CHAMI – Specialty Coffee Roaster

To kill some time at Kintetsu Nara Station before an afternoon appointment, I walked into a café I happened to come across called CHAMI – Specialty Coffee Roaster. I was drawn to the all-white building with its large glass façade, which gave off a somewhat upscale vibe. At first glance, it looked more like a beauty salon than a café, and I actually hesitated for a moment before going in when I first spotted it—but putting that aside, here’s what the place was actually like…

All white inside and out, with a mechanical vibe… CHAMI – Specialty Coffee Roaster is a shop like this…

CHAMI – Specialty Coffee Roaster is located just down Konishi Sakura Street, heading straight south from Kintetsu Nara Station. It’s on the same street as ROKUMEI COFFEE CO. NARA, which we introduced previously. Just a few minutes’ walk from the station, right after you pass Sanjo-dori, a striking white building—one that clearly stands out from the surrounding structures—appears on your left. Since it stands out so much from the surrounding scenery, I doubt you’ll ever have trouble finding the place.

Now then, CHAMI – Specialty Coffee Roaster is a two-story building, with the shop on the first floor and seating for customers on the second. According to Tabelog, there are a total of 20 seats. The interior is almost entirely white, and while you’re there, you get this constant sense of being out of the ordinary—or rather, a lingering feeling that “I’m somewhere different from my usual haunts.” This atmosphere reminds me a bit of Walden Woods Kyoto… no, actually, it’s different. This place doesn’t feel dreamlike; it has a more mechanical vibe. There are power outlets at the counter seats, so I think it’s a great spot to bring your laptop and get some work done (though there’s no Wi-Fi…).

Waking up to the rich aroma of butter… CHAMI – Specialty Coffee Roaster’s breakfast menu: the croissant & scrambled eggs with grilled bacon plate—so, how did it actually taste?

Let me tell you about the croissant & scrambled eggs with grilled bacon plate I ordered that day at CHAMI – Specialty Coffee Roaster. The set, which includes a drink, costs 1,300 yen (tax included). For the drink, you can choose from coffee, tea, or juice (apple or orange), and I went with hot coffee (Americano).

After placing my order, I first picked up just my drink at the counter and returned to my seat. I waited there for about 15 minutes…

A staff member brought the breakfast plate right to my table. Red, blue, green… it’s so colorful, isn’t it? Just looking at it puts me in a good mood.

Well then, let’s dig in… This croissant is baked quite crispy on the outside and, just as it looks, is incredibly fragrant. The bread inside, on the other hand, is light and fluffy, and when I bite into it, the rich aroma of butter wafts up to my nose.

And these scrambled eggs—as soon as the fluffy, runny, soft-boiled eggs hit the palate, a gentle whiff of butter wafts up… It seems like plenty of butter was used here, too. The rich, deep flavor and the luxurious aroma of butter feel like they’re pleasantly waking me up. I find myself thinking, “I’d be so happy if I could eat a breakfast like this every day…”

In contrast, this hot Americano had a fairly strong acidity the moment I took a sip. A pleasant bitterness followed shortly after, but it was a pretty stimulating coffee—a sharp contrast to the gentle feel of the breakfast plate. Frankly, for a plate that offers two such different experiences, 1,300 yen (tax included) felt like a real bargain. I doubt I’d be able to get a meal like this for that price in downtown Kyoto…

CHAMI – Specialty Coffee Roaster: Other Menu Examples (Prices include tax)

Single-Origin Latte (Hot)　800 yen

•    Milk Brew Coffee (Hot)　790 yen

•    Café Mocha (Hot)　730 yen

•    Chami Latte (Hot)　690 yen

•    Americano (Chami Blend) (Hot)　560 yen

•    Macchiato (Hot)　580 yen

•    Espresso (Hot)　550 yen

Note: Iced coffee is an additional charge

On the first floor, they sell all sorts of things besides coffee goods… CHAMI – Specialty Coffee Roaster is a 3-minute walk from Kintetsu Nara Station on the Kintetsu Nara Line, the nearest station.

On the first floor of CHAMI – Specialty Coffee Roaster, they sell all sorts of things—from coffee goods to cakes and more. But what sets it apart from other cafes is that they sell coffee beans that look quite high-end, with sets costing several thousand yen. To be honest, it feels a bit over the top for me, but for someone who’s really knowledgeable about coffee, the expensive beans sold here might be exactly what they’ve been dying to get their hands on. If you know someone like that, buying some of these beans as a gift could be a great idea.

Now, here are the store details…

P.S. If you’re looking for a cozy café in Nara, be sure to check out this article as well…