The Place

There is a concentration of great coffee joints in a little section of Sheung Wan and it’s easy to overlook one or two.  Why50HK was one of those spots that just didn’t register, largely due to the highly unusual name and the brand advertising on it’s front wall.  But once you notice the street art style logo, it’s almost impossible to miss from that point.

Walk up the stairs into Why50HK and you’re confronted with a fairly typical layout coffee joint, but the thing that draws the eye immediately is the beautiful Slayer Espresso machine, more a work of art than a piece of serious equipment.

Bench style tables are down the back for enjoying a cafe style meal and as you look, your eyes are drawn to a piece of art celebrating the Slayer.  Along one wall is an alpine scene that could be straight out of the North American Rockies, celebrating the region in which Why50Hk secures it’s beans.  Cool music plays in the background and the place feels cool while you wait for the baristas to prepare your brew.

The Equipment

A beautiful Slayer Espresso machine with two group heads and an old looking Mahlkonig EM 43 grinder that looked like it didn’t get much use.

 

The Beans

The weekend blend was from 49th Parallel coffee roasters where the  beans are sourced from Colombia, Ethiopia, Guatemala and Papua New Guinea and roasted in Vancouver.

The Package

The moment our lattes arrived I had a good feeling.  Presented in clear glasses, each latte had been made individually and were presented in near identical rosetta patterns.  There was a light and caramel aroma emanating from my coffee, which was promising.  My first sip proved difficult as the milk was too hot, taking a little sweetness away that had been promised by the aroma.

After letting my latte cool, I could pick up a very fruity flavour that had a strong body and medium acidity that left a lovely sweet aftertaste.  I did find the balance to be off, mainly on account of the initially hot milk removing some of the sweetness, but even so, the coffee was very nice.

My takeaway latte was quite different though, the milk temperature perfect, providing some much needed balance to the coffee.  Those fruity notes that I’d noticed were even sweeter, with a full body and a very sweet aroma.  In fact, my takeaway latte was just about perfect and was very yummy.

On both occasions, I didn’t notice or hear the barista freshly grind the beans, which led me to believe that they had been ground earlier in the morning.  I’d loved to have had a coffee with freshly ground beans, which may have been even nicer.

The Rating

The Details

Where: 27 Hillier Street, Sheung Wan
Web: https://www.facebook.com/Why50hk/
Cost: Reasonable
Visit: Change up your regular cafe for this one