The Place

I had to travel a little further than my Wanchai base to find Amber; thankfully, this hot new coffee joint is right on the Ding Ding line.  Located on super busy Des Voeux  road mid point between Central and Sheung Wan, Amber Coffee Brewery could just about be the best coffee spot in Hong Kong.

A gilded sign in the window is the first clue that the place is very special, but your eyes are quickly drawn to the trophies that sit pride of place.  Two time Hong Kong Barista Champion Dawn Chan stands ready to make exquisite latte art; unsurprising since the young barista also placed 4th in the World Barista Championships.  His team of Jacky and Noddy just as adept.

There is a super modern feel to the place, all the shiny new equipment helps; but I loved the leather topped stools that have an Eames quality to them and were nice and comfy to perch on.

The friendly team at Amber are ready to chat anytime; and really live up to their motto:

“To make specialty coffee easy for everyone to understand, access, experience and to ENJOY!!!”

The Equipment

A shiny silver three group head VA388 Black Eagle Gravitech sat along side a jet black Mythos Plus grinder.  All the equipment was from World Barista Champion partners Victoria Arduino.

The Beans

All beans are sourced from small batch farms in Colombia and Brazil and then roasted locally in Hong Kong.  There is a plan to also secure some beans from Panama; so worth keeping an eye out for those.

The Package

Given that Amber Coffee Brewery is a little awkward for me to get to, I’ve been a surprising number of times since I recently discovered it.  The care and attention that goes into each and every coffee is clear and shows in the quality of the end product.  I really love the fine china cups that Amber uses; the white with black splotches are super classy.

On each of my visits, my lattes have been very, very consistent; on my most recent visit, there was a mild aroma that was earthy and complex.  The blend had a medium strong body and medium acidity and strong flavour profile.  The earthiness of the coffee sat on the palate nicely, giving a subtly sweet hit as well.  Needless to say, the milk was just the right temperature and prepared wonderfully.

Latte art was sublime and interesting, but that’s what you’d expect from a coffee joint run by a guy that’s placed 4th in the world barista championships.

The Rating

The Details

Where: G/F 140-142 Des Voeux Rd Central
Web: https://www.facebook.com/pg/ambercoffeebrewery
Cost: Reasonably placed for the Central location
Visit: Get in and visit, you won’t be disappointed