The Place

Amongst the hustle and bustle of Tsim Sha Tsui, there are a surprising number of quiet spots where, if you can find them, hide little gems.  Green Door Cafe was a little hard to find, even with my ever handy Google Maps, but after a few false starts I managed to weave my way around the backstreets of TST and came across one of the smaller and more unique cafes in Hong Kong.

Once on the right street, it’s easy to see why the cafe has it’s name, no messing about, there is a big green door that houses a tiny little cafe with only enough room for a handful of people to sit.  Apart from the striking green facade, it’s a pretty simple and utilitarian space, not much to decorate the walls, very plain tables and chairs and that’s about it.

The Equipment

Looking more like a work of art than a full  blown espresso machine, Green Door Cafe has a Kees van der Westen Speedster; more of a really good home espresso machine than a commercial machine.  There were a couple of commercial grinders though; a Mazzer mini and a Compak K6 professional grinder.

The Beans

A couple of specialty blends, roasted in HK specially for Green Door Cafe; blend one from South Africa and blend two from South America.

The Package

I was a little surprised that there was not a proper commercial machine, but I had to admit, the single grinder Speedster espresso machine was a beautiful looking piece of kit that would be at home in the most stylish of kitchens.  But would a semi professional machine make a difference to the coffee?

There was a mild caramel aroma from my latte which didn’t translate into a super sweet coffee; the milk was a little over heated and some of the natural sweetness was burnt away, leaving a slightly burnt aftertaste from the latte.  There was a medium body, but a very high acidity leaving the coffee a little out of balance.  I found that the creama was too thick on the latte, meaning that the milk hadn’t been poured effectively, probably adding to the burnt flavour of the coffee.

My takeaway coffee was much better, the milk prepared at the right temperature and the pour much better, leaving a sweet, well balanced coffee.  The takeaway cup was pretty small though, leaving me wanting a bit more.

The Rating

The Details

Where: 3 Granville Circuit Tsim Sha Tsui
Web: https://www.facebook.com/greendoorcoffee/
Cost: Pretty Cheap
Visit: Just to view that beautiful Speedster espresso machine