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The second café sat not too far
from our first destination. With branches
across Hong Kong, 18 Grams is one of the
most popular coffee brands on the island.
The branch we visited was a small 1 unit
shop with around 20 seats and a wide
range of quality coffee available. We or-
dered an espresso and the barista suggest-
ed a syphon if we wanted to try Hawaii’s
Kona coffee. Sadly, the coffee wasn’t as we
expected. The body was thin and it didn’t
have the sweetness we expected. Similarly,
the House Blend espresso was quite bitter
and unimpressive.
Knockbox

ly crowned Hong Kong barista champion, of coffee and go. Although, Coco Espresso
Dawn Chan, who normally returned to Wanchai is known for its latte art and
work the day after he was crowned. many baristas here are champions, their
N1 Coffee & Co. is filled with coffee is as good as other bigger shops in
Tiffany Blue, from the Tiffany blue Victo- the area.
ria Arduino Black Eagle espresso machine Cafe Corridor hides away in
and Tiffany blue Nuova Simonelli Mythos between tall buildings opposite Times
One coffee grinder to Tiffany blue coffee Square in Causeway Bay. You might have
cup and saucer. To our luck, we met El Au, to squeeze through the narrow entrance
the owner of N1 Coffee & Co and techni- a little to enter the café, but that’s not
cal judge in many competitions, and he all. Café Corridor is usually packed and
recommended the House Blend Espresso require a bit of a wait to get your order.
and Fifty - Fifty Blend Cappuccino. The In addition to house roasted coffee beans,
House Blend Espresso is a marriage be- Café Corridor also offers light snacks,
tween 2 different Ethiopian coffee beans, salad, sandwiches, and soup. I ordered a
resulting in fruity, berry character with “Magic”, double shot espresso and milk
a well-balanced acidity and sweetness. served in 4 oz. cup, and it was very rich
Beside coffee, the 15 seats café also serve with chocolate and nutty tones.
breakfast and homemade cakes. The Coffee Academics is the
On entering the tiny Coco only spacious café we visited. It felt like
Espresso Wanchai, you’ll notice the take- walking into a restaurant instead of a
away arrangement with few seats, tall café. Like we expected, The Coffee Aca-
tables, and a coffee bar. On the bar is the demics has a variety of food, sweet, and
La Marzocco GB5 espresso machine and pastry menus, and customers ordered
attractive Coco Espresso coffee beans from food and snacks more than coffee. With
18 Grams
origins around the world. The branch we ideal Causeway Bay location and the sign
Cupping Room, our third desti- visited attracts a lot of foreigners working which says you must order at least a cup
nation, is where many talented baristas in the area who would quickly get their cup of coffee or spend at least $HK 70, we
became the champion of Hong Kong
Barista Championship. The café primarily
order their coffee from US-based Sweet
Bloom Coffee Roasters to use in their
Wan Chai and Sheung Wan branches.
We visited the Wan Chai branch, which
also serve all-day breakfast and pastries.
Keeping up to our expectation, the coffee
was extraordinary! We ordered the Best
of Panama Geisha competition set which
included an espresso and a milk coffee.
During an unusual long wait, I noticed the
barista throwing away a couple of shots
until he was pleased with the result. How-
ever, the coffee was truly worth the wait.
It was delicious and precisely matched the
description on the tasting card. Similarly
great, the nitro coffee was extra smooth
and easy to drink. We also met the recent- Cupping Room
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