Whether you’re working from home or self-isolating, your favourite coffee shop may feel miles away. Read up for some tips on how to recreate the experience at home until the next time you venture out
A cup of coffee means many different things, depending on who you ask. For some, it’s jet fuel to kickstart the day—a bang-for-buck caffeine injection, spewed at the touch of a button and a mechanical whirr while your eyelids still droop. For others, it represents a certain feeling of hygge—a cheeky afternoon break, perhaps enjoyed in tandem with a baked treat, to jolt oneself out of a lull in productivity. And let’s not forget Hong Kong’s myriad coffee shops—little buzzing oases spinning locally roasted beans into silky flat whites and bracing single origin pour-overs, where conversations both sobering and frivolous thrive over mugs clutched in the hands of kindred spirits.
These days, visits to the cafe are few and far in between, not to mention inadvisable—in the eyes of the authorities, anyway—in a time of social distancing. Coupled with the fact that many of us are working from home, it’s quite possibly the best time to pick up some coffee brewing skills to bring that café feeling closer.
You’ll find that there is a true sense of reward in prepping a high-quality cup of coffee at home—much like baking your own sourdough, or making other simple foods from scratch, there is a calming, almost meditative quality to carving out some time to create something we used to take for granted. When we eventually return to a semblance of normality, brewing your own coffee will be second nature. But don’t forget to go back and support your favourite coffee shops when all is said and done.
Bean To Brew
Much like getting the best quality produce before you cook, sourcing the right beans will elevate your cup. Forget the flavourless packs that have been sitting on the supermarket shelves for an indeterminate amount of time and head straight to—or order online from—a local independent roastery or cafe that sells high-quality beans. Do yourself a favour and refrain from asking the barista to pre-grind the beans for you—it’s a surefire way to lose maximum flavour in the shortest amount of time possible as the coffee oxidises.
Urban Coffee Roaster has a wide range of beans available, packed in eco-friendly tins that can be refilled at your next visit, as well as cans of cold brew coffee.
At Coco Espresso, beans are roasted on Mondays and Tuesdays and will be sent out on Wednesdays for the freshest cup. They also sell coffee making equipment, including filters, gooseneck kettles and ceramic drippers.