Hong Kong's Most Unique Coffees

Pause It sources beans from Ethiopia and Colombia and its java tends to have a strong citrus aroma. As well as serving coffee with great flavour, the baristas here use natural colourings to spice up your coffee. The most spectacular looking, and our favourite, is the charcoal latte, which has been a huge hit on Instagram. Less strong on the caffeine but also noteworthy are the café’s purple taro and red velvet lattes.

Cheung Chau has long been a street food paradise but these days, cool cafés are an increasing attraction on the outlying island. One of the most famous is Valor, where you can get a coconut ice-dripped coffee served within a young coconut. The fruity goodness of the coconut and the lightly roasted java make for a delightful combo.

Although Sham Shui Po isn’t as well known for its coffee as much as its cheap electronics, Cafe Sausalito exists as a mecca for the district’s caffeine addicts. On the menu, you’ll find all the usual suspects, but this cooler-than-thou spot also serves up the Cucumberano – a cucumber flavoured coffee and soda water concoction. It’s instantly refreshing.

If you want a different texture rather than flavour, Smoko, in Fortress Hill, is one of the few places in Hong Kong that serves tap coffee. Infused with nitrogen, this chilled brew, with its liberal layer of foam on top, comes out looking like a pint of Guinness. Super smooth, it has a particularly silky mouthfeel.

If you want to discover what all the fuss is about regarding cheese-topped coffee, which recently emerged out of Taiwan, here’s where to go. A cosy nook in Kowloon City, Rings offers a selection of cheese milk-covered drinks – basically, beverages served beneath a layer of cream cheese – including a special tonic coffee cover. If that sounds weird, rest assured, the head provides a surprising saltiness that nicely balances any sweetness.

The craze for all things avocado is still alive and kicking in Hong Kong and this could well be the peak of it all. The epitome of hipster – even though the drink was originally created as satire back in Australia – the avolatte at Athletic Juice and Espresso Bar is pretty much what it sounds like – a latte served in a mostly hollowed out avocado skin. Because who needs a proper cup, right?