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Cupping Room, Sheung Wan
A specialty coffee café and roastery on Po Hing Fong in Sheung Wan, roasting on a 1950s Probat machine, with seven Hong Kong National Barista Championship wins.
At a glance
- Type
- Specialty coffee roaster
- Area
- Sheung Wan, Hong Kong
- Price
- $$ · Mid-range
Good to know
- In-house roasting
- Award-winning baristas
Why we recommend it
Cupping Room is one of Hong Kong's most decorated specialty coffee businesses. It started in Stanley and now has cafés in Sheung Wan, Wan Chai and Central. Its baristas have won the Hong Kong National Barista Championship seven times and have represented the city at the world championships, which gives a good idea of the standard of the coffee.
The Sheung Wan café on Po Hing Fong is also where the company roasts its coffee, using a 1950s German Probat UG15 roaster that handles all of its beans. That makes it the natural branch to visit if you are interested in how the coffee is produced.
On the menu, the espresso-based drinks and filter coffees are the core, made with the house-roasted beans. A distinctive speciality is New Orleans-style iced coffee, blended with chicory, cane sugar and milk, a refreshing choice on a hot Hong Kong afternoon. Ask the baristas for advice on the current beans if you want to try something different from your usual order, and consider buying a bag of beans to take home.
The café suits coffee lovers, remote workers looking for a break and anyone who wants a quieter alternative to the busy cha chaan teng elsewhere in this guide. Prices are higher than a traditional café but in line with specialty coffee in the city. Weekday mornings are calmer than weekends, when brunch crowds arrive at popular cafés in this part of town.
Cathay Pacific's guide to independent coffee shops in Hong Kong lists Cupping Room alongside names such as NOC Coffee Co. and Coco Espresso, which shows how far the city's specialty coffee scene has developed. If you enjoy comparing cafés, Sheung Wan and neighbouring Sai Ying Pun have several of these within reach, so you could plan a short coffee walk across the western districts of Hong Kong Island, finishing with a look around the shops and older streets nearby.
Man Mo Temple is in the same district, so a coffee here fits well into a morning in Sheung Wan. If you are staying on the other side of the harbour or in Wan Chai, the brand's other branches are an alternative, but the Sheung Wan roastery is the one to choose for the full experience.
Cupping Room, Sheung Wan FAQs
Where is Cupping Room in Sheung Wan?
At Shop 8, Silver Jubilee Mansion, 62-72 Po Hing Fong, Sheung Wan.
Does Cupping Room roast its own coffee?
Yes. All its coffee is roasted on a 1950s German Probat UG15 at the Po Hing Fong café.
What awards has it won?
Its baristas have won the Hong Kong National Barista Championship seven times.
What should you order?
Espresso or filter coffee, or the New Orleans-style iced coffee with chicory, cane sugar and milk.
Where else does Cupping Room have cafés?
It started in Stanley and also has cafés in Wan Chai and Central.
What is the phone number?
You can call the Sheung Wan café on +852 3705 0208.
When is it quietest?
Weekday mornings are usually calmer than weekends.
What is nearby?
Man Mo Temple is in the same district of Sheung Wan.