情人節那天，我地想遠離一下市區，回味之前留在澳洲一年既外國生活，所以就到赤柱一遊，但講真，呢度既感覺已經唔同了，真的太多人了，市區人，赤柱居民，連旅行團都有不少!!盡管如此，我們都是挺享受這個赤柱遊的!!!

走累了，我地就黎左位於赤柱廣場既the cupping room休息下，因為仲會食其他野，所以只係點左杯latte & banana waffle，佢地既咖啡只有一個size，杯latte相等於平時出面飲既S size，拉花漂亮，奶打得綿滑無氣泡，光看已知不賴，喝一口，啡奶mix得很好，有點堅果香，淡淡既回甘，不覺得有果酸味，啱我，如啡味可濃一點就更好，雖說latte是奶之比例較重，我也明白，但比起我到一般到cafe都是喝latte既小小經驗，是真的淡了點，但整體來說，這杯出自2012 HK Barista冠軍級人馬既latte是上品啊!!!Waffle是即製的，但$38只有一小塊(但看之前食評是有兩塊的，可能改了)，上面約有半隻香蕉，whipped cream同朱古力醬，waffle外脆內軟，但蛋香一般，當然，與兩位好朋友朱古力&香蕉一齊食，邊有唔好食既可能呢!!
只是感覺偏貴了點，如果有兩塊會開心啲甘囉，哈!!!有 barista champion，當然有 specialty coffee啦，$60起!!!而店也有供應一些輕食如sandwiches,toasts,brownies & cookies，進內左邊有賣咖啡產品，咖啡豆，另一邊則賣朱古力豆，真係大人細路都甘啱呀!!!

呢度環境挺舒適的，色調為黑白灰，一座slow drip iced coffee maker十分搶眼，裝飾簡單不失型格，確實是一個逛累了坐下休息既好地方!!!下次來赤柱，定必再光臨~

接上回，午餐過後在附近遊走了一回，肚子又餓了起來，在超市走出來被這裡簡樸的佈置吸引了過來，原來這裡專賣咖啡和較輕巧的食物，還未有時間想便坐了下來。

Mocha
我可謂是個對咖啡有熱愛但無探究的喜愛咖啡白痴，從來不知道何謂一杯好咖啡，只知道一口接一口地呷着，這樣便已經滿足。
拉花工夫不用多說，點綴可見心思。奶泡細綿幼滑，咖啡順滑可口，甘醇中滲出微微的可可味，是與甜美的窩夫不謀而合的好伙伴嗎？Affogato
傳統的意式甜品，名字解作淹，對於同時喜愛甜點又喜愛咖啡，喜愛冰感又喜愛熾熱的甜魔們來說， Affogato可謂是新世紀的福音。這款甜品讓我回想起有着類似物理組合的法式甜品漂浮島，兩者都教人難以抗拒。
雲呢拿味的雪榚相當有質素，質感軟滑綿密而札實，乳脂味濃郁，融化速度比吃的速度絕對來得要慢。融化的雪榚緩緩混入 espresso中，甜甘取得平衡，難道 latte是在這種偶然的情況下誕生的?
說罷，我也被淹沒在這道讓人無法自拔的甜點當中。雖然小小的一杯也賣上40多個大洋，但是絕對有試的價值。Belgian Waffles w/banana
Waffles即叫即製，保證新鮮熱辣。 Waffle當然外香脆內鬆軟，烘烤味較蛋香重，與常吃不同的是有着微微的酒味，我也搞不清楚這種味道的真身，不過確是有着非常深刻的印象。 Whipped cream也值得一提，用的也不是廉價貨色，甜美而不失纏人的奶香，幼滑而札實。對朱古力醬也沒有半點吝嗇，綽綽有餘。香蕉片與朱古力是十號風球也打不散的好隊友，哪有不好吃的道理？常有人對我說，這樣花費金錢在食物上值得嗎？
的確，這樣花費換來的只是一兩件眼前的食物，「咕」的一聲就在眼前消失，不及買其他東西般實用。
然而，我認為「值」這個字不是以質量或實用性來定義，重要的是所花費的使否真能讓自己享受，滿足，從中所得的或許比付出的更多。

赤柱今天天色陰暗 大霧 大風 又下著毛毛雨，令人心情很鬱悶。

經過這小小的咖啡店，店外有笑容可掬的店員拿著咖啡豆，招呼客人到店內買咖啡。

店內頗為寧靜，有幾張小小的枱和一張大枱供人share fable。時間關係未有坐下享用咖啡，買了一杯latte take away 。打開外賣咖啡，見到整齊的拉花，實在是有點喜出望外，大概因為沒期望外賣都有拉花吧咖啡入口順滑，有咖啡香但不苦澀。

下次再來赤柱定必坐下享受其他飲品和食物。

This coffee makes my day. thank you

今日入赤柱主要係想享受好天氣同揾個舒服嘅地方同啲好朋友傾偈☀ 悠閒咁享受下午茶 我地去到嘅時候大約係3點鐘 所以店入面只有一枱客人☺

環境:

我特別喜歡店內嘅擺設同裝潢 店主選用左木枱同簡單設計嘅黑白磨紗面金屬凳 感覺非常清新同簡潔 每張枱上面都有一個裝有黃糖嘅玻璃甕 同埋有鮮花作擺設 成個感覺好relax

櫥窗位置擺放左好多盒唔同款式及味道嘅朱古力 雖然價錢唔平 但味道認真唔錯 設有試食 仲有一部vintage咖啡豆機 令店鋪好有個人風格

食物:

Belgian waffle w/ banana slices🍌
賣相好之餘個waffle本身整得好好食 唔會又硬又乾 外脆內軟 由於即叫即整嘅綠故 非常新鮮 食落口仲好暖 配埋香蕉,cream and chocolate syrup 味道好夾 甜度控制得好好
雖然份量唔大 (整個waffle大約比手心大少少) 但我絕對推薦!!

Chocolate brownie🍫
用料好足 幾乎每啖都有nuts 質感唔似其他brownie咁 雪到硬哂 食落口嗰時feel到個texture好結實 因為好足料 食得出係freshly made同理好香朱古力味 我覺得個brownie都試得過😋

飲品:
佢嘅飲品令我有啲失望..😕

iced mocha
佢嘅咖啡的確好香 但嚴重欠朱古力味 而且超多奶 好似叫左latte咁 但實在比我想像中唔理想 覺得面嗰層whipped cream個質感唔夠thick 好快就溶哂入杯咖啡度😔

cuppacino
紫色杯同紫色碟再配以拉花喺咖啡面令其賣相好精緻同悅目 熱飲嘅水準可能較好 因為呢杯cuppacino味道較佳 hot milk同espresso好香 而且温度唔會太熱 顧客飲用時燙傷嘅機會較低 非常細心

服務態度:

店內有老板娘同一個員工 2個人都好親切同有禮貌 老板娘為我地介紹朱古力嗰時非常詳細 仲推薦不同嘅朱古力比我地

總括:
The cupping room比人嘅感覺好舒服 係一個讓人放慢腳步嘅地方 午後陽光喺櫥窗外打入店內 令人覺得好温暖 我覺得非常休哉悠哉 食物質素幾好 值得一試!!
By the way, toffee pistachio好好食 鐘意pistachio嘅朋友要試!!😁

**FREE CHOCOLATE.** (at least on the day I was there!)Yes, you heard it - the cafe let us have as many chocolates as I wanted to taste. Of course any decent patron would at least buy ONE bar of *really expensive chocolate* after enjoying Cupping Room's generosity. You just wouldn't abuse kindness.

***
The purpose of this post is simple. It is a declaration that I have regained Life. Last year I was deprived; now I am revived. God is good. Life and time have returned to me, my loves. So much so that I have time to sneak in to Stanley on a beautiful day with my lady friends. J craves coffee and we've been talking about this place since...forgot when. Hence the day trip.

Environment:
It is located on the 2nd level of Stanley Plaza, across from Marketplace (or whatever supermarket that is). It is not difficult to find. There are no view though, if it's a rainy day you will feel very wet, as if trapped inside a waterfall. But on a sunny day it will be extremely pleasant inside the cafe - there'll be an inpour of sunbeams

There is one high table and 3 regular ones, and a couple of countertop seats - in total around 20 seats.

Service:
The lady who came up to take our orders was extremely hard-working and welcoming. She stood outside the cafe offering passersby free samples of the delightful chocolate they stock, and offered great

Food:They got a bit of savory food too, and a few sweet items. And a truckload of chocolate to go with your coffee. The savory items are quite expensive for what they're worth...

Flat white $34J, the coffee connoisseur, remarked that this drink was as good as, if not even a tad better than that at Barista Jam. Now, Barista Jam used to be J's fave. So her stamp of approval here means a lot! To me, the ignorant free rider, this drink was pleasant - hot, aromatic, frothy, velvety texture in mouth, not 'watery' if you get what I mean, no unpleasant aftertaste in mouth. I have already forgotten what coffee bean was used, how much pressure was applied and every other technical detail which the barista painstakingly explained to us. She was knowledgeable and welcoming, and didn't come across as patronizing.

One complaint: the latte art wasn't too impressive. And I think one of the guys here is supposed to have won an international latte art contest or something.

Iced mocha $40I had this one. Note to self: order hot mocha next time.
A curious change happened to my drink over the 2 hours we were there. When it first arrived, I tasted mild sweetness, although the chocolatey notes didn't come through too well. It bordered on a regular milk and sugar coffee rather than a mocha. Fine. It had more depth than the mochas I had elsewhere - perhaps it is due to the fine quality of the beans (?). Anyway! After 45 minutes the drink morphed into something else. It lost its sweetness and became a regular iced coffee. Quite bitter, and it had lost the chocolate flavour substantially (not that there was a lot to begin with). No idea what caused the change - maybe I'd sipped all the syrup away..?
J advised me to order hot mocha next time. Yeah. Agreed.
Also, curious how they served it up in a plastic cup rather than a tall glass. I wanted mine in a glass - more envir friendly!

Columbia BellavistaB ordered this. Again, the Barista spent a lot of time explaining this beverage to us but my memory has again, consistently, failed me! (heh from Columbia..?) I do remember though, that this drink felt more like a tea than a coffee, as you can tell, from the light color. So it was very interesting. A tea-like drink which doesn't taste like tea brewed from tea leaves. Most curious. This one tasted quite fruity and had a subtle sweetness. However, I would not order it again - it is not my cup. And it is not cheap. But it is special. Anyone who loves coffee should give it a shot. I could imagine it being used as an ingredient in a contemporary (molecular tech) restaurant...

Brownie
Quite expensive for the small portion. I was not impressed with this brownie. The flavour was alright but the texture was wrong - too crumbly. I prefer a chewier brownie with crunchy edges - ah they are the best. Should be served with ice cream, mm. And the brownie should be hot. Would not go for this.

The Chocolate Room and The Cupping Room are in fact, the same store. And here you see this huge stash of chocolates-difficult-to-find-elsewhere-in-HK:I bought a pack of honey chamomile white chocolate $65 but it turned out to be quite disappointing. Oh well. I just bought it for a friend who liked chamomile. :/
The free tasting chocolates range from chocolate coated coffee beans to chocolate coated fruit to chili chocolate. Nuts, mostly. They are not top notch at all, but you sort of overlook that and focus on the cafe's generosity instead. I controlled myself and had a handful *only*. The barista saw me fretting over which ones to pick and teased me. Prolly saw through the facade and identified it as a utility (calorie-enjoyment) dilemma.

Conclusion:
Will be here more often once I get my license and can drive to Stanley. Really pleasant afternoon we had here, trying to read our boring books, strolling around Stanley plaza, having a bit of lunch, enjoying Life in good company.

Good luck to Cupping Room running their coffee chocolate business. Coffee can be enjoyed with a good quality chocolate or two. I would prefer a creamier dark chocolate to go with coffee, more like a truffle than brittle chocolate. Blends in better with the liquid.

I could not remember when my last time visiting Stanley was. It has always been in my mind that Stanley, a place isolated from the hustle and bustle of the city, is a cozy spot for tourist or foreigners to hang around. After a hectic month, my friends and I decided to pretend to be tourists for one day and spend a relaxing afternoon here.

After a half-hour minibus ride from Causeway Bay, we arrived at this beautifully calm place. The energising sunlight coupled with gentle breeze gave me a good sense of vacation mood. We strolled along the Stanley Plaza and I was captivated by the showcase of this cafe- there was a collection of chocolate behind the glass display window. While I was doing window-shopping staring at the chocolate bars which were wrapped like a CD, the waitress (or perhaps the cafe owner?) came to us and enthusiastically introduced the characters of various chocolate. She even told us that we could help ourselves and try out whatever chocolate on display for free- and she was not joking! (However I am not sure if this was the usual approach of this cafe, or if it just happened to be that the waitress was of a particularly good mood that day. What I was quite sure was that the waitress was friendly and sincere.) Following her invitation, I tried the toffee pistachios (top left of the display). The first thing that came to my sensation was the sweetness of the sugar frosting, followed by a nice crunch of nut. The frosting was too sweet that it covered the taste of the nut and the chocolate coating.

On the shelf, there were some chocolate bars with interesting flavour such as mushroom and chilly. However there was no tasting for these kinds of choc, and I was not prepared to spend a hundred bugs trying out these advantageous flavour.

Beverage
After playing around the display corner, we finally settled at a table (and I eventually start to share my dining experience!).

At first I thought this cafe was specialised in chocolates with unusually interesting fillings or flavours. This cafe is actually also an expert in coffee and has won some international barista competition. As a layman, I conservatively chose cappuccino.

Cappuccino $34
I liked how my cappuccino was served in a blueish grey teacup with a delicately drawn latte art. In Hong Kong, it is not uncommon that camera eats first. While we were busily using our phones to capture this visually appealing art, the waitress kindly reminded us to start drinking now, or the foam would condense and harden. Normally waiters/ waitresses serve their customer only at the time of taking order, delivering the food and checking the bill. However this waitress would concern whether her customer could get the best coffee experience. Her passion for coffee and hospitality impressed me.

Taking her advice, I put down my phone and had a slip of the cappuccino. The texture and the taste were quite different from what I experienced in the chain coffee shop. It had a nice creamy milk foam and a rich aroma of coffee. It was not bitter at all.

Flat white $34My friends J and M exclaimed that the flat white was very smooth- and I agreed. The milk foam was thick, creamy and remarkably smooth, and it was not easy for me to restrain from drinking too much my friend's beverage.

Columbia bellavista This coffee was served in a transparent glass teapot with a glass lid. No milk was added to this type of coffee, and hence the texture was not as 'thick' as the usual ones.
The waitress suggested my friend B smelling before drinking so that B could experience two different tastes.
J said it tasted like Chinese medicine. I tried a small slip, and the taste astonished me. It did not taste like 'coffee' at all! It tasted sour. (Honestly I do not know how to appreciate it; Yet do treat this as a neutral comment).

Food
Valrhona Brownie $28 The brownie had a rich chocolate taste. It was moist. The crispy nuts diversified the texture and rightly balanced the denseness of the brownie. I was slightly disappointed that the brownie was not heated and was in a relatively tiny portion (This brownie was less than half of my palm's size).

Environment and service
This is a petite cafe with simplistic interior design that could hold less than 20 customers.
The service was excellent. The waitress made me feel comfortable even I tried the chocolate without buying.

Next
This cafe serves both common and rare types of coffee and chocolates, and therefore could cater both conservative customers and those who expect stimulus.
I would recommend this cafe to anyone who wishes to spend a relaxing weekday with some really nice coffee!

跟甜心們在赤柱的Stan Café午飯後，大家有感午飯吃得不太如意，所以想另找個地方坐一坐，喝杯咖啡，便來了The Cupping Room。我就先喝Latte，跟朋友再點了些甜吃。自家焗製的Brownie，份量不多，一件小小的，表面層焗得微脆，內裡質感濕潤，夾有少許果仁粒，可可味濃郁，味道不太甜，伴咖啡喝都不錯。另外焗鬆餅，鬆餅有兩款味道，原味及提子味，不過鬆餅質感平平，外帶微脆，但內裡乾身，吃著又黏稠著口，不過也有點麵粉香。香蕉窩夫相對較為吸引，入口微暖，香脆內鬆軟，唯獨蛋香不太濃，但跟著甜甜的香蕉吃也好。這裡週末客人很多，若想寫意一點享受咖啡，平日到來比較好。

其實知道赤柱有間水準不錯的咖啡店，可惜一直未有機會抽空到赤柱走走。

這日終於抽了半日去赤柱，朋友還沒有到，我就先去赤柱廣場內找這家cafe邊喝杯咖啡邊等。cafe在2樓，即超市那層，很易找。我點了杯flat white，找個位坐下。店內裝修簡約明亮，放了不少與咖啡有關的小擺設，加上有自然光和空間感，身處店內讓人覺得很舒服、輕鬆。說回咖啡，一看咖啡的顏色和拉花的賣相，已知道應該不會差。喝下去果然咖啡味道濃香帶點甜（我喝咖啡不加糖），喝後有淡淡回甘，奶泡也打得細滑，喝得舒服、滿意。這店除了咖啡，亦有提供三文治、多士和少量甜品如英式鬆餅、brownies和waffles等，價錢由$3x至$6x，定價不貴。此外店內也有一個角落賣些特色精品朱古力。看來頗吸引呢。

The Cupping Room已成為了我遊赤柱的必到景點，亦已把這裡介紹了給同樣愛喝咖啡的朋友。

一年前隨機遇到這家咖啡小店便喜歡上，雖然地區偏遠，一有機會便會跑到這裡享受一杯有質素的咖啡，過一個輕鬆的下午。
店內一位漂亮和十分具有咖啡知識的短髮女店員，態度親切，耐心向客人介紹何為水洗咖啡，甚麼是日曬咖啡，又會按客人口味作出適當的推介，增加客人享受咖啡的質素。

除了可以因應季節不同嘗到來自世界不同地區的咖啡，也可以深入一點認識咖啡的點點，好像這天，便嚐了兩種不同製法的埃塞俄比亞咖啡，印象很不錯。

佐茶小點可以選brownie或者scone，甚至可以點些巧克力。

小店的環境和咖啡品質和小吃一年以來一直保持，惟一令人感到要開始扣分的是咖啡師和另一名女同事的待客之道，在生意越來越好的同時，開始待薄了本地客人，不但收起了以往的親切態度，還變成只向歐美客人推介產品，懶理本地客人的詢問，那麼，的確少了一個山長水遠來光顧的理由，希望只是近兩次的個別經驗，不要變成小店的文化罷...

心中想到的其中一間咖啡店Cupping Room,吸引之處是有著,嬴得2011年世界咖啡大師賽的咖啡師+法拉利級的咖啡機Synesso 坐鎮。來到已興奮莫明!
看到coffee list中,不少外邊少見的名字。不用擔心,女店員極之熟悉每款咖啡的特質,會為你解答。Final我選了以下:
Iced Drip $35,此冰滴是自家調配的咖啡豆。在台灣「蜂大」飲的冰滴是預先加了奶的。後來分別在澳門和香港飲冰滴,也是不下奶。總是覺得味道不似咖啡,似飲凍涼茶。
店子另有四款,外邊少見的咖啡。店員介紹下,我選了Pour Over (跟餐減$5> $55)。原來這杯又不是有crema的咖啡,也是"水狀"咖啡。幸好,好飲過以上的冰滴。啡中有玉桂、薑味。
Brownies Deluxe $48,with 80% Valrhona Chocolate造的。我覺得一般喇,因為太多nuts,同埋太細件,吃得nuts,阻著吃brownies質素。
Tomato & Cheese Toast $32,以為是厚多士,原來是薄片片法包上,放蕃茄,吱芝士醬。感覺「簡陋」,for求其食少少,佐啡小食。
在覺得食物麻麻,咖啡又不是心想飲的咖啡油crema咖啡時,心裡有點失落。幸好姊去八一八,擺放朱古力area,看中了Zoffer CD $90。超好吃!dark choco+提子乾,CD中間圓芯部份,更是豆奶代牛奶造成的朱古力,很特別,而且真是好香好滑的朱古力!正!
可惜此行覺得好吃的,只是買回來的公平貿易朱古力,而非她自家東西。給她"ok",只因我不太喜歡濾紙/虹吸出來的"水態"咖啡吧。