Hours-long queues for world champion brews at PMQ Coffee Agenda

All coffee lovers in Hong Kong gathered at the city's iconic landmark, PMQ, this past weekend, lining up for two to three hours for a cup of coffee from a world champion barista at Coffee Agenda. 

Concluded on Sunday (Nov 2), the three-day event featured four world champion baristas and spotlighted three Hong Kong baristas who have excelled overseas.

The event celebrated the Jakarta café concept Omakafé, curated by Mikael Jasin from Indonesia -- the newly crowned 2024 World Barista Champion -- and Georgius Audrey Teja, the 2023 World Coffee in Good Spirits Champion.

They were also joined by Matt Winton from Switzerland, the 2021 World Brewers Cup Champion, who brought products from his roastery -- Rose Coffee Roasters -- and led a masterclass on sharing and cupping competition-level coffee. 

"It was a big shock how educated the coffee scene here is," said Winton, who was amazed by Hong Kong customers' extensive knowledge of coffee culture—such as brewing methods and various farms—and their curiosity to learn more.

Coffee lovers also had a chance to engage with Zenki Ho, champion of the 2023 Hong Kong Brewers Cup (HKBrC) and owner of Moonshine Coffee Roasters in Taipei. 

Other Hong Kong baristas who have excelled overseas include Edmond Keung, who took 2nd place in the 2019 Canadian Brewers Cup; Charity Cheung, champion of the 2022 and 2024 French Brewers Cup; and Frederick Bejo, champion of the 2024 UAE Brewers Cup.

Coffee Agenda has been rooted in Hong Kong's specialty coffee scene and aims to provide a platform for local baristas to connect and exchange ideas. 

With this year's launch of "Gen C" (Generation Coffee), three rising stars—all local competition champions—used a single curated coffee, with each interpreting it through their signature craft. 

The new generation of local baristas testifies to the growth of Hong Kong's coffee culture, which is increasingly quality-oriented, focused on unique flavor sourcing, and rooted in a strong sense of local belonging.

"Customers used to only look for vendors with a champion title," said a project manager of the Hong Kong brand Urban Coffee Roaster, surnamed Chi. "Nowadays, people are looking for different local brands."
 
After attending the festival for six years, the brand has observed that the decreasing number of customers demphasizes titles or prices. "They want to try coffee produced locally and experience the local flavor," he added.

During the event, a curated marketplace was set up at the venue, featuring over 40 local and overseas brands spanning coffee, roasting, equipment, and gourmet delights.

A 25-year-old coffee enthusiast, surnamed Yang, praised the festival for hosting a diverse fusion of international and Hong Kong local baristas. 

She said this demonstrates the local scene's confidence in competing on a world level. However, Yang also considered some of the products overpriced and suggested that the venue should provide more guidance to attendees.

Debuting in 2018, Coffee Agenda aims to embrace local creativity and elevate the status of baristas through yearly events, professional competitions, and cross-industry collaborations.