Photos: Hiroshi Mizusaki courtesy Case-Real Architects
Within Ureshino, a town in Kyushu’s Saga prefecture, is a historic road lined with whitewashed traditional buildings. It’s inside one of these–a former warehouse–where a unique business has staked out its new home. Milkbrew Coffee, as its name implies is a cafe that brews their coffee with milk, rather than water.
Some might say heresy! Brewing coffee with milk? Indeed, brewing coffee typically requires high temperatures that would dissolve the amino acids in milk, ruining the taste. But Milkbrew Coffee, a collaboration between barista Noriko Sunaga and local producer of milk and cheese Nakashima Farm, developed a method of cold-brewing that combines the best of both coffee and milk.
After establishing their product in 2019, Milkbrew Coffee have now opened their flagship location with the help of architect Koichi Futatsumata (previously), who renovated the old warehouse into a minimal coffee shop that preserves all the charm and history of the structure. If you’re visiting this historically significant area, stop by Milkbrew Coffee for a unique pick-me-up.
Milkbrew Coffee
727 Shiotacho Oaza Babashita, Ureshino, Saga, Japan (Google Map)
Hours: 10AM – 6PM (Thu – Sun) | 12PM – 6PM (Wed)
Closed: Mon & Tue
The colorful packaging was designed by graphic designer Kobayashi Ikki. All of Milkbrew Coffee’s packaging, containers and straws are made from biomass that are 100% compostable. In fact, the coffee shop will collect discarded items, along with their own coffee beans, to create a compost that is then contributed back to their partner Nakashima Farm.
