46-Year-Old Japanese Maeda Coffee Opens First Beijing Branch for Kyoto-Style Desserts and Artisanal Brews
Think you know your coffee? Upon walking into Maeda Coffee, you might just start to doubt everything that you once knew. That's because Maeda Coffee, founded by Takahiro Maeda in Kyoto in 1971 (the same year that Starbucks was founded in Seattle), personally selects the brand's coffee beans from small farms in Brazil, Colombia, and Guatemala, roasts them himself, and then sends them to his five current branches in Japan as hand drip coffee.
That range now stretches to Beijing, with Maeda opening his first ever location outside of Japan, bringing with it its specialization and love of all things hand drip coffee (RMB 58-98). Walking into the tranquil yard of Caochang building near Liangmaqiao, you will find the cozy Maeda Coffee concealed on the second floor, with low beige-colored sofas and a sun-kissed terrace, as well as several high stools around the bar that allow for closer inspection of the barista and their craft. Put succinctly, the cafe could certainly have been transported straight from the subdued streets of Kyoto.
Our tasting trip began with a signature hand drip coffee Benkei (RMB 98, pictured at top), which is brewed using Yirgacheffee coffee beans from Ethiopia. Sitting at the bar gave us a front-row view of the barista's moves – how he ground the beans with a high-end Ditting coffee grinder, how he used an antique iron kettle to brew water (made in 1926, and is worth RMB 10,000 alone), how he timed the boiling perfectly so as to attain the precise temperature, how he matered the water to warm the cup, and finally, how he poured the water over and over of the ground beans, first to let the coffee bloom and then to let the water and coffee brew. “After one minute of grounding, the coffee beans will lose 70 percent of their flavor,” Kenji continues.
Apparently barista Kenji has mastered his beans and everything about them. He tells us how the Japanese began to appreciate coffee in 1868, and how Japan so far has the most specialty cafes in the world. We also learn that the pretty Japanese ceramic cups that we are drinking from are called kyo-yaki, and have been carefully carried over from Kyoto (buy one of your own for RMB 580 each).
The coffee? It was well-balanced with a hint of roasted flavor, and a rich palate that had no semblance of sourness. We also enjoyed the Ushiwakamaru (RMB 78), brewed with coffee beans from Brazil, and had more of a citrusy, sweet, smokey, and nutty aroma. If you are looking for an alternative, try the matcha, which has also been delivered from Kyoto (of course).
As for the sweets, we recommend Maeda Japanese take on cheesecake (RMB 48), making it flaky, moist, and not as dense as your usual go-to cheesecake, but goes exquisitely with coffee. The rum-infused cookies came a close second.
Maeda certainly sits at the pricier side of coffee but if you're looking for an artisanal treat paired with some fine desserts and a taste of Japan, it may just be your best bet in Beijing.
Maeda Coffee
Daily 9am-9pm. 201, 2/F, Caochang, Tianze Lu, Chaoyang District (5623 4368)
前田珈琲：朝阳区天泽路草场201
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Photos: Tracy Wang
