COFFEE Aoi

IMHO one of the best cafe roasters in the city, secretly tucked away behind Mori-san’s Toranomon Hills high-rises. The dark roasted PNG pour over was packed with sweet, dark cocoa flavors without any astringency or roasting artifacts.

An oasis in the middle of a commercial area, this is like the speakeasy of the coffee shop world. Stylistic, chic and dark, it is a fantastic way to escape the daily work environment. They only seat 6 or 7 so they may not always have a seat ready. The owner knows her coffee and does an excellent job brewing each cup with care and precision. There is only one barista, so your order takes time to brew, but if you can afford the time, well worth it.

Coffee AOI remains my favorite coffee shop in Tokyo. I'm by far not a coffee expert. I can only tell when it sucks. And I drink it only for flavor since caffeine generally doesn't affect me. But I consider this my favorite because it's really good to me and I just have to respect how much effort and attention to detail the owner puts into every single cup. She takes a good 10 minutes into each one. The straight coffee here is so smooth and has a natural sweetness that makes it so easy to sip and appreciate. But my favorite is the honey latte, that is lightly sweet and just how I like it: coffee flavored milk.