Vannelli opened in Aoyama and Tokyo noticed

Issue 1

The Italian competition powerhouse, a geisha worth ¥5,000, and why Tokyo still sets the pace.

Vannelli Coffee opened on February 5th on a side street off Omotesando. The world's first flagship store for the Italian specialty brand. Twelve seats. No menu on the wall. A concealed shelf that rises from the counter presenting the day's selection in black canisters — you choose by nose before you choose by name.

I ordered the Panama Janson Alpes Geisha Natural Lot 1016. Five thousand yen. It was worth every one of them.

The kind of coffee that makes you stop talking and pay attention. Tokyo was already ready for this.

• Vannelli Coffee Steep Pick
  Kita-Aoyama · Tokyo · Steep Index 8.5/10

  The Italian competition powerhouse that opened its world debut in Aoyama and announced its intentions with a ¥5,000 Geisha that justifies every single yen.

The full review is up on steep. But honestly — book a seat first, read it after.

Every issue of The Weekly Pull →