Coffeeya Mitaka

4.5÷5 stars
Beyond Unilocal 100 Challenge 2015 — 29/​?
Tucked away in a corner about three minutes walk from the south exit of JR Mitaka station is Coffeeya. I happened to pass this place by accident last month and realized that it was here. Upon asking the shop staff, I found out it has been here for more than two years. Wow, I need to change my routes more often to find more gems like this.
Coffeeya is part of the third-​wave trend sweeping Japan, and like the others, they feature a careful selection of beans from around the world, roasting on-​site and café service in a hipster, artsy atmosphere. Your senses will be filled with the sweet smells of roasting beans, cool atmosphere and VERY good hand-​dripped coffee.
Highlights:
+ Menu: ⁴⁄₅ (morning, lunch and dessert sets available; coffees feature single-​origin, hand-​dripped (recommended!) in addition to blends, coffee drinks and other soft drinks)(Disclaimer: I haven’t tried items across the entire menu YET — stay tuned for an update to this Review in the near future)
+ Atmosphere: ⁴⁄₅ (brightly lit, hand-​drawn art adorns the walls, industrial steel chairs and solid wood-​top tables; overall quiet and comfy — YMMV depending on who else is in the café)
+ Features: ⁵⁄₅ (too many to mention but you’ll find lots of little delights in the menu items, choices and overall service to fully satisfy your needs for both eat-​in and take out (beans)
+ Service: ⁴⁄₅ (mostly young, energetic staff but warm and friendly; very eager to help you select the best beans for your immediate drink or for take home)
+ Value: ⁴⁄₅ (as my sampling of the menu is still limited to coffee varieties only, I’ll try the food items in the near future; however, the sets available in the morning and at lunch look good, so we’ll be looking for taste, quality and presentation. Absolutely no complaints about the single-​origin coffees — all are excellent and prepared with care)
Overall, this is a great experience if you’re semi-​snobby (or more) about good coffee. You’ll give some slack for other things like amenities or service but no need for much compromise here. They have given a lot of thought to the various needs customers may have in their orders and purposes in visiting the café.
Definitely looking forward to future visits to try more of the menu, in addition to the custom roasts that are always done after you select and order your beans. With over 30 varieties to choose from, you’ll spend a lot of time trying the single origins then delve into custom blends.
Final note: They currently have three locations and are opening a fourth in the Kokubunji area very soon. I’ll explore and Review their other locations, all along the JR Chuo line, in the future.
P. S. Check out more detailed info on their website and Facebook page.