Mel Coffee Roasters

"I had a great pourover drink from Mel. I also bought a bag of coffee beans. Their beans selection is impressive. Also, the staff are kind and accommodating. One of the baristas, a female, spoke really good english (and she already went to Cebu). I'm sorry if I wasn't able to converse more as I'm really shy 😅 The staff were really thoughtful since they turned the heater outside even though we said it's okay even if they don't turn it on. Thank you for the recommendation and we look forward to visiting again!"

"Came here in the pouring rain but wasn’t disappointed The latte (with geisha beans) was very smooth. Though the beans probably it would have been better fit for hand drip I think. I should have picked the medium roasted beans that are more nutty for espresso Nonetheless very good drinks There’s no seating so it’s takeaway only"

"A very pleasant small roastery café. The coffee was excellent and carefully prepared. The atmosphere is cozy, though there’s no indoor seating, which gives it more of a take-away style vibe. The staff was very kind and welcoming. We asked for a recommendation and were suggested the Panama Finca Deborah Nirvana (Geisha), along with an explanation card and a short presentation about the coffee. It was really informative and added to the experience. The price of ¥8,000 for a filter did surprise me – the most expensive coffee I’ve ever had – but the barista was upfront about it and confirmed if it was okay before serving. That transparency felt very fair. Overall, a memorable and special coffee experience."

"It has been more than a month since my visit, but I still think of my experience here from time to time. Perhaps writing down would help me to move on. This is a cautionary tale, and I don’t doubt you may have an enjoyable cup here depending on the kind of coffee you seek out. Giving the benefit of doubt that perhaps it was the barista’s off day, the calibration was off, beans not rested enough etc but that says something about the quality control. Found on recommendation of reddit as one of the better specialty coffees (especially filter) in Osaka. Came on a weekday morning and it was already quite packed. Decided to splurge a little and went for a ¥1600 hot filter. Here are some things I liked: - Hole in the wall, peaceful cafe vibes - Situated in a quaint neighbourhood - The probat roaster - A bit of small talk with the staff as I’m a roaster as well Objectively what I disliked: -While it can be said that taste is subjective, the filter was objectively bad. It was not about the price point of the filter. The overall balance was off and the filter was not well structured; it was very watered down and tasted more like coffee flavoured water. No acidity, sweetness or any apparent flavour notes. -This is the same even as the filter cools down to room temperature, no opening up of flavours. (I later found out from a fellow roaster they bypass their coffees, which may explain why.) In terms of service recovery, perhaps sensing that I didn’t much enjoy the coffee they did ask how was it. After explaining, the response given was something akin to “maybe it’s the way the coffee was prepared” and that was it. It was giving しょうがない vibes and well if you’re in Japan enough and get this response from a customer service standpoint you know you’re kinda cooked and nothing more can be done. It is what it is. It was kind of disappointing in the sense it seemed they weren’t concerned about the feedback or the craft at all. Considered buying a pack of beans but thought better of it considering the quality of the filter and service; I didn’t want to be disappointed again. Made quite a detour to get to the place and was left disappointed for a ¥1600 watered down filter."

"The coffee tastes bad, the female barista was rude. Don't ever bother to come. I mean this is the 2nd best coffee in town, aim to serve the neighborhood. Instead, the female barista destroyed the whole vibe and good environment, and good courtesy. The story was there was only a short queue ahead, not many people waiting outside. I asked for a recommendation, instead this female barista asked coldly to the face 'What do you mean?' While the way she handed the menu to me was like I was holding a thousand gems on my hand. Her hand was too good to even give me the menu. When she took down the order also, she acted not professional. She gave the recommendation, but customer had the right to choose what they wanted. I changed to cafe latte and instead she said: 'You asked for recommendation, but you didn't take the recommendation' In the beginning when she served, I already sensed there was something off with this female rude barista. She was clearly not enjoying her work, and not wanting to serve, like waiting for me to leave. I was not begging you for a coffee, this was really mean to even a normal human. She wanted me to stand at a very specific corner before she was really in the mood to serve. It destroyed my fine evening to enjoy the coffee."