When you think Hong Kong, you think China, you think British colony, you think tea, right? Of course tea is still a big deal in this part of the world, but coffee is rapidly replacing it as the brew of choice for the discerning drinker in the upmarket areas of Hong Kong, and at the very top of the tree is The Coffee Academïcs (don’t know what the umlauts above the i mean for the pronunciation, academeeks, academurks?), taking the science of bean roasting, blending and brewing to hitherto unheard of levels, a veritable university of coffee. And it looks nice too.

The Coffee Academïcs is a spin-off from HK coffee brand caffè HABITŪ (at it again with the diacritics, branding is a lark, eh?), with state-of-the-art equipment installed to ensure the customer gets the perfect cup. Aside from all the pipework, machinery and general gubbins, which itself is an attractive feature, the interior, designed by founder Jennifer Liu, benefits from some lovely Victorian-looking false-arched brickwork, chunky marble tabletops and textiled bench seating. A very tasty blend indeed.