Sarutahiko Coffee is a name well known in the Tokyo coffee scene. Started by actor-turned-coffee-specialist Tomoyuki Otsuka in 2011, the Ebisu coffee shop is a local favorite for its simple goal of delicious coffee and focus on customer service. The last year has seen the small store take some big strides towards expansion,ย and the first of those is a new coffee brewing goodsย shop just a short walk from the flagship store.
โThe Ebisu cafe is, to be honest, quite small,โ says Suzuki Ryuta, Sarutahiko’s ‘information strategist’. โOn the one hand it’s an intimate, friendly space, but on the other, staff have their hands full just brewing and serving coffee. When we tried to stock coffee gear, customers never had the chance to have a good look at it. We’ve always wanted to provide a means for people to enjoy coffee at home, but until now there’s never been the space.โ
Which is where the Mameyaโor beans shopโcomes in. Just a few minutes walk from the cafe, the Mameya is a very different kind of atmosphere. It’s relaxed where the cafe is busy, quiet where the cafe is a buzz of conversation,ย and a pour-over enthusiastโs dream. There’s something very appealing in the sparse, simple set up:ย assorted coffee paraphernalia hangs from pale blue walls, and bags of beans fill old timber shelving by a vintage glass counter. Itโs Ebisuโs dedicated supply storeย for the coffee generation.
โWe wanted to make it like a toy store for coffee enthusiasts,โ says Suzuki, โand we wanted people to get excited about the stuff inside. There’s a feel here like its a tool shop, or a kind of hideout.โ Passersby peek heads in curiously, and a few even ask what the art display is all about… and eventually find themselves walking out with some beans and a new coffee dripper.
โIt’s more relaxed here,โ says head-barista Zenji, โwe have the time to really ensure customers find what they’re looking for. Sometimes the cafe feels a little rushed, but here there’s breathing spaceโpeople take their time, we chat, and everyone gets quality attention.โ
But the Mameya is simply the beginning, with Sarutahiko set to unveil a new roastery in January in Sengawaโa roastery/cafe combination that will seat somewhereย close to seventy people. I asked Otsuka about the choice of locationโwith all the action going on around the east side of Tokyo, why go the opposite direction?
โI grew up in Sengawa,โ says Otsuka, โand it’s a beautiful placeโitโs growing. There’s so much happening on the east side that I wanted to make a stand and show people the west side, too. At first we searched Ebisu, Daikanyama, and Naka-Meguro for locations, but it was hard to nail down anything solid. The Sengawa location felt right.โ
But what makes Otsukaโs choice interesting isnโt just the hometown pride, itโs the investment in the future of Japanโs coffee culture. โSengawa is growing. It’s an exciting place to be, but thereโs no established coffee culture. What I see [in Sengawa] is an expanding neighborhood of families and young childrenโour new roastery is a chance to start an appreciation of coffee culture for these families and the new generation.โ
At the moment the space is little more than transparent glass walls and a few small coffee displays to garner attention, but itโs likely construction and set-up will take place over the new year holidays, and Sarutahiko plans to have everything ready by the end of January. It certainly looks like the new year is going to be a bright one for the people of Sengawa.
Hengtee Limย (@Hent03) heads up Sprudgeโs Tokyo desk. Read moreย Hengtee Lim on Sprudge.
