“Our dream is to expand to all over the world, so that young baristas can “See the World Through Coffee”. – Kenneth Shoji, Founder of % Arabica.
% Arabica opened it’s doors a few days ago in Dubai Mall and is the first Japanese coffee house to open here. % Arabica was founded by coffee lover Kenneth Shoji bought his own coffee farm before setting up % Arabica in Kyoto.
I have to admit, I have been stalking these guys on Instagram for a while now and was delighted to hear they had finally opened. I popped across to the store yesterday to check out the coffee and to meet the World Latte Art Champion*, Junichi Yamaguchi who was over for the opening. Not only did I get to meet Junichi and chat to him over the coffee bar, he also taught me how to pour a latte – if you are going to learn, learn from one of the best huh? After a short demonstration I poured my first ever latte art – sorry if you were in the store and heard me scream with delight when I finished!
In store – I had a perfect flat white which was poured by Junichi from single original Guatemalan beans, strong, sweet and smooth, Guatemalan coffee is one of my favourites. All coffee in the store is roasted in Dubai and is single origin and being served at a great price point, particularly as most of the coffee scores 90+ in the Cup of Excellence scale.
Watch out for | A new shop with in-house roastery will be opening soon in City Walk – I can’t wait !!
PS – Junichi’s last day in Dubai is today (16th Sept), so if you pop by you may get your latte poured by a latte champion, if not, don’t worry the other baristas are super talented too.
Bio : Junichi Yamaguchi – *1st Champion of Coffee Fest – Latte Art World Championships, Tokyo 2014. He’s % Arabica Head Barista in Kyota and has a stunning Instagram account, perfect for Specialty Coffee Lovers – find him at @junichi_yamaguchi
xx Debbie (Fuelled by Coffee)
% Arabica, Dubai Mall (close to the Aquarium) Instagram | arabica.uae
