Physicist applies science to brewing
Print Edition
Open the door of Cafe Dan and its decor makes you think you’re stepping into a laidback Tokyo coffee den. Located in the Tianzifang arts and crafts shopping lanes, the cafe provides a sanctuary from the noise and bustle outside.
But what’s more important, it offers exquisite hand drip coffee.
All the furniture at Cafe Dan is wooden with a touch of handcraft, and the cafe’s dotted with interesting features, such as a hand coffee bean roaster displayed at the entrance, which belongs to the owner Taka Niuya, pictured left.
The cafe takes its name from a reading of a character in his name.
Taka, who has a PhD in physics, in the past lived in Tokyo and went camping at weekends.
“I would make coffee in the wild with my hand roaster, over an open fire,” he says.
He recalls that a coffee roasting shop close to his Tokyo home always had a pleasant aroma, adding to his love for all things coffee-related.
“But there was no such shop in Shanghai when I came here and my wife, a Shanghai local, suggested opening one as she’s a coffee lover too,” Taka says.
They opened Cafe Dan in 2007.
Set on two levels, in addition to regular seating areas the cafe features a wooden stairway leading to a greenhouse-style balcony and a recently-opened terrace.
The menu on an iPad features a wide selection of coffee beans, such as Geisha from Malawi, Ethiopia, and Panama, with comprehensive details.
The “default” mode for hand drip coffee here is the traditional Matsuya method, though other popular methods such as siphon, French press and mocha express, are also available.
Taka is usually in the shop every day and insists on making every order of hand drip coffee himself to ensure quality.
Striving to be as accurate as possible in every step of the coffee-making process, he even uses a small mirror to check the reflection of the drops.
He roasts the beans off the premises, keeping them for three weeks before use. Beans at Cafe Dan are available for sale, freshly roasted and packed in-store.
Unlike most other coffee shops, the cafe even offers beans from some coffee plantations owned by Japanese — such as in Peru and the Dominican Republic.
Cafe Dan also offers a selection of its own house blends with names such as First Love and Note of Cello.
A range of home-style Japanese food is also available.
Cafe Dan
Tel: 6466-1042
Address: No. 41, lane 248, Taikang Rd
E-mail: taka@idancoffee.com
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