Posted by
Claire
19 yrs ago
1. Yes
Is someone going through withdrawal effects? When you've recovered, I'll suggest a couple of places.
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I heard that there was a guy at top of Old Bailey St who sold freshly roasted beans. Not sure if they are single estate or not. Might be worth checking out
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Cruel? Kind? Cruel? Kind? Hmmmm...
You could try the Coffee Farm in Wong Chuk Hang, Ethopian Coffee Chain in Wanchai or that mecca for coffee lovers - Macau... Cafe Honolulu (drink the stuff) and Tan Heong San (imports, etc. the green beans) are part of the same group.
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Maybe this is a bit dated but I get my coffee from hkcoffee. It seems to fit Sigga's requirement/question.
Their coffee are freshly roast when you order, minimum 100g. I usually visit the store, pick the bean and wait for 30 minutes as they roast it "on the spot." They also offer delivery service.
Here is the website
http://www.hkcoffee.com/
While the website is mostly in Chinese, they speak English. I suggest you call them up or visit their store for more info.
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Onemorething!
My favorite coffee place on earth is Monmouth Coffee! Especially the one in Borough market, I miss that place so much...
Should try your recommendation, thanks!
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How bout the coffee beans from Starbucks or Pacific Coffee....I think they are just fine
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>onemorething: Hope you enjoy it. Which beans that you get? Also, would appreciate if you could let me know how you like the coffee.
The operators of HKcoffee are more of coffee lovers than businessmen, IMHO. They have been focusing on people who can only read Chinese so I guess they really miss the boat on this website. I hope this will help them stay in business so that I will have some decent place to get coffee.
Carmine, I used to be a die-hard Starbucks fan though I don't like both the bean and the attitude of persons I came to contact with at Pacific Coffee a while back. In HK, according to my limited experience, Zambra in Wanchai (not the counter in Pacific Place) tastes the best among coffee places.
While most coffee aficionados will say both places do not have a good coffee due to the staleness of any bean more than 1 month after the roasting, I agree with you and think they all taste fine. However, the freshly roasted bean, ie within couple of weeks or, even better, within one week, tastes better.
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onemorething, I agree with you that Starbucks taste better than Pacific Coffee though some friends of mine think the opposite.
I'm just an entry level guy to coffee so I don't really have no indepth comment regarding the impact of the freshness of the bean. However, I was sort of realized it a bit a while back when I felt a difference between locally roasted bean to reputable national chain bean. Also, I caught changes over time on the taste of Starbuck's espresso based coffee...
For the wrong order, my guess is that it could be partly due to the communication, ie languagewise. Maybe put it in writing will help.
On the sustainability, this is questionable. I don't know whether they have anything to support them apart from coffee business. Also, the price they charged seem high but is in the acceptable range for me considering the location which is rather convenient for my pickup.
The small roast capacity could be due to the startup phase of the business. I was told they were in business for about 6 months.
If they charge enough and have a decent size of followers, they may survive. I remember they told me that they are the only one in HK that do the roast to order thing. While I don't see their numbers, I think the business model is quite interesting, considering the increasing awareness of the quality of coffee in HK.
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One of the best coffees in HK is at Eat Right Cafe, SOHO. They serve and sell Arabica coffee beans from Toby's Estate - Victoria Australia. Not sure how much the beans cost per packet tho, I just noticed them for sale the other day.
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>>From Carmine
How bout the coffee beans from Starbucks or Pacific Coffee....I think they are just fine>>
Now that I have had the freshly roasted coffee for about two months, I can send the difference when I'm back to a cup of Starbucks. Lots of things were missing in Starbucks' cup that I don't enjoy it like it was before. Guess, I'm spoiled now!
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For a suprisingly good cup try the (Lilly ?Italian brand )at olivers super sandwiches -its a great strong flavour and non-bitter-i did try going back to starbucks but really is very watery and tastes like "international roast"brand instant ,pacific coffee also is just not as "addictive" as i found the olivers coffee-try each one for a few days and it's a good way to compare -i thought so much was just bashing big companies as an easy target with starbuck but it's true it really is crap coffee-not that it seems to affect their sales i notice from the packed stores!
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2006
19 yrs ago
It's all personal taste, of course, but the best expresso beans imho are at Graeco-Egyptian Coffee at 24 Old Bailey Street, Central (that's the top of Old Bailey St, near the Caine Road intersection). The elderly owner, Mr Ho, started there as an apprentice in his teens and still roasts the beans in antique machines himself.
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Thanks for the advice on Illy brand onemorething -i might go and see the old codger at Greco Roman coffee and give some real coffee a try though i think i don't need a new addiction.
-actually my standard for coffee is pretty low as i was previously drinking instant powdered "International Roast" brand but one day i mixed it up with a cup full of dishwater and found the dishwater tasted better,
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hkkm
19 yrs ago
I know that fresh roasted beans are best, but I live in Tai Po and only get into Central one evening a week. I barely have time to go to Oliver's, let alone up Old Bailey Street. So for those of us who don't have time to be gourmets, any suggestions as to who sells the best stale coffee?
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You can order from www.hkcoffee.com
For 100g (around $30-40), they'll charge $4 for mailing and take one day delivery. I think it's reasonable vs. picking up by yourself though you may want to visit the place for the first time to see and get to know the shop.
Also, you can consult the shop how to start, ie what kind of coffee may fit your taste, instrument that you might need to have, ie grinder, different brewing method. These equipment including hand grinder and either french press or drip brew should set you back by HK$200-300
BTW, this is a freshly roasted coffee, ie roasting just when you order!
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I agree with onemorething about Zambra in WanChai. Relatively fresh even the drip brew coffee.
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Yes zambra in wanchai should be a safe bet. Buying any coffee from department stores will be risky as turnover is low and stocks sit for ages. I think the expiration date is a requirement of the store not supplier.
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Has anybody ordered the roasted coffee from justjava www.justroasters.com ? Can you share our experience?
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Thks, onemorething.
I have no doubt about his expertise in coffee but wonder how it will turn out for retail customer services as it's my understanding that he focuses more on commercial/business side. Also, pricewise, it's about the same as hkcoffee.com.
Will let you know my experience as I just placed an order for his roasted bean.
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Do all of you use bottled water for coffee making?
I do but I just can't seem to get my coffee brewing right. I've resorted to just ordering it out.
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I try Watson water before and coffee tasted rather flat. Watson water is "distilled", according to its label, which, to me, contains very little mineral. I read via most coffee website as it always suggest to use filtered water - ie Brita or Waterpik, mostly to minimize chlorine and left mineral in there that was supposed to enhance the taste. Of course, you can splurge on the water system.
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I provide an update to my previous post on the experience I had by ordering freshly roasted coffee from Mr. Paul Pratt's justroasters.com
Overall impression:
- Good. Highly recommended for freshly roasted coffee bean in addition to hkcoffee.com
- The service here is rather professional vs. hkcoffee.com. The latter, however, is friendly and more approachable to me. But I would say both are great but different style and character.
Delivery
1. The coffee was delivered on Friday as requested
2. The delivery package is a plastic wrap around a plastic bag, kinda like recycled bag which can be kept for other uses. Nice
Coffee: Costa Rica Monte Crisol – Stated on justroasters.com website as its current favorite.
1. Even before I cut open the bag, there is a nice sweet fragrance of freshly roasted coffee.
2. Coffee is fresh, no question considering ton of foam when I brew the coffee via both French press and paper drip brew
3. I prefer a lighter roast profile than what Just Java sent to me. The roast level seems to be full city or full city+, judging from some smoky taste, lots of gas/foam when brewed even after two days of roasting.
4. Nevertheless, it went very well with milk and even be able to stand up after I added sugar. Great for people who loves coffee that way as I once preferred.
To be improved:
- No roasting date on the bag
To me, the roasting date is one of the important features that distinguish great freshly roasted coffee from just other locally roasted coffee places. Even though I know the coffee was roasted on last Wednesday afternoon, it would be nice to put it on the bag as I may forget.
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Another coffee roaster I found a while ago but just had a chance to get to them is www.coffeeassembly.com
In all, coffeeassembly is another great freshly roasted coffee place running by proprietor Felix Wong, who is very friendly and knowledgeable. The business geared more toward commercial/wholesale but he also welcomes retails. More details below
I classified coffeeassembly somewhere in the middle of hkcoffee and just-java and should provide a good complement for both coffee place as
1. It offers both green and roasted bean like hkcoffee.com but the varieties is much less than hkcoffee but much more than just-java.
2. The bean varieties are somewhat different from hkcoffee so this is a good complement.
3. As coffeeassembly focuses more on wholesale/commercial side, the website has little detail on how to order. The initial contact may be somewhat awkward and slow but I think it’s worth it, particularly after you drink his coffee.
Coffee: Felix Wong suggested two of his favorites, Kenya and Papua New Guinea. I picked ½ lb of Kenya Peaberry.
1. Kenya is famous for its acidity. Don’t confuse it with the sour coffee that is mostly due to too low brewing temperature. It’s more like acidity in wine.
2. This Kenya tastes great and exceeds my expectation and past experience with Kenya. To me, Felix Wong, strikes a great balance on his roasting profile and the intrinsic quality of this prized bean. The favor is just right, to me. Its famous acidity is well balanced with some roast undertone which tastes beautifully for both drip and French press.
Delivery:
- Felix Wong indicated that he can use speedpost for delivery which cost less than the typical local courier he used. I will try this delivery service next time.
To be improved:
- Roasting date on the package is Jun 25, 07, approximately one week ago. While this is well within the typical peak flavor period of 2 weeks after roasting for drip and French press, my window to enjoy the coffee will be less as I’m a rather slow drinker.
- This could be due to our schedule conflict, ie the time I can go pickup and his timing. From meeting with him in person, I believe that this will improve for future orders.
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You can get beans from coffeeassembly.com now in Central
Here's the address
6 Elgin Street
Tel: 2858 8153
This is a retail shop so they serve espresso based drink and some food too.
Quite small but cozy. I consider this cafe one of the best on Hong Kong side.
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I've been getting fantastic freshly roasted coffee from www.lionrockcoffee.com
The web site has a count-down timer, so you know when the next roast will be.
The freshly roasted beans are immediately sealed in one of those "breather" type zip-lock bags that you can re-seal once you've cut the top off (if you know what I mean). Anyway, the coffee is posted straight after roasting - with the roasting date stamped on the label, so if anything it's too fresh!
I use my old faithful, fully manual, La Pavoni to espress a lovely, nutty, syrupy coffee with a thick golden crema!! YUM!! (Darn good value too!)
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