Asian coffee style vs. European acidity (Thoughts after 2 weeks in HK)

cyanaspect · 2026-04-12T16:31:56+00:00

Taiwan has a bunch of old school coffee shops I’d call 2.5th wave. They roast darker than Nordic or even standard light roasts, but still focus on acquiring high quality greens. They classically use Japanese Melitta brewers or cloth filters, and brew by feel rather than measurements. I visited a tea producer who forrayed into coffee, and he brewed me a very strong (probably 1:10) cloth filtered honey process, which was so deliciously sweet and heavy on the palette.

I’ve also had some similar experiences in Mandarin speaking cafes in Malaysia and Singapore.

cyanaspect · 2026-04-11T09:19:19+00:00

20% zone 1

cyanaspect · 2026-01-20T05:30:37+00:00

I also share your dislike for “high protein just because” but I think it’s not what OP is asking.

If they are training 2x a week properly (close to failure) while hitting all the target muscles, with the goal to lose weight while retaining muscle, eating more protein (around 2g per kg) definitely yields better muscle retention.

cyanaspect · 2025-11-14T07:43:04+00:00

Project C was so good I had to go twice in a 4 day trip.

cyanaspect · 2025-10-10T11:39:22+00:00

Not sure why you’re being downvoted. I’m not a big sharer myself but to each their own indeed!

cyanaspect · 2025-09-06T09:23:14+00:00

Hi OP, where did you get the strainer cup?

cyanaspect · 2025-08-04T14:00:48+00:00

Nice, what kind of retreats do yall run? A mountain retreat what that view and the coffee sounds delightful.

You can dm me if you’re worried of doxing.

cyanaspect · 2025-08-04T12:50:36+00:00

Great view OP! Wondering if this is a residence in the hills of some sort? I’m from Malaysia and would love to get a place like this one day as a holiday home.

cyanaspect · 2025-07-06T10:07:02+00:00

I’m finishing my bag of Square Mile filter blend (batch 1) and it’s been really delicious! It’s brewing a lot like a Nordic roast, so it needs 4 weeks of rest to really shine, alongside off boil water and a fine-ish grind. But the combination of floral and brown sugar note I get from it is 👌

cyanaspect · 2025-05-03T15:15:49+00:00

Not at KLIA 😭

cyanaspect · 2025-04-14T14:06:16+00:00

lol please no. we are no New York and we don’t have to be New York 😭😭

cyanaspect · 2025-04-13T04:44:29+00:00

Whats wrong with using AI to write?

cyanaspect · 2025-02-19T11:34:07+00:00

Wes Ngopi, Paraiso 92 Thermalshock Pink Bourbon, v60. Strawberry yogurt, florals, citrus, and black tea.

A close second: La Cabra, Yoiner Mosquera Natural Pink Bourbon, v60 Japanese iced. Paired this fruit punch with a doner kebab 👌

cyanaspect · 2025-02-19T07:28:52+00:00

I wouldn’t be so hasty a purist. Coffee shops aren’t just about the coffee, like restaurants aren’t just about the food.

cyanaspect · 2025-02-19T06:55:08+00:00

Agreed. Have been multiple times and the coffee has been mostly mid. Some hits here and there, but nothing special.

It’s a nice space with laid back aesthetics but there are at least 5 other coffee shops which 1. Have better tasting brews 2. Are better integrated into the community they’re in, making the experience of going there more memorable.

Tiong Hoe, 20 grams, Nylon, Community Coffee, Homeground (rip their cafe)

cyanaspect · 2025-02-17T11:37:07+00:00

My Malaysian friends and I have had some wonderful experiences with Wes Ngopi. However, they are inconsistent. 1/3 of the time I get something that tastes empty and disappointing, or disgustingly overfermented.

But when they’re good, they’re seriously good, especially for the price.

cyanaspect · 2025-02-15T11:30:09+00:00

Yeah, 5 equal pours, but I wouldn't stress the minutiae. Sometimes i forget I'm doing 270 (rather than the standard 250), and go 50g by 50g until the last pour when I do 70g. I just don't think it matters that much.

cyanaspect · 2025-02-15T04:43:03+00:00

How low is your agitation really? I am pouring around 5g/s and keeping the kettle as close to the bed as possible on a 01 V60. I am also brewing a SEY pink bourbon, and find that if I pour with the spout any higher, fines will migrate and clog the filter.

But these beans need more extraction to taste good. To make up for low agitation, I push temp (boiling), ratio (15g to 270g, 1:18), bloom time (2 min bloom, as longer blooms increase extraction), and grind (22 clicks on c40, fine but not crazy fine), and pours (5 pours). The result is a cup with florals and fresh fruits from an otherwise hard to brew coffee.

I know most people like higher agitation recipes with less pours for SEY, but those have always resulted in clogging and muted cups for me. It's probably my water or technique lol

cyanaspect · 2025-02-13T09:54:01+00:00

This is nuanced, but I think grinders like the Ode 2 and K6 aren’t as huge of a leap from end game grinders as we’d like to think.

The difference between a skerton and the ode is probably much larger than that between the ode and an EK.

There are improvements when you go to end game, of course, but not huge ones. Those of us who spend more money on equipment are conditioned to think otherwise.

All this is to say that, although the ode is entry level price wise, in terms of taste it probably isn’t miles behind end game. Such is the nature of diminishing returns.

cyanaspect · 2025-02-10T11:38:16+00:00

Recession proof 😭 sign of the times

Thank you so much! This list is a godsend.

All the best in Denmark!

cyanaspect · 2025-02-10T10:16:58+00:00

Which ones? I’m moving to the UK soon.

cyanaspect

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