We line up to try one of the most unusual, and expensive, coffee experiences in Tokyo. 

Back in December, a new flagship store opened in Tokyo’s posh Ginza district, and it’s been drawing huge crowds ever since. Called Bacha Coffee, this new arrival is the first flagship store in Japan for one of the world’s largest specialty coffee brands, boasting a 115-year history that can be traced back to Marrakech, Morocco.

Our reporter and self-proclaimed coffee lover, Mr Sato, decided to join the crowds outside the store to find out if this new coffee purveyor is worth queuing for. Although he visited on a Monday afternoon, as weekdays are generally less crowded than weekends, there were still more than a dozen people waiting in line ahead of him. Normally, a crowd like this would make him want to walk in the other direction, but the hype surrounding this store, the first of its kind in Japan, made him so curious he didn’t mind the wait.

▼ When he finally stepped inside, the first thing to catch his eye was the prices.

A box of drip coffee here costs 4,400 yen (US$28.84). With 12 bags inside, that works out to be about 366 yen per cup, which is around the same price as a drip coffee at a coffee shop. Casting his gaze over the other items, his eyes widened when he saw…

▼…tins of coffee beans for 6,900 yen and 56,400 yen ($369.80)!

Despite the sky-high prices, items were selling fast, proving that customers in Ginza clearly have a thirst for high-end coffee. In fact, it took about 30 minutes for Mr Sato to make it to the register as many people were buying products as gifts, so staff were busy meticulously wrapping customers’ purchases, paying careful attention to detail.

Mr Sato wasn’t here for gifts, though – he just wanted to drink coffee, although after eyeing up those prices he was now nervous about whether or not he had enough money in his wallet for this high-end experience. Thankfully, after receiving a menu, he breathed a little sigh of relief, as the coffees were expensive, but not unaffordable.

▼ The list was extensive, though, and the further down you looked the more expensive it got.

▼ At the very bottom of the list was the most expensive of the lot – a Paraiso Gold Coffee from Brazil, priced at 20,000 yen.

▼ That was waaaay out of Mr Sato’s budget, so he turned his attention to the pastries, which were much more competitively priced.

▼ All the baked goods looked delicious in the display case, tempting him to indulge his sweet tooth.

So what did Mr Sato walk away with? Well, in the end he did purchase a pastry – a croissant, to be exact – and he also picked up a coffee to go, which he thought would be served in a single cup.

▼ But he walked away with the coffee in a fancy paper tray.

This was an entirely different experience to his usual Starbucks run, and he found himself feeling a little self-conscious at carrying such extravagant-looking items. Still, it was everything you’d expect from a world-class luxury store, even though he didn’t feel like he was worthy of such fancy trimmings.

▼ Soon he found himself with another problem – where to consume his coffee.

A coffee this beautiful and expensive deserves a proper seating arrangement, but his to-go order meant he had to find a place to sit outside and drink it. While he didn’t mind that so much, he did feel self-conscious walking the streets of Ginza with a tray of coffee in his hand.

When he did find a place to sit, he ran a search online and discovered the Ginza store actually has a dedicated corner at the back where customers can drink their takeout coffees. Plus, there’s a cafe on the second and third floors as well. That meant Mr Sato’s stroll through Ginza with a paper tray was all on him, but he decided to see the silver lining – he was now alone in the park and free to enjoy his expensive brew in relative silence.

Lifting the cup out of the tray, he stopped to admire the gorgeous decorative details. It was the most beautiful cup of coffee he’d ever seen.

Removing the lid, he found a thin layer of coffee oil on the surface of the liquid, a sign that the beans are fresh and dark roasted.

The amount of liquid in the cup seemed a little small, but he decided to ignore that and concentrate his senses on the quality of the flavour.

“It’s delicious! I think…” was Mr Sato’s first reaction to the taste. To be honest, he wasn’t quite sure if this was delicious or not. He likes his coffee strong, but this was a little different from what he considers strong. It certainly had a well-rounded texture, but the aftertaste was smooth and didn’t linger. While some aficionados would view this as a sign of a good-quality coffee, Mr Sato’s preference is for a full-bodied, bitter taste in the mouth, so perhaps the quality was wasted on him.

The coffee does come with some exciting extras, namely a vanilla bean Chantilly cream, which is low in oil and doesn’t overpower the coffee’s natural flavour…

▼ …and a sugar stick.

After adding the cream to the coffee, it became even less bold in flavour, skewing over to the more elegant and light side of things. It was delicious, but it just didn’t suit Mr Sato’s taste.

Swirling the sugar stick around allows you to adjust the sweetness to your liking as you go, but again, it didn’t help Mr Sato’s preferences for a strong, bold brew. If you order an iced coffee, you get an original glass straw, so Mr Sato decided to return in future to give that a try.

As for the croissant, he saved that for home to avoid being harassed by hungry pigeons in the park, and when he tried it, he was surprised to find that this suited his palate perfectly. The surface was so crispy he wondered if it had been freshly baked, and the texture of the interior and rich aroma of butter was sublime, putting it in the top five croissants he’s ever eaten.

His only criticism was the size, as it was so small he finished it in no time, leaving him hankering for another. Still, the quality is so high that it’s worth the 450 yen price tag – it even feels cheap in the grand scheme of things.

▼ Bacha really is the master of details, with even its business cards looking as high-end as they come.

So, is Bacha Coffee worth it? In Mr Sato’s opinion, yes. Despite not serving up his preference for a rough-and-ready strong brew, Mr Sato appreciated all the details in the packaging, quality and freshness of everything he purchased, and the inclusion of cream and a sugar stick made this an experience like no other. Just remember that if you order takeout you can enjoy your coffee at the back of the store, so you don’t have to walk the streets of Ginza like Mr Sato.

Store information

Bacha Coffee /バシャコーヒー
Address: Tokyo-to, Chuo-ku, Ginza 5-6-6
東京都中央区銀座5-6-6
Open: 11:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m.
Website

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[ Read in Japanese ]