Why go
A kissaten that is really a roastery
Coffee is the whole subject at Cafe Bach. The house roasts its own beans and pours them in a small room in Nihonzutsumi, in the north of Taito City, and the menu is organized around the cup rather than around food that happens to come with it. The Bach blend is the house signature and the reference point for everything else; beside it sit single origins roasted in the same kitchen, so one visit can cover a settled blend and a coffee chosen for where it came from. Water drip coffee, extracted slowly and cold, is the third strand, and the house sells it bottled as well as serving it. The blend is the constant and the single origins are the variable, which is the usual shape of a roaster-run kissaten: one coffee to know the house by, and a rotating handful to show what the roasting can do with a particular lot.
Classical music and a quiet room
The room is a traditional kissaten and behaves like one. Classical music plays, conversation stays low, and the interior is comfortable and slightly retro rather than styled for a new audience. The craft is the point: coffee made carefully and served without ceremony, in a room designed for sitting rather than passing through. Homemade pastries are there to go with the coffee rather than to pull people in on their own, which is the right order of priorities for a kissaten. Nothing here is chasing a trend, and the Tabelog 100 placed it at number 76 in 2022.
Drink the blend, then take some home
Order the Bach blend first. It is the clearest statement of what the roaster is trying to do and the fairest way to judge the house before moving on to a single origin. Ask what has been roasted recently if you want the origin-led route, since the lineup changes with what is in. Water drip is the order when the weather or the hour argues against something hot, and it shows the same beans in a different register. Add a pastry, then look at the retail shelf on the way out: beans are sold to take away and can be shipped, and gift sets are part of the business, so a visit can end with coffee for the week rather than just the cup you drank.
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Frequently asked questions
What should I order at Cafe Bach?
The Bach blend, the house coffee and the reference point for the rest of the roasting. Single origins from the same roaster are the next step if you want to taste one specific origin, and water drip is the cold option. Homemade pastries are made to accompany the coffee.
Can I buy the coffee to take home?
Yes. Beans are sold at the shop and can be shipped, and gift sets are part of the business, so the roasting reaches further than the room. Bottled water drip coffee is sold as well. It is worth tasting the blend in the café first, then buying whichever coffee you liked.
Compare nearby places
| Venue | Type | Area |
|---|---|---|
| Pelican Cafe | Café | Asakusa / Tawaramachi |
| CAFE DE L’AMBRE | Café | Ginza |
| Coffee Tei | Café | Ikebukuro |
| Sumibi Yaki Coffee Kura | Café | Ikebukuro |
| Coffee Kizoku Edinburgh | Café | Shinjuku |
