From Italy to Japan: Vannelli Coffee opens in Tokyo
In what looks like a scene from a James Bond movie, a small, concealed shelf rises dramatically from the surface of the sleek countertop before me.The contraption hums to a stop, presenting six mysterious black canisters that contain different coffee beans. I have half a mind to toss a bean to see if it explodes. But barista Giacomo Vannelli invites me to sniff the selection and pick one whose aroma appeals the most to me. I settle on the Santa Monica (¥2,800 per order), a Colombian single origin that smells of tropical fruits.Here at Vannelli Coffee, a newly opened cafe in Tokyo’s fashionable Omotesando neighborhood, the sensorial experience of coffee appreciation begins before your java is brewed. The shop is also the Italian specialty coffee brand's first flagship store outside its home country.
