While Kyoto’s Ogawa Coffee may be best known for its kissaten-style cafés, the chain’s latest outpost in Shimokitazawa is an entirely new concept. Ogawa Coffee Laboratory is not a café, and can best be described as a bean salon, offering coffee masterclasses where you can learn to do more with your beans.
The sleek salon sells numerous types of coffee beans and staff will teach you how to brew the best cup of joe using a selection of 40 different coffee tools. There’s also a roaster on hand where you can try roasting a small batch of coffee beans yourself in less than 20 minutes.
During a visit, you’ll have your pick from over 20 types of coffee beans including single origin, house blends and even a selection of speciality beans. There’s also a coffee graph on hand which you can use to help pick your beans based on your preferred flavour profiles. From there, you’ll be given a choice of coffee equipment to choose how you want your coffee brewed. Whether it’s with an AeroPress, siphon, or a simple pour over, even the pickiest coffee drinker will find a range of options to choose from.
The friendly baristas will even walk you through the brewing process, or if you prefer, they can brew it for you while you watch. The shop can also label your beans, so each time you visit, you can try out a different method of brewing using the same beans until you find your favourite.
If you’d like to practice what you’ve learned at home, look out for the small table with coffee equipment, ceramic cups, and attractive coffee table books for sale. Scones and a signature Tahitian vanilla gelato are the only food options available, and you can also order the scones by the box for takeaway.