Coco Espresso  

Everytime my customer (also a good friend) come over to Hong Kong, we will go for some coffee. He, being a coffee sales + barista in Latvia, loves Hong Kong coffee culture. He says the coffee culture in Latvia is very commercialised, people drinks only Starbucks and even some barista does not care about coffee. Anyway, this time we went to CoCo Espresso.

I don't drink coffee (I know, I'm weird), but I love sandwiches. I just moved to Sheung Wan and I figured I'd give this place a go. My executive summary is: don't go here for a sandwich.

My wife ordered the vegetable sandwich, because she wanted avocado. It was supposed to come with cheese (according to the menu) but instead it came with Kraft singles (we saw them unwrapping the "processed cheese food" from our table). That's just... I'm speechless.

I ordered a club sandwich. What would you guess was on my club sandwich? Turkey? No. Bacon? No. It had ham, pastrami, a fried egg and some wasabi mayo. It wasn't terrible... it just wasn't a club sandwich. And it wasn't all that good either.

The iced tea came with lemonade in it. It didn't warn you about that on the menu.

Don't go here for sandwiches. Chez Meli Melo is like a block away and is way better. *Way* better.

Final score: D

The new and improved Coco Espresso!!!The newly decorated shop was more open/airy with all the poster on the window taken down it looks much more tidy and welcome vs. the old homey style... Both are comfortable but this new one is like brushing up a bit so it looks kinda 'refreshing'... That seemed to fit with Coco Espresso's spirit that seemed to brighten up and talked more. Apart from the decoration, what goes into the cup was also received a lot of attention too while the opening hour was extended to 6PM... This is a nice moveThe Cappuccino I had was better than what I had before on the texture. Richer and more velvety. The temp, what are you talking about? This is Coco Espresso's milk drink so we don't need to worry about it at all... The secret is lower temp and the temp last longer with cup's choice... Look normal/mundane but this is a finer detail lots of cafe over look with all those super duper fancy cup and forget to have a decent thick enough cup to keep the temperature of the liquid last longer, making super duper hot drink unnecessary and one could enjoy the goodies in the milk at the temp was kept at the optimal point.. Way to go Coco Espresso!!!

However, the coffee base was not what it was and what I like. I was taken aback with a strong and forward roasty and chocolate tone in the cup with a very clear hint of sumatra in the cup, ie bolder big body than what it was... Not a good one for me as it seemed to interfere the sweetness and distract me from the sublime velvety body in milk... Too good of a thing?With a new grinder, I can easily get a layer of taste in each sip as if I have almost a different cup with each sip. The syrupy body ending was like a nice kiss goodbye teasing me toward the end of the cup and making me wanting more. Coco's new grinder happened to be conical burr Eureka very similar to Barista Jam. Apart from that, the loan unit of La Marzocco Linea which has a lot of history in there offers a nice and round cup which I like and seemed to be typical signature from Linea. There is no 'digital' feel, ie all the tasting note stick out like a sore thumb like when Coco just changed its grinder to Eureka. This is an overall improvement vs the old Coco and I can't wait for the new machine to arrive which will be the new Linea machine. Meanwhile, I expect barista at Coco Espresso to be very familiar with its new espresso machine when the new Linea is installed.

There has been an explosion of cafe openings in Hong Kong during the last 1-2 years, and having tried almost all of them already (but haven’t had the opportunity to review, I mean it only took me 2 years to blog about this place!), I found a lot of these late starters to be of very high quality and nearly right up there with the best of the world! One of the latest surprises has been Unar Coffee, which does a very deathly milk-based coffee which is highly addictive and comes with the prettiest latte art, although espresso wise its remains a bit too old-world and fluctuates depending on beans batch and freshness.

Barista Jam around the corner from here is of course considered the Mecca of all Cafes in Honng Kong. But the nearby ones such as Sidewalk Caffe, Caffe MyMy, Cafe Loisl, Fuel Espresso, Coffee Assembly. Le Moment, Cafe Sashay etc, are also worthy contenders in this part of town!

Johnson makes one of the most addictive Caffe Latte's with a smooth creamy milk and an aromatic coffee base, and for me, better than his Cappuccino too! The Espresso meanwhile is also of the highest standards, despite Johnson's Espresso Machine to be slightly lacking compared to his potential skills! KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK, COCO ESPRESSO !

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Original Review @

http://foodofhongkong.blogspot.com/2011/02/coco-espresso-34.html

to-go latte, the size is very small.. barely any foam. another $22.

... if i wanted below average coffee and sandwich, i could have gone to Starbucks for less than $52. not great value for the money.. don't recommend it.

Coco Espresso was the first cafe I wrote on openrice as this is the first standalone cafe that I'm really impressed overall.

Services:
Friendly, proactive and helpful.

Food:
Ordered a spaghetti lunch set. Fresh produce and quality ingredients and it is made to order - it was hot when served (straight from the kitchen, in fact you can see the kitchen from the dining area) and it gives a very solid and fulfilled feeling. Nothing fancy but warm and fuzzy. The portion is not small either - enough for a grown up male and probably too much for ladies.

Drink:
Went there for its famous coffee. Was good and met my expectation - no complaint.

Environment:
Small but cozy. Went there early and took the bar seat, reasonably comfortable even it is a small shop. The drawback is that you have to share a table with others if your party cannot fill up one. Well, this is Hong Kong so I understand......

I lack the knowledge and detailed description of coffees, and how they spread out on the palates. It's something I've been meaning to learn but have yet to get the time to accomplish, alongside learning Italian, getting a music collection, and learning how to surf. Taking the initiative into something new is truly something quite courageous to begin with -- venturing into a new territory that's been around but haven't been explored to a persona level.

Affogato is an Italian dessert where hot just-brewed espresso is poured into gelato, melting it slightly but one could still experience that sweet chill from the gelato, accompanied by the dark intensity of espresso. The half-molten dessert should be easy to make, but like anything that's simple, as long as you have good vanilla ice cream and a good espresso with you it's hard to go wrong. This day, walking past Coco Espresso in Sheung Wan, I spotted the Affogato, not a new item, but a solution to a craving of ice cream and coffee for the day. I have visited Coco Espresso at times when it's not as busy and packed, just because the seating doesn't allow anyone of a certain height to sit comfortably long enough to enjoy the coffee.

Squeezing into one of the stools at the coffee shop, I ordered my Affogato. It soon arrived -- a perfectly scooped globe of vanilla ice cream, beige and smooth. accompanied by a tiny puddle of espresso, freshly made and topped with the sandy brown thickness of crema. A fruity aroma arose, reminding one of roasted chestnut and buckwheat honey. The sweet smell of caramel in the coffee itself should go right with the vanilla ice cream indeed.

Slowly pouring the coffee onto the icecream and watching the ice cream slowly melting, thickening the now molten liquid within the cup. The fusion of coffee and vanilla and milk is so inviting to chill in a summery afternoon, when the sun shone partly into the shop. Using a small spoon and scooping up the combined dessert -- soft pillowy icecream dripping with coffee. It tasted simple but good. There was no sour notes in the aftertaste, except for a strangely familiar taste on the palate left from the store-bought icecream. How wonderful would it have been should the icecream were really a light fluffy vanilla gelato?

It was before the time when coffee shops like Holly Brown and 18 Grams opened their doors. Scooping up the last bit of ice cream and coffee, one must wonder how foodies make up their minds to try new things, or old favorites not sampled before. They explore the streets and alleys in search of hidden finds, demonstrating the love and passion with an unblinking eye, recording their experiences for the world to see. There is no simpler way to say it but sometimes, taking a chance on something we love is just as it is like an affogato -- simple yet scrumptiously satisfying.

It doesn't always end up perfect, but the high of taking that initiative to get out and find the new and share with others...is truly amazing, and something to keeps me going day after day.

Correction: thanks to 辣子's reminder, the price listed below is amended. Thx...

i took this picture when i first visit this cozy shop last year..
it's so bloody australian this place...
it's got Flat White and Latte served in a glass, unique style and signature of Aussie coffee joint.
Flat White is Flat White. adequate amount of milk on exactly one coffee shot.
Latte is Latte. steamy hot milk in excess, the right portion of milk can always
put me into a comfortable afternoon nap.
unlike these starbucks and pacific places, making some sort of compromise for the americans.
since i do miss sydney sometimes, for their cafe and cinema houses,
and hence i keep returning to this little coffee place in sheung wan
during my 1-year stay in Hongkie.

Having been to coco espresso a few times, I felt guilty for not giving comment to this little shop.

Boss and barista Johnson is doing a fab. job there, consistantly making great espresso. He certainly has great passion towards coffee, and is a chatter box if he knows you have passion too!

Coco's Espresso is a bit more challenging than others. It has higher acid than most other blends I tried in Hong Kong, and has complex aftertaste. It reminds me an amplified (and better) version of illy.

Everytime I'm a happier man when I step out of this little shop. After not more than 5 visits, Coco espresso has silently over taken Crema as the King(or Queen?) of coffee shop in hong kong in my mind.

I am smacking myself silly for only finding this place two months ago given they've been there for over 2-years.

what can I say other than hands down one of the best coffee shop in HK, period

I am an espresso junkie (about 6 a day) - and had the most creamy double shot this morning.

Good balance of acidicity and bitterness - all for 24HKD!!

Only place i go now for coffee (when it's open)

the shop is in the middle of a street of old shops. i was just wondering earlier on who would go there for coffee. after lunch a friend and i was dying for a good coffee, we walked passed and decided to give it a try. we only ordered regular coffee but it was brilliant. strong, smooth, full of aroma. now i know who will go to there. i certainly will go back!

An short update on Coco Espresso.
I actually have been visiting Coco Espresso on a regular basis since I wrote about this shop earlier this year. I hope this compliment what I wrote in the past with picture and some update.
Instead of Johnson, I had most of my coffee with Maurice and it is quite surprised that they managed to maintain a rather consistent quality between the two of them, ie the Cappuccino almost always spots on for temperature and velvety texture. The difference is mostly in the “cosmetic”, ie. latte art. You can see a good one with Johnson while Maurice’s is more simple and down to earth. Ditto is the nice personality both commands in a good way which added a lot of charm to this cozy and lovely coffee shop. For schedule, you have Johnson for most weekday and every other Saturday while the rest belongs to Maurice.
When talking about Sheung Wan, hot bed for Indie Café at the moment, I consider it a sin if one left Coco Espresso out of the list. One could easily do a coffee shop crawl on the whole Saturday visiting Coco, Soft Aroma, Café Little and Graze. However, IMHO, Coco is the best among the three I visited and it deserves much more praise and talkabout than the rest of this group (except Graze that I planned to try soon
I included the picture of what I had this morning to the writeup, hoping it help readers understand more about my experience. Johnson was the barista in charge for today so it’s a good chance for me to talk about his hobby, taking picture. The Set A breakfast set was decent but not overly ecstatic though it is much much better than what was offered at Soft Aroma, ie much less oil

Coco Espresso

In short, I think this is a very good café that I will definitely drop by more often in the future. What’s in the cup is very good.

I can understand why lots like the café. It has simple, clean and easy decoration plus a great barista. I could imagine spending a relaxing Saturday afternoon there reading or talking to Johnson, the barista, about coffee and photograph. He got quite a few nice work of his hanging on the wall. The decor and barista personality almost made up for any flaw one might detect at this lovely café.

How about what’s in the cup!

My cappuccino is velvety smooth with a very very faint sweetness at the right temperature, ie not too hot to scald your mouth. However, ask them to hold cocoa powder if you don’t like it in your capp. I did have both with and without cocoa powder to come up with the above conclusion.

I would say I had better milk drinks from Café Corridor and, at time, at Zambra, ie. I can easily detect the milk sweetness. However, this is a nitpicking as its capp should be held very very high.

The barista suggested me an espresso over my usual ristretto. Gotta listen to the barista as they should know what their beans perform best in each drink.

My double espresso was very good but its taste was subdued vs. other café like Crema and Café Corridor but significantly better than my espresso/ristretto from four different occasions over a twelve month period at Initial.

To me, part of this is the style of the bean, I would classify it as an Italian style, ie reminding me of Illy, Fuel and all those Italian café.

If you are in to a low acid and smooth, this is the café that should be held high on your espresso quest. However, I suspect the subdued taste of its espresso was due to lower brewing temperature range, somewhat reflecting in the crema color which is only a tad darker than light brown vs. a typical reddish brown I typically had at all those great Indie cafés in Hong Kong and the US.

The crema was quite thin too, making me doubt about the freshness of the bean. The bean seemed to come from somewhere (undisclosed) and was roasted locally via some local roaster to match the taste profile of the café. Johnson indicated he likes the taste profile of Illy and Victoria (?), a brand (?) or the location in Aussie. I think he hit the nail on the taste profile vs. Illy and his coffee tasted better for sure.

This taste profile will greatly benefit newbies as it is easier to drink and much less ‘in your face’. There is some nice but faint aftertaste to boot including some very mild acidity and some peanut/nuts taste – I guess the contribution from Brazil beans which is typical in Italian style espresso.

I could imagine having lots of this espresso and really enjoying it. Nevertheless, I kinda missed the ‘wow’ I get from the cups at Crema and Corridor.

One caveat, coffees from Coco were not consistent. I had a tastier espresso on my second visit with a livelier cup and darker brown crema. Third and fouth visits were when Johnson was off. It was different for both times with weak/stronger cup. Nevertheless, all drinks were in a ballpark of what I call good coffee but never great one.

If I have to rank this café, I will put it above Fuel Espresso but well below other local cafés by significant margin on what in the cup as I give a significant priority to freshness and taste profile of Indie café. To me, the artisan style of coffee that Indie cafés starts is significantly more fun to follow than the old world charm.

However, if a so-called “Italian style” is your thing, Coco Espresso is probably at the top of chart. Also, newbies can find it easier to start the coffee journey here and try Crema/Corridor later to appreciate how the specialty grade coffee/artisan roaster broadens the coffee horizon so much so that there is a great chance you won’t look at coffee the same way you did before the journey.

Location, for google map, it points to the middle of road but it's actually opposite Hang Lung House. Look for the odd number side of the road

Why just 1 comment in a year? It deserves more good ones.

soup + rice + latte = 54

soup is 西洋菜湯，the soup is thick with vegetables.

rice is red rice and loads of vegetables, a few decent slices of pork.

This certainly gives you a healthy dose of fibre for lunch without huge amount of calorie or fat.

The latte is good too. Certainly better than the chains.

I can't say the food is very tasty. It is the household kind that you may make at home with little or no taste enhancers. Lots of OLs just come for the rice + soup combo.

There is no 10% or tips required. For singletons there is a bar table where you can have lunch on your own.