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2013-01-24
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When I first heard about Amical, I wasn't really thrilled about this place. Not because it wasn't good, but I expect this is more likely to be a darker roast style, judging from what I had at Cafe Corridor/Coffee Assembly who I initially heard run this place. Turn out I was totally wrong, wrong and wrong and that's a good thing!!! While the setting of Amical in Pacific Place area is more like a cafe, Amical itself does something more than that. The coffee operations was via Coffee Assembly wh
When I first heard about Amical, I wasn't really thrilled about this place. Not because it wasn't good, but I expect this is more likely to be a darker roast style, judging from what I had at Cafe Corridor/Coffee Assembly who I initially heard run this place. Turn out I was totally wrong, wrong and wrong and that's a good thing!!!
While the setting of Amical in Pacific Place area is more like a cafe, Amical itself does something more than that. The coffee operations was via Coffee Assembly who provides barista and filtered coffee service.
Not only that, Amical plans to have coffee from its own farm in Cameroon available for sale in Hong Kong in the future, a step ahead of almost of all cafes in Hong Kong and I admire the effort.
Apart from nice outdoor seatings, I love the artwork on the wall. My usual seat, however, is at the counter which, to me, is the best seat of the house. You see the barista busy preparing my coffee in the background. Expect one of the best cup here!
Brazil bourbon hand drip: What was I thinking having brazil hand drip! Actually, the bean chew wasn't that bad, sweet with some acidic touch. When brewed, it's more of typical "coffee" taste, caramel sweetness but with tiny hint of acidity you need to look to get it. The barista's brew skill is good, a bit on the overextracted side but there was nothing much to complain about and I'm very ok with the cup. This is a good start!
Ethiopia Sidamo G2 hand drip: It is like a long lost friend come back. But before that, let talk about the brewing a bit. Seemed some said the hand drip will be the 'future' of coffee going forward. To me, it is at best the current trend while the future lies in something else. When I look at the barista's brew style, it reminds me of how the barista at CENG in Causeway Bay brew his coffee, ie one continuous pour fill the funnel up high and let the gravity work its way down all the way. No stop and pour thing. It gave a rather consistent cup with a bit of an overextraction but one can get all the nuances. I consider CENG the best hand drip in Causeway Bay
Nice orangey/citrus tone both in dry fragrance and wet aroma unmistakably Sidamo. In the cup it's sweet and floral. A bit over in the cup but not bad at all. With this level of coffee and cups delivered, I'll be back for sure.
Back to the coffee that is unique here, Cameroon. This is a Cameroon single origin espresso and this is the only coffee at Amical which is roasted in house by a co-owner; the rest of the coffee at Amical are roasted by Coffee Assembly/Cafe Corridor group.
I got caramel brown sugar beginning following by nice acidity with an expense on body but I'm fine with that. I actually order two shot on the day and I saw the barista threw away a few. Rarely I see this happen and it does imply her attention to the shot, not just "consistent" operation kinda thing ie push button, time it and get it done robotic barista you see at most cafes out there.
I took with me a coffee from one of the famous roasters from the US west coast on that day for the barista to brew. You can sense her enthusiasm on the coffee once I show the bag and this is quite hard to get from most barista these days no matter what level of cafes you visit. Bringing in the bean and paid for the cup in full, yes, that's me. If you want the cafe you go to remain there to serve you, do your part to support the business; otherwise, they will disappear. Back to the coffee, I got lots of brown sugar with a hint of sparkling acidity and fainted grass vs. a sweeter cup overall but more subdued vs. what I had of the same coffee at Rabbithole a week earlier. Still the coffee is very balanced and reserved. Good enough.
To me, Amical is an oasis of good coffee among the coffee deprived desert in Admiralty, a must stop by if you are in the area. Apart from a modern take on the coffee offered there and the pleasant ambiance/design/seating, I am most impressed with the barista and her passion on the coffee which makes the night and day to the cup quality and my experience visiting coffee places, a big plus to any cafe to have this kind of barista which is always very hard to come by these days.
张贴
