Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on November 2012

Conceptualized as a modern literary salon, Shimokitazawa’s Ballon D’essai (“trial balloon;” 30-11 Kitazawa, Setagaya-ku; www.ballondessai.com) lubricates the meeting of the minds with coffee. This café-cum-art gallery, open since June, utilizes high-tech machinery with good old-fashioned customer service and a commitment to quality—codewords for the perfect latte. Commission an original design and put the staff’s expertise and creativity to the test. Workshops in latte-art techniques for beginners and barista seminars for intermediate to pro coffee makers are also in the works.