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SCMP Reporter

THERE IS A lot more to selling a cup of coffee in Hong Kong than you might imagine. Walk into a coffee shop, and you not only pay for the coffee, milk and sugar, but also the rental time in a big comfy armchair, access to today's newspapers and a chance to meet with fellow coffee addicts.

'It's an atmosphere people come to enjoy,' said Thomas Hahn, general manager of Coffee Concepts, which co-owns Starbucks in Hong Kong.

It is no coincidence that every Starbucks in the world looks almost identical. When travellers are homesick, familiarity sells. Their cafes give customers a sense of home even if they are far, far away.

Despite their 'relax with us' attitude, or perhaps because of it, Starbucks is surprisingly busy throughout the day.

First comes the morning rush, when people stand in queues to order takeaways. Then at lunchtime, outlets in Central are packed with customers. 'If you are not doing a good lunch in Central, you might as well not be there,' Mr Hahn said.

Bryant Simon, a history professor writing a book on Starbucks, calls it 'the corner bar of the 21st century'.

He picked out a few universal trends: mothers predominate in late mornings and teens were in charge of the scene after 3pm.

The post-lunch period is usually very busy for coffee shops because that is when office workers make a beeline for a quick afternoon fix.

'People need to get away from their desks and from stress,' Mr Hahn said. 'It makes for better productivity if they rest a bit and leave their stressful office environment.'

Coffee shops are also used for impromptu meetings and as a resting spot for snoozers.

Little wonder, then, that some Starbucks shops have done the unthinkable and removed the comfortable chairs because of the growing number of people falling asleep in them.

Since entering Hong Kong in 2000, Starbucks has opened 60 shops. It plans to expand this year, especially into residential markets.

Have you ever wondered why you can usually spot a Pacific Coffee next door to a Starbucks?

Mr Hahn said this was because both companies targeted the same market. He did not find this a problem, however, believing that the more people in the business, the better it was for Hong Kong.

Ten years ago, there were far fewer coffee drinkers than there are today because tea was favoured over the bean. But a growing number of well-travelled locals and expatriates have given the industry a lot of momentum. However, while the coffee fad has been taking over Hong Kong, the rest of the world has been cutting down on coffee consumption. According to the International Coffee Organisation, world coffee exports totalled 6.9 million bags last December, a decrease of 16.5 per cent compared to the 8.3 million bags sold in December 2004.

These days coffee is no longer only a means to a quick caffeine jolt; it has become a lifestyle drink associated with fine taste.

Starbucks, for example, has set up a coffee-tasting bar in Central and Causeway Bay to encourage customers to try new products.

'Breathe it in and slurp it as if you are drinking wine,' Mr Hahn advised.

Others are taking the lifestyle route as well. At Cova in Lee Gardens, selling a cup of brew also means selling the Italian lifestyle. The shop plays the theme from the 1970s American classic, The Godfather on a loop, and employs Italian staff to set the right mood.

'The difference between Hong Kong and Milano is that we [Italians] never sit down for coffee. We always stand at the bar,' said Daniele Cremonini, food and beverage director at Cova, and an Italian national.

'You can give us a seat but we like a nice bar where the barman is your friend,' he said.

In Italy and, increasingly, in Hong Kong, espresso is the preferred drink. But Cova does not make espresso by pushing a button. Instead, it takes great care about the beans it uses. To make the perfect cup, the barista at Cova uses a mix of seven different beans from South America.

'It's like wine. If you mix different kinds of grapes, you get the best kind of wine,' Mr Cremonini said.

Next comes the machine.

'It's not the name or the brand [of the machine]. It's the temperature, [the] water you use, [and] the filter,' Mr Cremonini said.  'When it's humid, it can be bitter. When it's raining, you have to adjust the grind. This must be done several times a day.

'In the morning it can be OK, but by afternoon there might be a temperature change, especially in Hong Kong,' he said.

Mr Cremonini cringes at the thought that most coffee nowadays came out of automatic machines.

'They use buttons. It's like a car. You have manual and automatic; which one do you enjoy driving most?'

Cova is as serious about its machines as it is about its baristas. Some of them are sent to Italy to be trained in operations and food culture.

At Starbucks, top performers are invited to visit the company's global headquarters in Seattle and are also sent to Costa Rica to experience coffee farming first hand.

Career progress in this industry can be fast. At Starbucks, a person may start out behind the bar, serving coffee, and then move up to be the store manager.

A recent 'Manager of the Year' award winner, Janet Yip, started as a barista and  worked her way up to district manager in five years.

She said the secret of her success was treating her customers as if they were friends and having the support of her staff.

With a little training, anyone can be a good barista, but what makes a great barista is the desire to connect with customers.

Recently, at GREAT's coffee bar, a barista handed a first-time customer two packets of Equal sweetener before she requested it.

The customer asked: 'How can you tell I wanted that?'

She replied: 'Your American accent ma'am.'



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