When it comes to coffee in Hong Kong, there's good news and there's bad. On the negative side, cafe culture isn't as entrenched and vibrant as hyper-caffeinated cities such as Seattle and Melbourne.
Asia is certainly finding its groove with caffeine.
This is about trained coffee makers - baristas - treating their pursuit like a science experiment and using high-end machines to tease the finest of flavours from roasted coffee beans.
It sounds simple. Hot water is forced through tightly packed ground beans at a high pressure. Warm or frothy milk might be added to the extracted result.
The difference between an average and an outstanding coffee - one that might, say, win its maker a top rank in the World Barista Championship - is the result of extremely small changes, says Craig Simon, Australia's reigning barista champion and fourth placed in the world.
