store to experience the true sweetness of Espresso (espresso). It turns out that espresso can drink well, while a small cup of Piccolo Latte (HK$21) will not let the milk overshadow the aroma of the coffee itself. If you want to chat with the barista, the Espresso bar in the store is the best location, and there are many seats on the second floor for quiet guests.

Address: shop D, G / F, 126128 Suhang Street, Sheung Wan / Tel: + 852 2854 2211

Seductive coffee Soulmate

Who would have thought that one of the best cafes in Hong Kong would be in the remote Kwai Fong? Hidden in a crowded shopping mall in a corner of Kwai Fong, Soulmate is a cafe so small that it has only a counter and a few high chairs. The rent saved is obviously spent on coffee lovers. A cup of Cappuccino only needs HK$19, which is definitely the best value for money coffee shop in Hong Kong. The coffee in the shop is baked by Coffee Assembly (Felix's Coffee Club). The taste is quite simple and easy to be accepted by the public. But compared with other coffee shops that use the same beans, Soulmate's baristas are meticulous, strict and careful. They brew Espresso perfectly and skillfully, and the temperature of the milk is just right, and the taste is so smooth that it can bring out the sweetness of coffee.

Address: shop C20, 2 / F, Kwai Chung Plaza, 7 Kwai Fu Road, Kwai Fong / Tel: + 852 6252 5551

Liujin Suiyue Cafe Golden

We must thank Raymond Tong, who turned an ordinary Hong Kong-style sandwich shop into a coffee shop loved by coffee fans. The shop uses a manual coffee machine, plus home-baked single-product espresso and delicious mellow Italian coffee beans used to make milk coffee, Raymond can be said to be at the right time, in the right place and with people. At the same time, he also took great pains to train every young barista, and all his efforts achieved successful results. Coffee é Golden's Cappuccino (HK$22), the milk foam is very fine and dense, although it is often too hot, it is still a good coffee. In addition, Tanzanian Peaberry espresso with a little fruit acidity is also highly recommended. After visiting the Jockey Club Creative Arts Center, go to Caf é Golden and sit on the outdoor balcony for a cup of coffee.

Address: room 05, 1 / F, Jockey Club Creative Arts Centre, 30 Pak Tin Street, Shek Kip Mei / Tel: + 852 2408 8255

Caff è Essenza

A boutique coffee shop has finally emerged in Kwun Tong, allowing artists and office workers working there to get rid of the new choices of Starbucks and McCaf é. Felix Wong from Coffee Assembly and Caf é Corridor opened the flu-ridden coffee shop in the lobby of Chengdong Zhi Phase I last year. The interview group tasted the HK $14 Ristretto, which tasted excellent: the coffee gave off a very smooth, tender, bitter and sweet flavor, leaving a little acidity in the mouth after drinking it. Latte (HK$24) has a very beautiful flower pull, but Coffee Blend is a bit ordinary and does not very well echo with milk. The appearance of the coffee shop is very bright, the minimalist style is injected with eye-catching red, very eye-catching, but only offers two tables.

Address: G / F, Shing Tung Chi I, 100 how Ming Street, Kwun Tong / Tel: + 852 2950 0130

Forest Bird

Staunton Street has always been famous for its bars and trendy restaurants, and coffee has never been in this area, so Forest Bird on this street can be said to be a surprise. Forest Bird is a cafe that combines fashion and coffee. The front half of the store is a small Espresso bar, while the second half is surrounded by lovely glass walls to form a balcony area. The interview team went to the store exactly two weeks after their opening, and we had a great taste of Cappuccino (HK$36). The Italian barista in the store is very talkative and just moved to Hong Kong from Italy a few months ago. He makes coffee in a way that, as expected, favors the traditional Italian taste, using the famous Australian coffee with only a little foam on it. The coffee in this house is really delicious, but because the price is a little high, we can only pray in our hearts that it can continue to survive.

Address: G / F, 39 Soho Stanton Street, Central / Tel: + 852 2810 1166

Oscar's Espresso Bar

Oscar's has several good conditions: 1. Located on the busy and noisy Wellington Street, this is a coffee shop where you can relax. They have professionally trained, highly skilled baristas and coffee beans baked by Sydney's famous Pable & Rusty. Unfortunately, the Espresso quality of Oscar's is not stable; perhaps it is because the freshness of coffee beans changes too much, or because of the use of an unselected coffee machine. However, although their Espresso is sometimes a little too bitter and sour, the Cappuccino (HK$30) they drink in Oscar matches well in the ratio of coffee to milk. With a little adjustment and more attention to the selection of coffee beans, Oscar's has the potential to become one of the best cafes in Midtown.

Address: 85-89 Wellington Street, Central / Tel: + 852 3486 4986

Cook Light

Cook Light is a coffee shop and vegetarian restaurant that never sells meat. Judging from their slogan "Go veggie", we can see that they attach great importance to vegetarianism. The taste of their special coffee is quite rich and smooth, and the milk foaming and temperature are well controlled. The quality of Espresso is unstable, sometimes good and bad, but I heard that as the coffee shop itself gradually stabilized, the situation also improved a lot. Their problem is that the storefront is too small; when people from the Quarry Bay office pour out, they simply can't find a place where they can drink coffee. Fortunately, a Cook Light takeout cup of Latte or Cappuccino is just a HK$19.