INTRO
Hong Kong grown coffee? As a coffee enthusiast, I was curious and amazed by how Mike(founder of Seed To Cup) adapt to the climate and altitude in Hong Kong to grow coffee, so here I am! Really fruitful and meaningful event to learn a lot about coffee in Hong Kong and support local! The following is my own expense, firsthand experience sharing
鍾愛咖啡的我聽到有香港咖啡在回港馬上參與了
Mike(啡農創辦人)的採摘及處理工作坊
真的十分豐富（物理/精神層面皆是）的活動
希望大家多多支持本土經濟及出品
Own Expense
Own Experience
Support Local
Made in Hong Kong
Mike:
“Bring in freshness(innovations and creativities) to coffee, make differences and changes in agricultural industries, and find balance and chances to exchange between fun and educational.” I am confident that Mike is on his way to his vision and I look forward to his further achievements!
問到他目標：「對咖啡， 帶來一點新鮮；對農業， 帶來一點變化；對呢兩個介別， 帶一啲交流。」 我想說，在這個工作坊完全到！十分期待未來更多的突破及嘗試
1 - Tasting rare coffee from Hong Kong
品嚐稀有的香港咖啡
It is my pleasure to taste two Hong Kong brand, local cultivated, processed and roasted coffee beans, which using Shio Koji and Umeshu processing Caturra, respectfully.
After the harvest coffee bean from November, Mike has to process and age the bean for at least half year. Next stage will be roasting, cupping and experimental processing the coffee. So as to grind, brew and taste our cup of coffee!
有幸嚐到了來自香港本地牌子，啡農種植、處理及烘炒的兩款咖啡豆，分別使用了鹽粷處理法及梅酒厭氧處理的卡度拉(Caturra)
每年約11月開始收成，經過處理及養豆半年，再烘炒，不少杯測及測試，才可到研磨、沖煮，我們手上的那杯啡！
2 - Understanding the climate for coffee plantation, is Hong Kong a good location for growing coffeee?
了解咖啡植物和氣候，香港是否適合種植咖啡？
While Hong Kong is located in the belt of coffee production, farmers in HK have to simulate a better and stable weather to nothing the uncontrollable impacts causing by low altitude(there is no mountain higher than 1000 metres in HK). Some factors that might affect coffee production include large temperature differences between night and day, insolation etc. Under the influences, there are only 20 out of 40 coffee trees in Seed To Cup can produce stable crops. Not to mention it is hard to process real natural coffee (which requires 20 days sun dried) due to unstable weather and spatial factors. Thanks Mike for taking good care of the coffee farm under ‘unfavourable’ factors.
香港地理位置其實落於適合種植咖啡的地球帶，但由於作為低地(低海拔的地勢)，相比能於高地自然生長，香港及在低海拔的啡農需好好模擬天氣去舒緩不可控制因素帶來的影響。因素温差，日照等。所以在香港的啡農在四十棵只有二十左右才可作主要和穩定的生產。由於氣候不穩及空間有限，Mike表示也很難做到二十天的真日曬，Caturra 在香港的種植下也相對密度低！感謝Mike悉心照料二十年前上手留給的咖啡田，現在才享受到手中的那杯啡！
3 - Become a coffee farmer: Coffee Cherry Picking Experience
成為咖啡農：咖啡櫻桃採摘體驗
Everyone is distributed a big, open bag to collect coffee cherry. Our aim is to pick the ripe and winey- red coffee cherry, it is also important to keep the cherry skin in this stage to maintain the quality of processing. The whole picking stage is relaxing and easy, from my own observation, the overripe cherry is dark purple and shrinking. The coffee leaves and cherry do not have much fragrance that reminds about coffee, and the cherry is juicy and sweet!!!
聽了這麼多分享真的很想馬上採摘咖啡！每人分配一個袋進了啡林，目標採摘深紅色熟成的咖啡果實，緊記採摘的過程最好保護完整的外皮去防止果實提早發酵！採摘過程輕鬆及十分簡單，過熟的果實將變深紫及萎縮。在過程中我亦有聞到咖啡葉及果實並無特別的香氣。吃果實本體頗甜美及Juicy！
4 - Understanding the processing and coffee: Washed and Fermentation
了解咖啡處理過程：水洗法和發酵
Considering processing, there are a few stages. First, we select 4-5 beans that we think is the best from all. Then we use DRY hand to extract the juice from cherry to measure the sweetness. We collect 23-24 sweetness (average of 15-25 in low altitude) after the freezing night. Followed by soaking coffee beans to sift away the low density bean (which easily get burnt).
Mike has experimented quite a lot of processing methods, such as His original Perilla Leave Anaerobic Natural (It is a must to join th event to know more!) For this time, we tried Cacao Enzyme Washed and Anaerobic Natural! Mike kept the Cacao fruit skin from last time, then made it as enzyme as today’s materials. I was amazed how he used most of the materials he can to try and experiment. He further explained some elements in anaerobic fermentation, for examples, microorganism, Co2, ph value and water etc. How exciting to try the coffee beans picked and processed by ourselves next year! Wish some day there is sweet potato processing coffee! Hahahaha.
在採收過後我們便去處理咖啡豆，首先我們篩選最好的幾款豆，乾手去提取果實汁液去量度甜度，在低地15-25的平均甜度，經過23號寒冷的一夜變得更甜有約23/24的甜度！量度甜度後，我們便倒入清水去浸泡咖啡果實，密度低的咖啡果實會浮於水面可用工具篩走
啡農實驗過各種處理法及實驗方法，當中包括獨創的紫蘇菜厭氧（詳細一定要參與活動去了解更多)而今次我們嘗試的便是可可殼酵素！上次啡農用了可可肉發酵，便儲下有的可可殼用作製酵素然後就變成今天用作厭氧的材料了！Mike更親自解釋了關於他厭氧的元素，包括微生物、二氧化碳、鹼值及水等。這此我們分別製作了可可殼厭氧及可可殼水洗！很期待下年嘗回這個自己親自摘及處理的咖啡，私心希望有天有番薯有關的處理法！哈哈
My thoughts and feelings
It is my honour to participate in Hong Kong local grown coffee event. To be fully honest, it is my first time ever to see the coffee trees, cherries and many first-time experience. This event is really remarkable, heartfelt and fruitful. Thanks Mike again for the efforts for preparing the events, innovation, experimentations, and selfless sharing. 🥺🤍
有幸可參與香港本地咖啡的活動、今次是我人生第一次見咖啡本樹、本果及很多首次體驗，感受很深🥺🤍再次感謝啡農用心的籌備、創新的實驗及無私的分享。
