What Is the ICAC Coffee Shop and Its Menu?

Hong Kong's Independent Commission Against Corruption will open a coffee shop called 1974 on the ground floor of its North Point headquarters, named for the year the agency was founded, with service starting November 15. The menu skips standard lattes and Americanos in favor of drinks named Transparency, Sense of Mission, Courage, Fairness, and Integrity.

The shop builds on the long-standing local phrase about being invited to the ICAC for coffee, which in Hong Kong means being asked to assist with an investigation. A short film titled Coffee Years, starring Cally Kwong, was released to promote the opening. Visitors can try the coffee and learn about the agency's work up close.

The ICAC, which frequently appears in Hong Kong film and television works, has left a deep impression on countless people thanks to the line "ICAC invites you for coffee." Now, this mysterious agency is really going to open a coffee shop. The ICAC announced that it will open a coffee shop called "1974" on the ground floor of its North Point headquarters, named after the year of its establishment, and it will officially begin service on November 15. Previously, the official account joined Xiaohongshu and released a short film "Coffee Years" starring Cally Kwong, borrowing the retro filming style of "In the Mood for Love," sparking heated discussion among film fans nationwide. On the coffee shop menu, there are no common lattes or Americanos; instead, the drinks are named "Transparency," "Sense of Mission," "Courage," "Fairness," "Integrity," and so on, full of ICAC characteristics. At that time, citizens will not only be able to taste ICAC coffee, but also learn about the ICAC's work up close.

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Recently, news has come that the Hong Kong ICAC is going to "invite" the public to drink coffee!

Viewers who grew up watching TVB dramas and Hong Kong films must be familiar with this highly visible mysterious agency. When the ICAC is mentioned, do these classic scenes immediately come to mind:

"ICAC investigating, not convenient to disclose."

"ICAC invites you for coffee."

"ICAC invites you back to assist with the investigation."

When it comes to the ICAC, most people first think of coffee. If one were to rank the world's "hardest to swallow" coffees, the cup from the ICAC (Hong Kong Independent Commission Against Corruption) would definitely be on the list. After all, in Hong Kong, the phrase "invite you to the ICAC for coffee" is enough to make a guilty person's expression change drastically, or even send chills down their spine—because when the ICAC invites you for coffee, it means inviting you to assist with an investigation.

The exact origin of this saying is no longer verifiable, but it is certain that it is closely related to local Hong Kong culture. Due to language habits, whether suspects or witnesses are invited into the ICAC for questioning or statements, investigators will politely ask whether they would like a cup of coffee. Over time, "ICAC coffee" became widely known. In many Hong Kong films, the ICAC also frequently appears.

For this reason, many mainland tourists traveling to Hong Kong make a special trip to take photos in front of the ICAC, and some netizens even bring their own coffee, having a great time.

On November 4, the Hong Kong ICAC first officially opened an account on Xiaohongshu, and then released a self-written and self-directed short film "Coffee Years," with the caption: "If Cally Kwong invited you to the ICAC for coffee, would you agree?" Once this post was published, it immediately attracted enthusiastic responses from film fans across the country.

It is worth mentioning that this video not only invited singer Cally Kwong to appear, but also borrowed the filming techniques of the classic film "In the Mood for Love," creating a nostalgic 1970s texture for the scene, and cleverly adapted Tony Leung's iconic line: "If there were one more café, would you go with me?" At the end of the video, the letter paper in the frame led to a line of text: 1974 Coffee Shop, 303 Java Road.

Wait a minute! 303 Java Road—isn't that exactly the ICAC's headquarters building in North Point?

Sure enough, not long after, the ICAC officially announced that it would open a coffee shop in the basement of its North Point headquarters, hold an opening ceremony on November 14, officially launch it on November 15, and name it "1974" after the year the ICAC was founded. It is reported that at that time citizens will not only be able to walk into the coffee shop and taste ICAC coffee, but also learn up close about the ICAC's daily work and latest developments.

In fact, as early as two months ago, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the ICAC's establishment, the headquarters building held open days for two consecutive weekends, opening to the public facilities including the detention center, the triangle table, and the one-way mirror identification room. As soon as the news was announced, it attracted a large number of citizens and tourists to register. The first batch of participants shared positive reviews on social platforms: they answer every question, so nice!

So how exactly does the ICAC's signature coffee taste? As the coffee shop's opening date approaches, some Hong Kong citizens have already visited in advance to take photos, and even revealed the ICAC's menu ahead of time.

The menu does not include the common latte or Americano. Instead, what meets the eye are only Transparency, Sense of Mission, Courage, Fairness, Integrity, Confidentiality, Justice... We have not yet tasted the coffee and do not know what the flavors are like, but the cup drunk here must surely be very "ICAC."

Image source: Internet

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The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.