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"

"被朋友安利的日本宝藏咖啡店mel咖啡，还没到店里就能闻到淡淡的咖啡香，店里比较紧凑，只能坐户小凳上，但完全不影响体验。选了店里最人气的哥伦比亚混合肯尼亚豆浓缩拿铁、中度烘焙，店里都是手冲咖啡。"

"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."