Mel Coffee Roasters

Masahiko Fumimoto named Mel after Melbourne, the city where he first got into specialty coffee back in 2010, and opened this Shinmachi corner shop on January 21, 2016. A vintage 5kg Probat sits behind the counter doing the actual roasting, and the small storefront regularly draws a line that spills onto the pavement outside.

Pour over is the strong suit here, worked through a changing list of single origin beans, though the espresso side keeps the Melbourne influence with flat whites and other milk drinks done properly. Mel has since opened a second, smaller outpost inside Time Out Market Osaka, but the original Shinmachi room is still where the roaster does its work.