Follow your nose down the deserted corridors of Harbour Industrial Centre in Ap Lei Chau and chances are the aroma of fresh coffee will lead you to Barry Yuen Chi-tak's workshop. There, coffee enthusiasts learning to make the perfect cup can be found manning espresso machines, huddled over an antique roaster, or studying the origins of different beans.
As the coffee culture in Hong Kong grows, barista courses such as those provided through Yuen's Coffee and Tea Academy are opening to cater to the demand for better quality brews.
Trained in Italy as a barista - someone skilled in making espresso-based drinks - Yuen set up his school in 2004 to enable people in the coffee business to gain greater expertise. 'When I first proposed the idea of the academy, everyone told me it wouldn't work,' he recalls. 'But now I have people in India, Taiwan and Africa asking me to set up training centres there.'
He also runs a course on tea, but reckons coffee draws more interest because of media focus on the expansion of coffee culture around the world and, perhaps, attractive espresso machines.
The 18-hour beginner's course is spread over six lessons and covers topics such as coffee growing, processing, basic roasting and basic barista techniques. The intermediate programme provides more intensive training.
About 70 per cent of Yuen's students sign up simply because they want to be discerning coffee drinkers. 'But by the time they finish the beginner's course, they often think about opening a cafe because they realise they can make a much better cup of coffee than what's available outside,' he says.