The second-floor confectionery shop "Angelique Hirosaki" (Noda, Hirosaki-shi) along the Kita-odori street in Hirosaki was renewed as a coffee specialty store "iro coffee" on July 25.

"Angelic," which opened in 2000 (Heisei 12), was about 150 meters north of the current store, but in 2006 (Heisei 18) it was relocated as a Western confectionery with a cafe on the second floor. The cafe space was closed from June 20th due to renewal.

Shun Chiba, the owner of "Iro Coffee," has been in charge of the cafe space since 2010 and is a barista who has participated in latte art competitions such as "Coffee Festate Art World Congress Tokyo". We regularly hold latte art classes and are working to spread latte art.

"I became interested in coffee because I used cheap coffee beans for practicing latte art. Even the same coffee beans have "various tastes," depending on their origin and roasting method. When I knew what was going to change, I became more and more interested in coffee. That is the origin of the shop name," says Chiba.

He has been thinking about independence about three years ago. "While I was looking for a store and consulting about opening a store, I was suggested that I should have my own store on the second floor, and I decided to undertake it. I am grateful," he recalls.

The store area is about 12 tsubo, and there are 10 table seats and 3 new counters. Mr. Chiba says, "There is only a table for two people, so I carefully extract each cup of coffee. It may cause inconvenience, but please forgive me."

The coffee uses coffee beans roasted by Chiba himself. “At the sales corner, we made it possible to understand the location of the specialty coffee in an easy-to-understand manner, using different aromas and world maps,” says Chiba. Iroblend (700 yen for 100 grams), single origin (various 100 grams starting from 750 yen), drip bag (150 yen, 750 yen for 5 pieces) are available.

The menu includes specialty coffee (480 yen), cafe latte, cold brew (500 yen or more), tea (600 yen each). 9 kinds of cakes purchased from Angelic on the 1st floor are prepared and an apple pie set (800 yen) is offered. The drink menu is also available for takeout.

Mr. Chiba said, "Coffee is a tool for me to connect with people. I was able to get acquainted with people from other industries and overseas by using coffee as a trigger. If I could convey not only the taste but also its charm," he said.

Business hours are from 11:00 to 18:00. Closed on Tuesdays and 2nd and 4th Wednesdays.