18 Grams @ Sheung Wan

The Place

Right across from the A2 exit at Sheung Wan MTR station is one of the best little coffee spots in the area. 18 Grams is a specialty coffee joint and has a roaster attached to the business (coincidentally in my local hood at Wanchai – see post here).

The boys at 18 Grams take their coffee very seriously, regularly entering and winning the various barista championships around Hong Kong. The Sheung Wan outlet is pretty easy to find and has great street frontage, it’s reasonably large inside too, with room to sit down to enjoy your brew, along with a range of cafe style food also. It’s not what I’d call an uber spot though, with the fit out decidedly 80’s style with clear glass tables and bench chairs.

But I guess you’re not going there for the decor, it’s all about the coffee.

The Equipment

A la Marzocco linea classic single group head and a shiny new Sanremo Verona SED 2 Grp Espresso Machine; there’s also a couple of Anfim Super Caimano SCT Espresso Grinders.

The Beans

Secured from the 18 Grams Coffee Roastery Lab where they roast their selection of beans on site. Sourced from Guatemala, Kenya and Rwanda, the team look to secure organic beans from around the world.

The Package

I find it a bit weird seeing my lattes delivered in tall glasses, but this is how the team at 18 Grams present their lattes.

Setting aside appearances, my latte had a mild and nutty aroma with hints of caramel. With a medium light body and medium light acidity, the coffee was incredibly smooth and very drinkable. One thing about presenting in a glass was that I could see the beautiful light caramel colour of the latte. I watched my barista grind the beans fresh to order and perfectly prepare the milk to the right temperature. It wasn’t an overly strong coffee, but it was simply delicious and had a sweet caramel aftertaste that sat on the palate for some time.

My takeaway was made by a different barista, and while it still had some of the nice caramel flavour, the milk was prepared too hot, so there was a slight burnt taste that was not quite as pleasant.