Enjoying world-class beans through dialogue
Emi Fukahori is a barista who won the World Brewers Cup in 2018. She is the co-owner of the Swiss coffee shop MAME. The first store opened in 2016 in the 5th district, close to Zurich Central Station, and Emi, who travels around the world from there, was featured extensively in our magazine's special feature "A Guidebook to Delicious Coffee" in issue 1015.
Mame will finally open its first Japanese store in Kamiyacho, Tokyo, in the summer of 2025. It's called Kuromame. Unlike its Swiss store, the interior of this store features warm, natural wall finishes, creating a space where customers can enjoy their coffee more slowly and calmly. The interior was designed by MHAA Architects, who also designed COFFEE COUNTY TOKYO.
This shop does not have a menu. When you enter the shop and sit at the counter, the service begins with a detailed interview about your preferences, such as "What kind of coffee do you like? How are you feeling today?"
The coffee they serve includes top-level beans called competition lots, which are used in world competitions, as well as rare beans called exclusive lots, which are genuine Mame and Kuromame beans and cannot be found anywhere else.
"It would be a waste to keep the beans used at world championships only for people in the industry. I want more ordinary customers to drink them too. Because they're really delicious," he says, offering them generously.
The reason we don't have a menu is because we want our customers to cherish the excitement of that moment, that deliciousness, before they even think about the origin or farm.
"I love seeing the moment when a customer drinks a coffee and their eyes widen in surprise. I'm like, 'I got you!' (laughs) Who I was drinking with, where I was drinking it, what the weather was like that day, or that I was wearing my favorite outfit. Those kinds of memories are more important. Rather than coffee trivia, I want them to be impressed when they are told, 'This coffee tastes like Japanese pepper,' and when they actually drink it, it really does taste like Japanese pepper! That way they'll never forget it."
"This is a drinkable blueberry cheesecake," he said, offering me a cafe latte made with the same beans that will be used in the 2024 World Championships and a blend of two types of milk. Coffee, water, and milk. The rich flavor is so rich it's hard to believe it's only made with these three ingredients. 
The storefront is lined with first-class beans roasted in Switzerland. Because they are all rare, they may be gone by the time you next visit. "I hope you enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime experience," says Fukahori. 
The beans used are different from those served in the shop, but those who want to drop by casually can order takeout from this counter facing the street. Americano costs 800 yen, and latte 1,000 yen.
A deep knowledge and love of coffee backed by the skills of a world champion, but without any complicated details, this space has been carefully designed to let you experience the joy of coffee, and a one-of-a-kind experience awaits.
