Japanese people are enthusiastic coffee drinkers. But there was a time in which drinking coffee was unheard of in this nation steeped in a tea culture. Nestle reportedly influenced the Japanese’s habit singlehandedly by making children fall in love with coffee desserts.

It was with this background knowledge that enabled me to gain a deeper appreciation of this coffee store I chanced upon at Kumamoto Airport. It is called Coffee Gallery.

First, I loved how customers could refer to the stylish images and understand its various drink offerings. As might be expected of Japanese professionalism, all the drinks cast a shadow in exactly the same angle 📐, thus creating a pleasing visual consistency.

I decided on a charcoal latte to make space for something other than my chai tea latte. I can’t remember if it cost 550 or 600 yen. But regardless of the price, I thought it was value for money because I got to observe the barista at work.

I definitely relished the chance to support Kumamoto farmers. Seeing that the barista used milk from Mount Aso, a popular landmark in Kumamoto, gave me extra bang for my buck. This was how the charcoal latte looked like at the end:

Itadakimasu! (Let’s eat!) Remember to give Coffee Gallery a chance when you find yourself in Kumamoto.