{"id":4221,"date":"2026-01-28T20:00:06","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T03:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/?p=4221"},"modified":"2026-01-28T20:00:06","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T03:00:06","slug":"bacha-coffee-opens-in-japanbut-is-it-worth-the-hype","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/?p=4221","title":{"rendered":"Bacha Coffee opens in Japan\u2026but is it worth the hype?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

We line up to try one of the most unusual, and expensive, coffee experiences in Tokyo.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n

Back in December, a new flagship store opened in Tokyo\u2019s posh Ginza district, and it\u2019s been drawing huge crowds ever since. Called Bacha Coffee<\/strong>, this new arrival is\u00a0the first flagship store in Japan for one of the world\u2019s largest specialty coffee brands, boasting a 115-year history that can be traced back to\u00a0Marrakech, Morocco.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Our reporter and self-proclaimed coffee lover, Mr Sato, decided to join the crowds outside the store to find out if this new coffee purveyor is worth queuing for. Although he visited on a Monday afternoon, as weekdays are generally less crowded than weekends, there were still more than a dozen people waiting in line ahead of him. Normally, a crowd like this would make him want to walk in the other direction, but the hype surrounding this store, the first of its kind in Japan, made him so curious he didn\u2019t mind the wait.<\/p>\n

\u25bc When he finally stepped inside, the first thing to catch his eye was the prices.<\/p>\n

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A box of drip coffee here costs 4,400 yen<\/strong> (US$28.84). With 12 bags inside, that works out to be about 366 yen per cup, which is around the same price as a drip coffee at a coffee shop. Casting his gaze over the other items, his eyes widened when he saw\u2026<\/p>\n

\u25bc\u2026tins of coffee beans for 6,900 yen and<\/em> 56,400 yen<\/strong> ($369.80)!<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Despite the sky-high prices, items were selling fast, proving that customers in Ginza clearly have a thirst for high-end coffee. In fact, it took about 30 minutes for Mr Sato to make it to the register as many people were buying products as gifts, so staff were busy meticulously wrapping customers\u2019 purchases, paying careful attention to detail.<\/p>\n

Mr Sato wasn\u2019t here for gifts, though \u2013 he just wanted to drink coffee, although after eyeing up those prices he was now nervous about whether or not he had enough money in his wallet for this high-end experience. Thankfully, after receiving a menu, he breathed a little sigh of relief, as the coffees were expensive, but not unaffordable.<\/p>\n

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\u25bc The list was extensive, though, and the further down you looked the more expensive it got.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u25bc At the very bottom of the list was the most expensive of the lot \u2013 a Paraiso Gold Coffee from Brazil, priced at 20,000 yen<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u25bc That was waaaay out of Mr Sato\u2019s budget, so he turned his attention to the pastries, which were much more competitively priced.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u25bc All the baked goods looked delicious in the display case, tempting him to indulge his sweet tooth.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

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So what did Mr Sato walk away with? Well, in the end he did purchase a pastry \u2013 a croissant, to be exact \u2013 and he also picked up a coffee to go, which he thought would be served in a single cup.<\/p>\n

\u25bc But he walked away with the coffee in a fancy paper tray.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

This was an entirely different experience to his usual Starbucks run, and he found himself feeling a little self-conscious at carrying such extravagant-looking items. Still, it was everything you\u2019d expect from a world-class luxury store, even though he didn\u2019t feel like he was worthy of such fancy trimmings.<\/p>\n

\u25bc Soon he found himself with another problem \u2013 where to consume his coffee.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

A coffee this beautiful and expensive deserves a proper seating arrangement, but his to-go order meant he had to find a place to sit outside and drink it. While he didn\u2019t mind that so much, he did feel self-conscious walking the streets of Ginza with a tray of coffee in his hand.<\/p>\n

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When he did find a place to sit, he ran a search online and discovered the Ginza store actually has a dedicated corner at the back where customers can drink their takeout coffees. Plus, there\u2019s a cafe on the second and third floors as well. That meant Mr Sato\u2019s stroll through Ginza with a paper tray was all on him, but he decided to see the silver lining \u2013 he was now alone in the park and free to enjoy his expensive brew in relative silence.<\/p>\n

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Lifting the cup out of the tray, he stopped to admire the gorgeous decorative details. It was the most beautiful cup of coffee he\u2019d ever seen.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Removing the lid, he found a thin layer of coffee oil on the surface of the liquid, a sign that the beans are fresh and dark roasted.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The amount of liquid in the cup seemed a little small, but he decided to ignore that and concentrate his senses on the quality of the flavour.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s delicious! I think\u2026\u201d was Mr Sato\u2019s first reaction to the taste. To be honest, he wasn\u2019t quite sure if this was delicious or not. He likes his coffee strong, but this was a little different from what he considers strong. It certainly had a well-rounded texture, but the aftertaste was smooth and didn\u2019t linger. While some aficionados would view this as a sign of a good-quality coffee, Mr Sato\u2019s preference is for a full-bodied, bitter taste in the mouth, so perhaps the quality was wasted on him.<\/p>\n

The coffee does come with some exciting extras, namely\u00a0a vanilla bean Chantilly cream<\/strong>, which is low in oil and doesn\u2019t overpower the coffee\u2019s natural flavour\u2026<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u25bc \u2026and a sugar stick.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

After adding the cream to the coffee, it became even less bold in flavour, skewing over to the more elegant and light side of things. It was delicious, but it just didn\u2019t suit Mr Sato\u2019s taste.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Swirling the sugar stick around allows you to adjust the sweetness to your liking as you go, but again, it didn\u2019t help Mr Sato\u2019s preferences for a strong, bold brew. If you order an iced coffee, you get an original glass straw, so Mr Sato decided to return in future to give that a try.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

As for the croissant, he saved that for home to avoid being harassed by hungry pigeons in the park, and when he tried it, he was surprised to find that this suited his palate perfectly. The surface was so crispy he wondered if it had been freshly baked, and the texture of the interior and rich aroma of butter was sublime, putting it in the top five croissants he\u2019s ever eaten.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

His only criticism was the size, as it was so small he finished it in no time, leaving him hankering for another. Still, the quality is so high that it\u2019s worth the 450 yen price tag \u2013 it even feels cheap in the grand scheme of things.<\/p>\n

\u25bc Bacha really is the master of details, with even its business cards looking as high-end as they come.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

So, is Bacha Coffee worth it? In Mr Sato\u2019s opinion, yes. Despite not serving up his preference for a rough-and-ready strong brew, Mr Sato appreciated all the details in the packaging, quality and freshness of everything he purchased, and the inclusion of cream and a sugar stick made this an experience like no other. Just remember that if you order takeout you can enjoy your coffee at the back of the store, so you don\u2019t have to walk the streets of Ginza like Mr Sato.<\/p>\n

Store information<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bacha Coffee \/\u30d0\u30b7\u30e3\u30b3\u30fc\u30d2\u30fc
\nAddress: Tokyo-to, Chuo-ku, Ginza 5-6-6
\n\u6771\u4eac\u90fd\u4e2d\u592e\u533a\u9280\u5ea75-6-6
\nOpen: 11:00 a.m.-9:00 p.m.
\nWebsite<\/a><\/p>\n

Photos\u00a9SoraNews24<\/em>
\n\u25cf Want to hear about SoraNews24\u2019s latest articles as soon as they\u2019re published? Follow us on Facebook<\/a> and Twitter<\/a>!<\/em><\/p>\n

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We line up to try one of the most unusual, and expensive, coffee experiences in Tokyo.\u00a0 Back in December, a new flagship store opened in Tokyo\u2019s posh Ginza district, and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4221","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rss"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4221","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4221"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4221\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4221"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4221"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4221"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}