​Cafe ROXA  is located about a 15-minute walk from Kintetsu Kogane Station and close to Nakagawa Canal.

This is a store specializing in home-roasted coffee located on the first floor of Kyowa Coffee Co., Ltd., which sells coffee beans for commercial use wholesale. This time, we asked Mr. Takahashi, the manager of Cafe ROXA, about his commitment to coffee beans and roasting.

Run by a Coffee Wholesaler
Coffee Shop

Mr. Takahashi, manager of Cafe ROXA main store

– How long has this store been open?

Mr. Takahashi:"When Kyowa Coffee opened a new building in 1993, it opened as a directly managed store. The name of the store, 'roxa,' is said to have been taken from the Portuguese word 'terra roxa,' which means earth or soil suitable for growing coffee.

At the time of opening, the café space was only a counter, and in addition to coffee beans, German bread for commercial use was also sold. This area was an industrial area, and there were more companies than there are now, so there were many office workers who would come in for a coffee during their lunch break. ”

Mr. Takahashi: "I joined Kyowa Coffee 17 years ago, and the environment surrounding coffee has changed considerably over the past 17 years. Especially in the last few years, partly due to the impact of COVID-19, more and more people want to drink delicious coffee at home, and with the coffee boom, more young people are coming to cafes, and I am strongly aware of the changing times."

You can find your favorite from 40 kinds of coffee beans

-From the moment you open the door, you can smell the aroma of roasted coffee beans. Please tell us about your commitment to coffee beans and roasting.

Mr. Takahashi:"We always handle about 40 types of coffee beans. This is possible only because of those are in state of the green beans, and roasted beans deteriorate little by little, so we can't store so many types."

Mr. Takahashi:“We have coffee appraisers who are one of the few staff in Japan with advanced knowledge and experience, and they are the ones who select the beans that we handle. Nowadays, there are many customers who choose higher quality specialty coffee.”

-However, with so many beans, it can be hard to decide which beans to choose.

Mr. Takahashi: "That's right. That's why we choose coffee beans that we recommend as our coffee of the month. If you are a beginner, you may want to try it from there. We have been making original blends for a long time and have many fans. Even when blended with the same type of beans, the taste may change slightly depending on the harvest year, and some customers say, "This time it's more refreshing than usual." ”

Mr. Takahashi: "Even if you say 'coffee beans' in one word, the aroma and taste vary depending on the place of origin, breed, farm, refining method, climate of the year, etc., so it's a really deep world. I myself find it rewarding to study, and it's fun to talk like that with customers. Recently, more and more people are purchasing drip packs as gifts. The design is cute and popular. ”

Strong roasting brings out the flavor of the coffee beans

- And once you've picked your beans, it's time to roast them!

Mr. Takahashi: “If you put raw beans in this high-speed roaster called Tornado, it will be baked in about 5 minutes. Hot air is generated like a tornado in the machine, and it is a mechanism that can roast evenly. ”

Mr. Takahashi: “You can roast just 100g. Light roasting is a trend these days, but even though we say light roasting, our roasting is slightly darker than other stores.”

Mr. Takahashi: “I think that the true flavor comes out only when the beans are thoroughly cooked to the core. Beans that tend to be sour when roasted lightly can become fruity when roasted a little darker, so I would like you to consult with them to find your favorite degree of roasting.

Freshly roasted coffee has a unique aroma. However, it is better to brew coffee the day after the beans have settled. Freshly roasted beans swell too much when dripped, making it difficult to brew evenly. ”

"Nostalgia" and "Newness" Coexist
Relaxing Cafe Space

– The cafe space has a calm atmosphere and is comfortable.​

Mr. Takahashi:"Thank you. We have many regular customers from the neighborhood, but we also have customers who like the atmosphere of our store and drive from far away to come. Cafe ROXA 's other stores have a casual and lively atmosphere. However, at our store, you can enjoy a relaxing time while drinking coffee in the cup of your choice.

The cups and saucers lined up here are said to have been collected by the chairman of Kyowa Coffee Shop both in Japan and overseas. There are some Noritake cups from Nagoya, and it has a nostalgic atmosphere. These days, many people use mugs when they drink coffee at home, but drinking coffee from a cup and saucer according to the mood of the day feels a little special.

There are 9 types of coffee that you can have in the store. Each cup is carefully brewed by hand drip. Mr. Takahashi says, "When brewing coffee, the amount of brewing and the way to pour the hot water is important."

Pour hot water around the center in the shape of “の (no: Japanese hiragana)” and let it steam for 1 minute. And the next hot water determines the taste, so be careful. Pour hot water in the middle so as not to pour hot water on the outside. It feels like pouring hot water over coffee all the time.” Just sitting at the counter and watching the coffee drop by drop makes me feel happy.

Hotel blend (450 yen)

What I received that day was Cafe ROXA 's house blend, Hotel Blend (450 yen). Although you can feel the richness of dark roasting, it has a mild taste.

Wiener coffee (510 yen)

Ice cafe au lait (510 yen)

In addition, there are various menus that will make you enjoy coffee, such as "Wiener Coffee (510 yen)" with mascarpone cream, and "Ice cafe au lait (510 yen)" that you want to drink in hot weather.

Coffee jelly with a retro cuteness is a hot topic on SNS

Coffee jelly (530 yen)

And recently, "Coffee Jelly (530 yen)" is becoming another face of the shop. It seems that the menu itself was originally there, but the staff at the time devised it to appeal to the SNS generation. This is exactly what is gaining popularity as an "instagrammable" product.

The red cherries and lotus biscuits have a slightly retro feel, and are cute enough to make you want to take a picture. However, of course the taste is authentic. Hand-drip charcoal-grilled coffee is used to make jelly, and mascarpone ice cream is placed on top.

The bittersweetness of the sugar-free coffee goes well with the rich mascarpone, and it's very delicious.

Seasonal dessert (350 yen)

Croissant sandwich (600 yen with 450 yen drink)

There are also seasonal desserts (350 yen) and croissant sandwiches (450 yen with a drink for 600 yen) that can be used in a variety of situations. Also, from 9:00 to 11:00, morning breakfast 's style is not toast, but croissants with plenty of butter. Commercial-use croissant dough that Kyowa Coffee Shop handles is baked in the store's oven.

The aroma of roasted coffee wafts through the store, classical music is quietly played, and you can sit at the counter and watch the carefully crafted drip coffee. It's an era where you can drink coffee casually at any time, so it's a shop that makes you want to cherish the time to drink coffee in a relaxed manner.