Free coffee at Starbucks and the crowning of Hong Kong Coffee King

Drop by any Starbucks coffee shop in Hong Kong tomorrow with a reusable tumbler and get it filled with a tall-sized coffee of the day for free. The promotion is part of Starbucks' green drive to reduce the use of paper cups and is only valid for April 15, 2010. Or check out the Hong Kong 'Coffee King' competition this Sunday for a rather more local flavor of brew. 

The Association of Coffee and Tea of Hong Kong will hold the first Hong Kong-style Coffee Championship on April 18 at Tai Po Mega Mall. A Hong Kong-style coffee is made in a similar manner as the famed Hong Kong-style milk tea: a coarse blend is brewed inside a silk stocking.

Usually, a blend of Colombian, Italian and Guatemalan beans are coarsely ground and placed inside a strainer made from a silk stocking. Hot water is poured through and the brew is repeatedly strained through the coffee grinds and stocking, until the coffee flavor is completely released.

This Sunday, 20 finalists will compete to win the title of the first 'Hong Kong Coffee King.' Last year, the Association of Coffee and Tea put on the Hong Kong 'Milk Tea King' competition and gave the crown to Tai Fat Restaurant in Yuen Long. We're hoping that next year they will do a 'Yuan Yeung King' competition and provide us with a definitive version of the utterly unique Hong Kong beverage that is half tea and half coffee.

Hong Kong-style Coffee Championship

1-5pm, April 18, 2010

Zone C, Tai Po Mega Mall