Caffeine Hunter

Tokyo · Shimokitazawa

COFFEA EXLIBRIS

The black brick storefront of COFFEA EXLIBRIS in Shimokitazawa, with a black awning lettered with the shop name, a black door with a leaded glass panel, a picture window and a bench out front

COFFEA EXLIBRIS is a takeaway specialist on a residential street in Daizawa, a short walk from Shimokitazawa Station. Kazutaka Ohtahara and his wife Mihoko have run it since 2010, when it replaced their earlier Shimokitazawa shop, and Kazutaka learned specialty coffee at Maruyama Coffee in Karuizawa before going independent.

The list runs from single origins to blends across light to dark roasts, brewed in a French press, and the shop sells beans by the bag. Roasting is done at the couple's second shop, Coffea Exlibris Kettle in Higashi Fuchu, which opened in 2015.