Before Little Whale Coffee approached me about a collaboration, I had already been following the brand and wanted to try its coffee. One of its most talked-about recent products is the mirror 12-piece drip-bag coffee collection created with a local illustrator, and the design is genuinely refined. Little Whale Coffee has also remained committed to promoting pour-over coffee culture. During the pandemic in particular, this at-home brewing experience became increasingly popular in Hong Kong.
An invitation to taste the coffee
I have drifted rather far from the subject, so let us return to it. Since this is a collaboration, I will not say too much about the flavour and mouthfeel. Some readers would inevitably see that as biased—and I sometimes think the same when reading other collaboration projects. I will therefore leave the tasting notes aside and use the brand’s official information for the details, which should offer a more balanced account.
Getting into coffee
In recent years, Hong Kong has seen more and more coffee-roasting brands emerge. This was especially noticeable during the pandemic, when people could not travel and had to remain in Hong Kong. Coffee culture here seemed to grow exponentially during those years, indirectly expanding the community considerably.
I rarely drank coffee before, but for some reason I came to enjoy it over the past year or two. Once that interest began, making my first pour-over coffee at home still felt genuinely difficult. There is simply too much information online. As a beginner—myself included—you can keep searching without finding a single clear path, because everyone uses a different brewing method. The final attempt can become a mixture of advice gathered from everywhere and may not produce the result you wanted.
I think this is one of the areas they focus on. Look through their page and you will find plenty of consistent information on the subject. That is a good thing: at least we do not have to find our way in the dark. If more Hong Kong brands provided this kind of information, it would benefit both you and me.
Illustration art × specialty coffee
Among local specialty-coffee brands, I also appreciate how strongly they support the integration of Hong Kong illustration and art culture. This is genuinely worthwhile.
It is easy to publish a post or an online YouTube video when you want more people in Hong Kong to discover your artwork. Turning that work into a physical product is another matter. Printing and packaging alone would probably discourage some people, and a commercial collaboration adds another challenge. Very few businesses in Hong Kong are willing to put money into this kind of project. Anyone who has worked as an illustrator or designer will understand: unless an illustrator is already well known, bringing the work into a physical setting is genuinely difficult—and sometimes designers are simply relieved not to be asked to pay for it themselves.
That is why I think this deserves respect. Any more praise and this really would start to sound like an advertisement. Those are my main thoughts about the brand; you can look up the remaining details yourself. Let us return to the coffee-bean information.
Conclusion — Little Whale Coffee
Little Whale Coffee offers a high-quality pour-over experience and works with local illustrators to create coffee products with a distinctly Hong Kong character. Its promotion of pour-over culture and support for local art help it stand out among coffee brands. Whether you are new to pour-over coffee or an experienced enthusiast, Little Whale Coffee is a choice you should not miss.
Coffee information:
Panama, Boquete, Mama Cata Estate, Cedro & Casa Abajo lots, Geisha, natural processPanama Boquete Garrido Family Mama Cata Cedro/Casa Abajo Geisha Natural
Country: Panama
Region: Boquete
Altitude: 1,500–1,650 metres
Farm owner: Jose David Garrido of the Garrido family
Colombia, El Paraiso Estate, double anaerobic fermentation — Flor Lichi
Colombia El Paraiso Double Anaerobic – Flor Lichi
Country: Colombia
Region: Cauca
Estate: El Paraiso
Producer: Diego Samuel Bermudez Tapia
Altitude: 2,050 metres
Process: double anaerobic washed
Coffee brand: Little Whale Coffee
Telephone: 6206-9035
