PMQ Coffee Agenda returns to Central this October with a broader take on what a coffee festival can be, moving beyond tasting counters to explore how coffee intersects with personality, lifestyle, professional craft and the journey from farm to cup.
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Running from October 16 to 19, the 11th edition brings together more than 50 coffee and lifestyle brands from Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Macau and overseas, alongside workshops, competitions, exhibitions and appearances by award-winning baristas. This year’s theme, “Adventure,” is built around four curated experiences spread across PMQ’s Courtyard, Marketplace and QUBE.
#Personality: finding your coffee character
The first zone asks visitors to consider coffee almost like a personality test. Pour-over, milk-based drinks, siphon coffee and more experimental signatures sit side by side, with an interactive quiz designed to point visitors toward their preferred style.
International names include Bangkok’s Homeground Coffee Roasters, London-based Special Guests and Seoul’s Clarimento, while local and regional roasters will bring event-exclusive creations.
For something less conventional, Shenzhen’s Soulmade Coffee will serve its citrus-led Liquid Lemon Pie, while Kizuna Roaster & Co. has created a festival-only drink inspired by traditional tofu pudding — an unlikely reference point that brings a familiar Hong Kong dessert into the specialty coffee conversation. Shu Coffee, meanwhile, will offer the Shu Fashioned, combining natural-process Ethiopian coffee with Earl Grey tea and maple syrup in a nod to the Old Fashioned.
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#Lifestyle: coffee meets cinema, art and design
The Lifestyle section looks at coffee beyond the cup, pairing it with film, art, design and craftsmanship.
One of the more distinctive collaborations comes from Islet Coffee Lab, which will turn its space into a cinema-inspired setting to mark the 30th anniversary of Broadway Cinematheque.
Islet Coffee Lab has developed four signature coffee drinks, each inspired by a different art film, translating cinematic moods and references into flavor.
has developed four signature coffee drinks, each inspired by a different art film, translating cinematic moods and references into flavor.
The team has developed four signature coffee drinks, each inspired by a different art film, translating cinematic moods and references into flavor. Visitors can also collect movie cards on site, adding a playful layer to the crossover between coffee and film culture.
Elsewhere, Ricky Chan and nm2 space creator Chris Cheung will pair coffee cocktails with bonsai and stone decor in a Zen-inspired garden, while Pause It will treat latte art as visual culture through an interactive gallery and live demonstrations. Twenty One From Eight brings woodcraft into the mix with handcrafted furniture and a menu featuring roast beef sandwiches with coffee mushroom jus and cherry coffee Basque cheesecake.
Award-winning barista Ricky Chan and nm2 space creator Chris Cheung will pair coffee cocktails with bonsai and stone decor in a Zen-inspired garden.
Award-winning barista Ricky Chan and nm2 space creator Chris Cheung will pair coffee cocktails with bonsai and stone decor in a Zen-inspired garden.
#Professional: behind the craft
For those curious about what happens behind the counter, the Professional zone shifts the focus to technique.
Taipei barista Sherry Hsu, winner of the 2022 World Brewers Cup, will lead a brewing demonstration exploring how different extraction methods can reveal different sides of the same coffee.
The festival’s “Gen C” showcase will also bring together Hong Kong baristas Gentle Tam, Pearl Lau and Wilson Chung. Using the same locally roasted beans, the trio will work across espresso, hand drip and siphon brewing to create three different flavor expressions.
(From left) Wilson Chung, Pearl Lau, and Gentle Tam.
Competitions include Hong Kong’s first ORIGAMI CUP, with the winner advancing to the world final in Tokyo, as well as a latte art battle featuring Japanese latte art champion Liwei Lin.
#Journey: from seed to cup
The final theme takes coffee back to its origins.
A new exhibition traces the path from cultivation to roasting and brewing, with displays on local coffee farming and more than 10 Hong Kong roasters. Visitors can also join cupping sessions featuring local importers and producers from Malaysia, Guatemala and Indonesia.
Hands-on sessions extend that journey further, from roasting green beans to experimenting with how cup color and texture can affect the perception of flavor.
PMQ Coffee Agenda 2026 runs from October 16 to 19 at PMQ, 35 Aberdeen Street, Central. Day tickets are priced at HK$45.
