Good morning,
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— Cyril
Charlotte’s CE timer link + screenshot
https://www.timeanddate.com/countdown/generic?iso=20220701T08&p0=102&msg=Happy+CE+day+to+u&ud=1&font=hand&csz=1
On Today’s Tide
HT Originals | Hong Kong’s Specialty Coffee scene from a barista’s perspective
Crime (???) | Whole day of teletubby chaos
COVID | MacD spreads the big ‘rona
Events
Behind the paywall:
Politics |
612 Fund to go on trial
Catholic churches won’t hold 6/4 memorial masses
Benny Tai jailed for election spending
International | MTR in London: Elizabeth Line grand opening
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HT Originals: Specialty Coffee in HK, an introduction
Two things that you might not immediately put together - Hong Kong and Third Wave Coffee. In a city full of Starbuck and Pacific Coffees, how is our specialty coffee scene and where will it head?
Barista and bartender, Jackie Lo from Gokan Lounge predicts in HT’s newest collab:
“After several years of nurturing and growing, Hong Kong’s Specialty Coffee has gone worldwide, boasting several world champions. In 2014 and 2015, Baristas from The Cupping Room, Kapo Chiu and Dawn Chan, competed in the World Barista Championships. In 2016, Lok Chan from Craft Coffee Roaster took Champion in the World Cup Tasters Championship, 2016. People are starting to recognize the consistently high cup quality and persistent breakthroughs of Hong Kong’s Coffee Practitioners.”
As thank you for your support of HT, show the instagram post from above to get 5% off your bill next time you visit Gokan.
But wait there’s more, paid subscribers get 15% off by showing a special code available only in the paid readers section.
Help us support the local businesses that make up Hong Kong’s social fabric.
COVID in Hong Kong


COVID-19 in Hong Kong
New cases: 216
Total cases: 1,210,836
New deaths: 0
Total deaths: 9,370
New Cluster at McD
It’s not just Starbucks getting on today’s High Tide, another fast food joint Maccy D’s is here too.
A new cluster at MacDonalds is on it’s 8th member. So far 8 infections across five tables, as well as one home contact, have been found.
According to preliminary data from WHO, although BA.2.12.1 was more transmissible, it’s unlikely that it increases risk of serious illness or death.
Anti-epidemic policies to remain the same
CE Carrie Lam said yesterday that it’s unlikely that there will be any major shift in anti-epidemic for travel for the rest of her tenure which ends on 1 Jul.
“We will still require vaccination before a passenger can board a plane to Hong Kong, and we will still impose the test-and-hold arrangement, whether at the airport or at a hotel, for a polymerase chain reaction nucleic acid test in order to keep Hong Kong safe.”
Teletubby Chaos
On Sunday, a family went to the KKPlus toy store in Langham Place not realizing they would become headlines for three days straight. And a meme internationall (yea I saw this brilliant image on meme pages far and wide - quite proud of HK making international headlines for something other than politics and press freedom to be honest)
The dad stepped outside for a quick phone call, and his son accidentally knocked over a 1m tall Teletubbies sculpture worth HK$50,000 retail. Staff confronted the parents saying the son kicked the statue and that they would have to pay for damages - out of goodwill the parents will only have to pay wholesale (~30,000).
Taking the word of the staff for granted, the dad forked out $30,000 only to find out later that his son did not kick the statue as the staff had claimed. Instead, the boy was walking backwards to avoid a crowd and accidentally touches it. Debates on social media asked whether the dad should have paid at all, regarldess of if the boy had knocked it over on purpose, considering the store didn’t really seem to keep it in a safe spae to begin with.
Furious, he asked for the money he provided the store back but was turned down as the announced on social media that the situation was resolved on Sunday. In the evening, after a full day of criticism on social media, KKPLus finally reltented and gave the money back to dad!
Events and deals
Support Harbour Times, our friends and partners by attending these events! Let everyone know who sent you by tagging @harbourtimes
ReThink HK returns 5-6 Oct
HT is proud to once again be a media partner for ReThink - HK’s biggest and most exciting sustainability conference. This year’s conference invites more than 300 expert speakers to share their visions and insights, covering important topics like economic progression while coexisting with nature harmoniously, efficient use of resources, transformation to a low-carbon society, and circular economy for future generations.
And some REALLY COOL EXHIBITION COUNTERS TOO. Last year, I got a potted plant <3 Read our full press release on the event here.
As a High Tide subscriber, you get to enjoy super-early-bird prices until 4 Sep (already expired for everyone else in early May).
Sign up here using the code HTP22 for 25% off!
Weekly Events Roundup
Like movies? Like exhibitions? Then you’ll love our events roundup this week. With a focus on international arts and media events, this week’s highlights are bound to entertain no matter what nationality you are!
Shape of Heart: German Film Forum: https://bit.ly/3sLydYi
Virtual Tours of Poland: https://bit.ly/3G3SuOi
Recovery, Resilience, Resurgence: https://bit.ly/3MBIdLy
Science Talks are Women Talks - Women and Climate Change:
https://bit.ly/3MA5CwT
HK 1997: https://bit.ly/3Nn9MZa
For more local events, check out yesterday’s High Tide.
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