all photos by Ryo Yahara
Mirume is a new green tea cafe and shop that opened this month in Nagoya. The cafe has in-store offerings but what makes them unique is their morning bottle (朝ボトル) service. For 300 yen, you get a cold-brewed bottle of green tea that can be refilled with water up to 3 times a day. At the end of the day, simply return the bottle into the shop’s stylish concrete slab and pick one up the next morning.
The word mirume is green tea industry jargon that refers to brand new tea leaves that haven’t fully opened yet. They tend to be on the sweeter side because the leaves haven’t begun producing the chemical compound catechin, which is responsible for green tea’s bitterness.
Mirume’s morning bottle service is open from 8AM – 10AM and those in a hurry can grab their bottle on the go. But if you have a bit more time, step inside and explore the tea leaves they have available for purchase, which are all sourced from the Shinsabo tea farm in Mie Prefecture. You can even sit at the counter and enjoy a hand-poured cup of green tea along with a selection of wagashi sweets.
The branding, logo, store design and packaging were all created by design consulting firm kenma (previously). The morning bottle service is such a cool concept that we hope gains traction. It’s great to see Japanese business begin to offer alternatives to the disposable plastic bottle.
Mirume is a 15-minute walk from Nagoya Station. Here is the exact location if you want to pay them a visit.
