Barista
Eiichi Kunitomo
Founder and Barista, Koffee Mameya Kakeru
- Discipline
- Barista
Portrait of Eiichi Kunitomo
i. Biography
Eiichi Kunitomo has run specialty coffee as a trade of precision rather than display: since 2018, he has been founder and barista of Koffee Mameya in Tokyo. The work is built around making coffee more exact, more personal, and less abstract, with Koffee Mameya naming that tight relationship between bean and barista.
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Coming Up
The early foundation was set by working across two coffee cultures. Eiichi Kunitomo served as a barista at Osaka coffee shop in Osaka, Japan, then as a barista at Neapolitan coffee shop in Italy, learning how service, flavor, and pace shift from one market to another. Those years established the discipline behind the later work: repetition, contrast, and a way of treating coffee as technique as much as drink.
Where They Are Now
Since 2018, the bar at Koffee Mameya has been organized around clarity: what goes into the cup, how it is presented, and how directly it can be read by the guest. In 2021, Eiichi Kunitomo founded Koffee Mameya Kakeru in Koto, Tokyo, where the coffee omakase and tasting-course format pushes the bean through coldbrew, milkbrew, mocktails, and cocktails. The point is range without obscurity, and language that stays concrete rather than relying on tasting shorthand. His position on that language is explicit: “It’s not easy to understand ‘hint of lemon’ and that kind of thing.”
Signature
Eiichi's signature dishes include Koffee Mameya and Koffee Mameya Kakeru.
In Their Words “It’s not easy to understand ‘hint of lemon’ and that kind of thing.”
FAQ
Asked of Eiichi
What is Eiichi Kunitomo's current role?
Eiichi Kunitomo is founder and barista.
Where did Eiichi Kunitomo work before?
Earlier in their career, Eiichi Kunitomo worked at Osaka coffee shop and Neapolitan coffee shop.
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Similar Baristas
The Sunday email
Get new Made By stories every Sunday.
Every Sunday we send a lead story and up to four more about the chefs, winemakers, sommeliers and hoteliers behind the restaurants, bars, wineries and hotels we cover.
Recent stories
Free. One email a week, and you can unsubscribe from any issue.