Located in Meguro is a roastery and coffee stand known as SWITCH COFFEE TOKYO, owned and operated by Onishi Masahiro .
Back in 2010, Onishi who was a barista at the time and like many who were into latte art, Onishi was obsessed and took second place at the Millrock Latte Art Championship in 2010.
But as a barista who was passionate about coffee, Onishi wanted to know if that passion was the direction he wanted to pursue in his life or to find out it was just simply a mere interest that he had.
Onishi was given advice from barista and roaster Ishiwata Toshi (currently the head roaster of Market Lane Coffee in Victoria, Australia) and Onishi took off to Melbourne (with a one-way ticket) in 2010 and was determined to find out if coffee was his calling and if it was, he could afford to purchase a return ticket back to Japan.
While in Melbourne, Onishi quickly learned about the demand of coffee in Australia, with many shops catering to the demand of the area.
After learning in Australia, Onishi worked at Honey Coffee under the tutelage of Katsuhide Izaki, a certified Cup of Excellence Judge. From his work at Honey Coffee, based in Fukuoka, it is where Onishi learned about sourcing beans from farmers and also the importance of green quality.
And when he returned to Tokyo, Onishi created SWITCH COFFEE TOKYO in October 2013 in the Meguro ward, located near near the Meguro River.
When you walk inside, you will see a shelf a variety of bags of coffee beans which Onishi roasts and has for sale. And if you are unsure of which to buy, they have coffee made in the morning with pots right near the front counter, they will provide you with a cup and you can try and see which coffee suits your taste.
The Sitio Da Torre beans from Brazil has the flavor of hazelnut, almond, raspberry and apricot.
The Bella Vista beans from Columbia has a caramel/plum flavor taste.
The Shekinah beans from El Savador has a milk chocolate, hint of orange and balanced taste.
The Tio Juan beans from Honduras has a brown sugar sweetness and dark chocolate taste with a mix of vanilla.
The Kabingara beans from Kenya has a peach, brown sugar and bitter taste.
Right in the back of the shop is a Probat roaster which he roasts his beans and he provides them ala espresso, pour over or in a French press. Caffe latte, cappuccino and espresso tonic which has become quite popular at coffee shops not just in Japan but is being offered around the world.
And as you probably saw, there are wine bottles because SWITCH COFFEE TOKYO also sells red or white wine and three different types of gin.
You will see a signature from Danish chef Rene Redzepi, who visited SWITCH COFFEE TOKYO with his family and ordered four different types of espresso.
Redzepi is also the co-owner of two-Michelin star restaurant, Noma in Christianshavn in Copenhagen, Denmark and also Noma was voted the best restaurant in the world by Restaurant Magazine’s “World Best Restaurants” in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2014.
So, the fact that his name is on the wall and approves of Onishi’s espresso (which he ordered four different types) is pretty awesome!
One thing you’ll notice when you walk into SWITCH COFFEE TOKYO is that you will probably be doing more talking with the barista than Onishi, that’s because he is driven to roasting his beans. In fact, when he puts his mind into something, he is obsessed with perfection.
Onishi learned a lot from coffee culture in Melbourne, experimenting with roasting and learning each time.
But the goal has remained the same since he first opened the store and it remains in the present, as SWITCH COFFEE TOKYO will be celebrating its fifth year anniversary in October 2018. And that goal is providing good, quality coffee to the people in the Meguro neighborhood.
His reputation for creating great coffee and his skills as a roaster has led to many coffee lovers traveling to Japan to visit the area and trying Onishi’s coffee at SWITCH COFFEE TOKYO.
And as for the variety of coffee that I tried at SWITCH COFFEE TOKYO, they were delicious!
