Do you know the story behind one of Hong Kong’s longest-standing coffee shops? The history of Fuel Espresso starts much further back than you might imagine. Founder Sanjay Ponnapa’s family has been planting coffee for five generations in what is now recognised as one of the world’s most highly prized coffee- growing regions, and he began Fuel with one small coffee cart in Wellington, New Zealand, before branching out to a chain of espresso bars in Hong Kong.
[EDIT July 2021: There are now seven espresso bars!] The five locations in Hong Kong are found near all the major malls – ifc, Pacific Place, ICC, LANDMARK and Chater House – and were an early example of the third wave of coffee (sourcing, roasting and quality control all done in-house) that has now become so popular.
Fuel serves up two blends – classic and dark – made from 100% Arabica coffee beans that have been roasted in vintage cast-iron roasters. There’s a coffee masterclass on offer at the ICC location where the highly trained baristas will walk you through the individual tastes you can experience in Fuel’s coffees, ranging from chocolate and liquorice to grapefruit and almond.
And here’s a great bit of news for those of you who like to have your coffee a bit later in the day: Fuel is now fully licensed. To celebrate, they have unveiled their version of an espresso martini, the famed cocktail created to wake you up and mess you up at the same time. You’ll want to be tasting one of these sometime very soon.
Branches around town; click here for locations
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