Coffee Omakase Trend On The Rise – CoffeeTalk

Komakase, a coffee omakase popup in San Francisco, is a unique and innovative concept that offers a comprehensive experience for coffee enthusiasts. The popup, which is the first of its kind in the region, borrows from a modern trend in Tokyo, where coffee shops adopt the chef’s choice approach of omakase, the typical model at high-end sushi spots. The caffeinated journey is about progression, starting with lighter coffees and moving into funky beans.

Founded by Giosu “Josh” Desposito and Kieran Eng, the Japanese-inspired coffee outfit is stationed at Paper Son Coffee’s temporary location in downtown San Francisco. The standard omakase ($55) consists of five beverages: two pour overs, two mocktails (like an espresso old fashioned or an espresso tonic), and a spritz. The roaster spotlight ($65) includes an additional pour over, a shot of espresso, and a piccolo (small shot with steamed milk). In a 90-minute time span, the omakase option amounts to about two full cups of coffee and the roaster spotlight about three.

The first pour highlights a Guatemalan washed coffee, followed by a natural Ethiopian coffee tasting like jammy berries and tart cherries, followed by a groovy lacto-fermented crop from Colombia that radiated with bright citrus notes. These three courses were made with gesha beans, a once-rare, prized coffee varietal sought out for its flavor and also happens to be some of the most costly coffees on the market.

Pour over courses are followed by espresso drinks, such as a stripped-back espresso tonic made with low sugar tonic water, followed by a vivacious coffee old-fashioned mocktail with delightful hints of orange creamsicle. For those enjoying the roaster spotlight option, a 1 & 1, a double espresso split into two drinks: a tiny glass shot and a piccolo, which adds steamed milk, is served.

Food pairings, like chewy, neutral-flavored cakes or mochi-wrapped fruit, act as intermissions between courses. To further curve the caffeine spike, the exhibition ends with a caffeine-free spritz, like the recent fizzy elixir flavored with grapefruit and passion fruit.

Initially, Komakase did not offer tasting menus. Eng, a bartender and barista at top-tier shop Coffee Movement, and Desposito, who works in tech, connected as coffee enthusiasts first, bonding over the desire to create a concept inspired by Japan’s coffee culture. The concept materialized when Alex Pong of Paper Son Coffee allowed them to use his temporary downtown space on certain weekends. Three months in, the popup introduced the omakase, and customers were enthusiastic. Today, the tasting menu is available by reservation only, offering only six slots per service, held every three weeks. However, some coffees are available a la carte ($8-$15) if you happen to walk in when the popup is open.

Komakase is not trying to compete with your everyday cup, but rather it hopes to provide a new avenue for drinking and appreciating coffee. The favorite aspect of the affair was interfacing with artisans and having rich conversations about this thing we love so dearly. Although ingesting several cups of coffee may be bad for your gut, the experience left you with a renewed sense of wonder and it’s a hell of a lot cheaper than Disneyland.

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