MUJI Cafe&Meal, a subsidiary of MUJI

Tel. +86 10 6316 9199

Building 2, No. 21, Langfang Toutiao, Meishi Street, Xicheng District, Beijing, China

According to online data, coffee was introduced to Japan by the Dutch in the 18th century, and the first documented Japanese coffee shop opened in Tokyo in 1888 (https://minajp.com/history-of-coffee-211). This imported product quickly took root and prospered in Japan, and now coffee has surpassed black tea and green tea to become the most consumed beverage per capita in Japan.

In the more than 100 years since coffee took root in Japan, a unique Japanese coffee culture has also developed. For example, the Japanese are particularly fond of drip coffee and canned coffee . Compared with Italian coffee and chain coffee, Japanese coffee culture has a more refined sense of ritual.

Last weekend, Food Business visited a restaurant/coffee shop from the famous Japanese brand MUJI - yes, it’s the “cold” MUJI. Let’s take a look at whether MUJI’s coffee is worth checking out!

Evaluation location: MUJI HOTEL Beijing (Photo source: MUJI official website)

Traffic

Located in the Beijing Wangfu commercial district in Qianmen, Beijing, Qianmen Station on Metro Line 2, very convenient.

The city is congested and driving is not recommended.

Environment Introduction

MUJI has opened "MUJI Cafe&Meal" in Chengdu, Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen and other places in China, among which the ones in Chengdu and Shanghai are the largest. The one I visited today is located on the first floor of MUJI Hotel in Beijing. It is an affiliated restaurant of the hotel, not a dedicated cafeteria.

The designer of this MUJI Hotel is Japan's Takashi Sugimoto and his team "Super Potatoes". They use a lot of natural wood colors, and the style can be described as "very MUJI", simple and comfortable.

Restaurant interior view (from MUJI official website)

❤Good review❤

There is no music that deliberately creates an atmosphere, but there are wooden tables and hard seats (I don’t like soft sofas that make people sleepy). There are few people on weekdays, so if you want to find a place to sit for a while, write an article, or handle some work, this is a good choice.

A large number of log-colored and wooden tables and chairs (from MUJI official website)

✖Bad review✖

The attitude of the waiters, although generally attentive, was a little cold. When serving customers, they passed the receipt with one hand, which was very different from the attitude of the waiters in MUJI stores.

Coffee Reviews

• Price

This time I ordered a latte (hot), which cost 35 yuan/cup, which is a little cheaper than Starbucks. Overall, it is the average price for a coffee shop.

Beautiful price

• Latte art ★★★★

Yes, four stars. Yes, there is no latte art, but I gave it four stars. Why? To be honest, before the coffee is served, I will expect how good the latte art of MUJI's barista will be? Will it be a heart or a leaf?

When the coffee was served, I noticed that this latte didn't have any latte art.

Cute shape, no tricks are better than tricks

The whipped milk foam gathers densely in the center of the cup, squeezing the fresh coffee to the surroundings, giving it an inexplicable sense of "cuteness". This shape is also consistent with the overall restaurant environment and MUJI's design theme, which is simple, comfortable, and focused on the product itself.

• Milk foam ★★★★

The temperature is just right, the milk foam on the top is dense, and you can see a small gap when you take a sip, which gives you a very happy feeling.

Dense milk foam

The milk at the bottom is also properly whipped and blends well with the coffee, bringing out the aroma of the coffee.

• Coffee bean freshness ★★★★★

I personally think that the freshness of the coffee beans is the most eye-catching aspect of MUJI coffee. The beans are shiny, full of oil, and have a rich aroma.

Real shot without filter, the coffee oil is very good

• Coffee bean flavor ★★★

The coffee beans should be blended and very balanced, without very obvious regional characteristics. This should also be to satisfy the tastes of more people and maintain the consistency of the taste of each cup of coffee.

• Utensils★★★

From trays, cups to coffee spoons, they are all MUJI products and can be bought in MUJI stores.

• Overall ★★★

In fact, the overall experience exceeded my expectations. If you like the MUJI brand and style, you must go and experience it.

MUJI utensils

Easter egg time: 2 coffee tips

1. Top 5 countries with the highest per capita coffee consumption

①Finland (average coffee consumption per person per year: 12 kg)

② Norway

③Iceland

④Denmark

⑤ Netherlands

A cafe in the old town of Porvoo, Finland

2.What is Crema?

Coffee crema is produced when high temperature and high pressure cause air and soluble fat in coffee to combine during the making of espresso. It is a layer of oily liquid floating on the coffee with a rich flavor and aroma.

According to Wikipedia, some people call this the Guinness phenomenon because it has a very similar foam layer to the famous Irish dark beer (stout).

Only fresh, high-quality coffee beans can extract oil.

Hand brewed coffee has no grease.

Pleasant coffee crema

That’s all for today’s review~ I hope you like this article, thank you for liking it~