James Ong – 飲み物捜す人 – Coffee is for Lovers

The Roastery by Nozy

Nozy is, at least in my humble opinion, the standard for Tokyo Coffee and the local institution to beat. It is a pinnacle of quality and sophistication, leading the way for artisan coffee’s global domination. The Roastery is a gem. From the design aesthetics to the “American” style cappuccino, the folks at Nozy know how to…

Advice on Tipping your Barista

Tip your barista. It’s not just good karma points, they deserve it. Believe it or not, barista-ing can be a pretty difficult occupation; good baristas are simultaneously hosts, cooks, servers, waiters, sommelier and disaster-prevention-control-officer all rolled into one. More on this in a future article. I get asked about tipping a lot. When Square first came on the…

Chromatic Coffee 3rd Anniversary

I’ve known the folks at Chromatic since before it was Chromatic and grew up with a few of them. They are changing the South Bay coffee game in huge ways. If you haven’t gone to their store to try some of the Gamut or their signature anniversary Unicorn Pony Blend (as rare as the real deal), now is a great…

Have we finally gotten used to “barista rude”

I started working in coffee at a little local 2.5 wave shop in 2009. Customer was king at our store. I didn’t (and still don’t) always agree with the primacy of this principle, but amiability and professionalism were cornerstones of our business. My manager was a master at the craft and being your buddy. Being snobby was…

Paddlers Coffee

Paddlers Coffee has made a name for itself as a local institution, and for good reason. Paddlers is one of only a few shops that exclusively sources quality Stumptown beans in Tokyo and knows how to brew them well! Add to that the mellow atmosphere (a welcome respite in the busy Shibuya district) and jovial personality…