#WhatGeorgeEats: 2020 Coffee in Review

Intro

“If I am not in a cafe, I am on the way to the cafe,” says famous Austria writer Peter Altenberg, and his favorite coffee shop is the historic Cafe Central in Vienna.

I’m a coffee lover too. I’m lucky to live in Hong Kong because Hong Kong is like the Vienna in Asia — we are never short of good coffee shops. This post serves as a year in review for the ten most memorable coffee shops I enjoyed in 2020, from Omotesando Koffee, which already closed its original shop in Tokyo but decided to expand into Hong Kong, to local coffee lovers’ favorites like Winstons Coffee.

Add oil! Life is good because we love good coffee.

Fineprint

Fineprint’s co-founders came to Hong Kong from Australia and they quickly made their reputation in the coffee community here. Currently Fineprint has two branches, in Central and Tai Hang. If you don’t like big chains like Starbucks or Pacific Coffee, Fineprint is definitely the place to go — perfect reminiscent of the more friendly Australian style café and you can always get an avocado toast with your coffee.

Omotesando Koffee

People say that no visit to Japan is complete, without having visited Omotesando Koffee. Following the closure of their original shop in the Omotesando area of Tokyo, the cult coffee bar has expanded into Hong Kong this year. The most iconic Omotesando coffee is its iced Cappuccino — yes, you must ask for the iced one and you will know why it is special. (Hint: Cappuccino is usually made hot only.)

Blue Bottle

Blue Bottle needs no introduction. It’s known as the “coffee of Silicon Valley”. If you visit San Francisco, you can’t miss Blue Bottle. After its first-time expansion into Asia in Japan, this American boutique coffee chain finally got its footprint in Hong Kong. Its HK shop is located in the Soho area, right next to the famous Central–Mid-Levels escalator, which is the world’s longest outdoor escalator. My favorite at Blue Bottle is always Flat White. Price wise, I can tell you it’s more or less the same as in San Francisco. Well, both SF and HK are known as the world’s two most expensive cities for living. Not a surprise to anyone!

Cafe Leitz

OK. I know I’m biased. As a long-time fan of Leica cameras, how can I miss its namesake cafe in Hong Kong? Housed in the first Leica flagship store in Hong Kong in Causeway Bay, one of the world’s busiest shopping areas, Cafe Leitz is a coffee and lifestyle concept co-created by the guys behind Interval Coffee Bar. Expect a creative menu featuring a range of coffees – including speciality brews like the espresso lime tonic – as well as Hong Kong-style snacks.

Winstons Coffee

Winstons Coffee is many local coffee lovers’ favorite. Ranked as one of Asia’s top 50 coffee shops, Winstons is an independent coffee shop founded by 3 British men when they couldn’t find a store in Hong Kong that ticked all the boxes, there was always something missing. All they wanted was a killer coffee, in a friendly environment, served up by people who actually genuinely care about the customer. Its shop in Kennedy Town is quite an Instagram-friendly place. I love to have a selfie in front of the shop — sometimes with the big sign behind me, which says “We love Hong Kong.”

18 Grams

Currently Hong Kong has five cafes on the list of Asia’s top 50 coffee shops. This is the No. 27 in Asia and one of the top five in Hong Kong — 18 Grams, which roasts their own signature blend to keep all their coffee smell and taste very fresh. This coffee chain has several branches including one in Sheung Wan and another inside Times Square. In my previous life when I worked for the South China Morning Post in Causeway Bay, the Times Square shop of 18 Grams was my go-to place. A lot of good chats and memories there with my colleagues and friends. It’s more than just coffee. It’s always about the people and memory, isn’t it?

Barista by Givrés

Technically speaking, this one is more than a coffee shop. It’s an ice cream shop too. Even better, right? Barista by Givrés is on the corner of Staunton/Shelley Street, just off the famous Central–Mid-Levels escalator. Be sure to try its signature handcrafted Rose Affogato or Floating Rose. They are just perfect for Instagram photos. I think Barista by Givrés definitely confirms one thing — coffee and Ice Cream are the perfect match!

Halfway Coffee

Hong Kong is the paradise for coffee lovers We have five of Asia’s top 50 cafes in Hong Kong. This one (aka “半路咖啡” in Chinese) in my neighbourhood is not on the list (yet) but I like it. The paper cup is modelled on the very traditional Chinese tea pot and now you can drink coffee with it.

NOC Roastery

Also ranked on the list of Asia’s top 50 cafes, NOC Roastery is a fast-growing local chain with several branch shops mainly scattered on the Hong Kong Island. Its in-house signature choice of coffee is called “Dirty” (pictured), which is hot expresso into cold milk. It’s stronger than latte. At NOC, you can also have different choices of coffee beans for your own black coffee.

Preface Coffee

Last but not the least, I want to take the opportunity to thank and introduce a special coffee shop in Hong Kong that is worth your support — Preface Coffee. This year Facebook partnered with Preface Coffee for a meaningful project, the “World Size Coffee” for 2020 Good Causes Day, which celebrated its 5th anniversary this year. Now you can drink coffee, ship love, and contribute to a good cause. Read our story here in local media (Chinese only).

As we began to think about how the Covid-19 pandemic may have certain long-term impact on our work, life, and society, we quickly realised, in consultations with many of our NGO partners, mental health would be a key “side effect” problem facing Hong Kong, especially the youth. Hence we launched the #HearForYou campaign during the pandemic. Thanks to our friends and partners Tommie Lo and Stephen Chung (one of Hong Kong’s brightest ad men), we successfully launched the “World Size Coffee” project at Preface Coffee in Tin Hau. It’s more than a coffee shop as the parent of Preface Coffee is Preface Coding. Sounds like a perfect match of coffee and technology?

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