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Ways to Make Perfect Coffee

The Young Reporter (2006, December), 39(03), pp. 8.
Author: Pheobe Cheng Ming-ting. Editor: Kowin Chau Ka-ki.
Permanent URL - https://sys01.lib.hkbu.edu.hk/bujspa/purl.php?&did=bujspa0015640

■PHEOBE CHENG MING-TING

Mocha, latte, cappuccino, espresso have probably become daily necessities in this largely ethnically Chinese society. While Starbucks may seem to be enjoying a monopoly, small-scale operations are striving to do small but good business.

Fiona Cheung runs a cafe in Tsim Sha Tsiu. Unlike chain outlets, there are not many choices on its drinks menu. But Ms Cheung said the quality of their coffee was their signature offer.“We aim at making the best coffee first. Make it as professional as it can be.” Before she started the business last February, Ms Cheung said she went to Italy for a coffee course.

“A good coffee is a combination of fresh and well grounded coffee beans, suitable water temperature, and a skillful and passionate barista,” Ms Cheung said, adding that a cup of good coffee should not be bitter even if no sugar was added.

Milk was often steamed to about 80 degree Celsius in some chain outlets, but Ms Cheung said 65-70 degree Celsius would do.“If it is too hot, the sweetness of milk would be destroyed. A cup of good latte or cappuccino should be warm and with thick foam.”

“Drink the coffee immediately after it is ready. The first mouthful is always the best. Don’t wait too long before it gets cool. Hong Kong people tend to sit down and drink coffee slowly, but it is not the case in Italy,” Ms Cheung said, noting that the Italians would just stand and drink and then leave.

Mr Felix Wong was also keen on making good coffee. Mr Wong owns a cafe in Causeway Bay and had worked at a cafe in Australia. Today, Mr Wong teaches at “Coffee Institute” and he also sells coffee beans.“Whether a latte or cappuccino is good or not depends very much on the espresso (coffee). Whether the espresso is good or not depends very much on the coffee beans.”

Mr Wong always encouraged other to make their own coffee.“Brewing coffee can be very simple.” He gives coffee classes and workshops at his institute. “People can learn how to make coffee at home in some very simple ways. And I’ll teach them what to pay attention to when making coffee.”

At Mr Wong’s classes, a student could learn to control the darkness of the coffee bean by controlling the roasting process — a process which turns coffee beans from green to brown or blackish. “Choose your coffee bean, roast it, ground it, then you can make your own coffee. You can control every element which affects the quality the coffee you are drinking.”

Mr Chow, a client of Mr Wong’s said, “The coffee bean sold here is fresher. As Felix always says, if we brew our own coffee, we can participate in the process. It makes a big difference.”

By teaching people how make coffee and drink it, Mr Wong hoped more in Hong Kong would know more about coffee. “I named my business as Coffee Institute because I hope this will be a gathering place for people who want to know more about coffee,” he said. “I am going to hold gatherings and seminars which are opened to the public here on Sundays at a specific time. I hope this can be a platform for people interested in coffee to drink, share, investigate, and discuss coffee.”

But not everyone cared. Windy Yeung, an office worker who would go to large chain cafes regularly, said, “Very often I don’t even know the name of the coffee I am buying. When I go to a cafe, I would just describe the taste of the drink I like and then the barista would make me one. As long as it is tasty, who cares what it is made of, or where it is from.”

Edited by KOWIN CHAU KA-KI

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