Coffee has undeniably become a key part of our daily lives. We can skip breakfast, but never this morning picker-upper. Tucked within Hysan Avenue in Causeway Bay is a shop obsessed with coffee, project c, whose motto is “brewing a cup of life to everyone who passes by”.
C for…
Many think the “c” in its name stand for “coffee” or “café”, but Barista Kenneth says, “It can be both, but it can also represent our beloved neighbourhood, Causeway Bay; the circular window in our shop or the cement bar. Customers can decide which “c” we mean.”
C for Coffee
Coffee shops serving food and sweets are increasingly popular in Hong Kong. But project c only focuses on its craft so its customers can fully experience the profound beauty of coffee. As such, perfect c’s space is smaller than usual and only offers standing spots. Here, food isn’t served to uphold its motto of “Less than a café, more than a special coffee corner.”
C for Choice
Aside from uplifting our spirits, coffee is also drunk for pleasure. Most coffee shops only offer two to three choices of beans with varying aromas. The coffee-obsessed project c, however, features at least nine different beans. This wide selection on the coffee tray is prominent even from the entrance and rotates every fortnight. Customers can choose their daily cuppa based on aromas plus each bean’s detailed description listing the their places of origin and more.
Such wide selections are the fruit of Kenneth’s hard work. “We want to educate our customers so they know from which bean and where their cup of coffee comes from. Each cuppa sold comes with a card that illustrates its aromas, place of origin, bean type, processing methods and harvest period.”
C for Clarity
Minimalistic, perfect c’s interiors are free of frivolity. Every addition is meant to perfect the barista and customers’ experience. The circular window, for instance, is to make take-out pick-ups more convenient. Such minimalism also translates to perfect c’s social media pages, which seldom update and mainly feature the shop’s opening hours.
Kenneth says, “We offer an experience in coffee, not showing off to your friends on social media. Customers can select their beans based on their sizes, colours, aromas and more with their own five senses. This surpasses what any Instagrammable photo or video can offer. We’re about the essence of the bean.”
C for Connection
Since the coffee shop is standing-only. Most customers will leave after they’ve received their cuppas and don’t linger long. This is no obstacle for Kenneth and his team to build a true connection with his customers. “Some customers say their cup of perfect c coffee is the highlight of their day. Others tell us how much they’ll miss our shop after their relocation.”
C for Completion
A coffee shop is judged not for how rare their coffee beans are or its shop size, but for its customer experience. From bean to cuppa, perfect c leaves no detail behind; and it’s a motto every customer can surely feel at the shop.
project c: G/F, 29 Hysan Avenue, Causeway Bay
