Thursday 19 July 2012

Barista Jam, Hong Kong

Barista Jam, Hong Kong

Sheung Wan is an interesting neighbourhood - a slightly older area, with streets lined with traditional Chinese medicine shops and antique stores. It's a few streets away from Central, so there's an interesting juxtaposition of skyscrapers towering over small family owned shops, which have been around for years.

An interesting change is starting to occur - as the older shop owners retire and move on, new cafes and roasteries have started to open in their place. (Something similar is happening in Tiong Bahru in Singapore). A good example of this is Barista Jam, on Jervois Street - I found myself stepping over cuttlefish drying on the pavement in search of my morning espresso shot.



The espresso was lovely - the shot above had a more subtle flavour, and lacked the immediate bitterness that some shots have. The crema was a medium to dark brown, which is exactly what I'd expect to see in a roastery - it means that the beans are fresh, and roasted not too long ago. (A quick and easy test of coffee quality in a cafe - order a single espresso. Take a look at the crema - the darker, the better. If it's pale or white, the beans have been sitting on a shelf for far too long).


The Piccollo latte above was smooth, with a nice balance of flavour and smoothness. Interestingly, the foam lined the sides of the glass as I drank it - not something that I see in every cafe. The latte art was a nice touch, and the staff were happy to talk about the house blend used.

Caramelised Apple Tart

Slightly off topic for a coffee blog, but the food and desert menu deserves a mention. The deserts look fantastic - it's obvious that a lot of thought and effort has gone into the presentation. There's a good selection of deserts, salads and main courses - it's not surprising that I ended up stopping by most days. If I lived in Hong Kong (again), this would probably be my lazy Sunday morning with a book coffee place.

Barista Jam also has a very good selection of coffee machines and equipment upstairs - probably the best selection I've seen in any roastery or cafe so for in Hong Kong or Singapore.

Thanks to Melissa Chong for the recommendation - when a barista recommends a cafe, you know it's going to be good - this definitely was.

Wednesday 18 July 2012

The Hall Of Fame - Lattes, Part 1

The Hall Of Fame - Lattes, Part 1

Just occasionally, I have a craving for something other than espresso. A piccollo latte is never a bad option - it retains the intense flavour of a good espresso, but adds the smoothness of steamed milk foam. Unlike a regular latte, the coffee flavour is not lost - unfortunately, some cafes seem to forget this (franchise chains in particular), and end up serving warm caffeinated milk instead of coffee.

The piccollos (and regular lattes) below were fantastic, perfectly balanced combinations of flavour and texture. This is by no means an exhaustive list - for example, Oriole's Piccollo latte is superb, but unfortunately I don't have photo of it to post.  


Jimmy Monkey, One North Residences, Singapore


Papa Palheta, 140 Bukit Timah Road, Singapore


Maison Ikkoku, Kandahar Street, Singapore 

Again - by no means an exhaustive list, and one that I'll be updating over the coming weeks.

Tuesday 17 July 2012

18 Grams, Hong Kong

18 Grams, Hong Kong

It's been 2 years since my last visit to Hong Kong, and in that time a number of third wave cafes and roasteries have sprung up across the island. I had a chance to visit some of them last week, starting with 18 Grams, in my old neighbourhood - Causeway Bay.

The cafe itself is quite small, but that hasn't stopped 18 Grams from coming up with a good selection of coffees and deserts. The use of space is clever - a countertop along the outside of the cafe gives it the feel of an Italian stand up espresso bar, while the table and stools in the laneway outside remind me of a Hong Kong da pai dong, but with a contemporary feel. 

As for the staff, I noticed that they are quick to notice and to serve customers. They also know their product, suggesting a ristretto as a follow up after I had ordered an espresso - this may seem like a small detail, but it's one of many things that are done well at 18 Grams.




One of everything please

Their espresso shots had a gorgeous thick, syrupy mouthfeel, and lacked the bitterness that some shots impart. There was no burnt or oxidised flavour - this makes a huge difference - a burnt or oxidised flavour suggests that the roasting profile for the coffee beans in question is incorrect, or that the beans have been ground, stored in a non airtight container and left to oxidise for a period of time (something that I notice in shots from franchise chains). The lack of a burnt flavour is something that I associate with third wave cafes, or independent roasters - it's what separates average cafe's from really good ones. It means that the staff are paying attention to quality, rather than to quantity, and guarentees a return visit.




18 Grams is definitely a place that I would recommend, both for the standard of coffee and for the staff. They have since opened cafes in Mong Kok and Tsim Sha Tsui - two places that I plan on visiting on my next visit.