IOLITE COFFEE ROASTERS — Restaurant in Kyoto

I was thinking for a long time whether to give four or five stars, but then I decided to give five. Here are my reasons:

As a coffee enthusiast, the most important thing, of course, is the quality of the coffee. I had their Colombia Las Flores, and it was one of the best coffees I’ve ever had: great acidity, a complex fruity aroma, and a pleasant aftertaste! The atmosphere is calm and relaxing, which suits a specialty coffee store. The staff is very professional and speaks English. But most of all, I was impressed that when a family with a child entered, they politely asked them to leave because the child was eating something. After all, a specialty coffee store is not a family restaurant.

One minus point—and the reason I considered giving only four stars: I wanted to buy their Colombia Las Flores coffee beans, but the roast date was nine days old. Nine days is still okay; the recommended limit for specialty coffee beans is two weeks, but it’s not very fresh for beans of this...

20 minute wait (as it's a small mum and pop shop staffed by the cutest couple) but well worth the wait for the immaculate vibes and outstanding service.

Lady owner is fluent in English and endlessly attentive without being overbearing (a fine line to walk, but one she navigates with tightrope precision, which I appreciate immensely).

Flat white with the in house roasted house blend was a little heavier on the milk for my personal taste, but a) as an Antipodean I'm always impressed when people have it overseas to begin with, and b) it still possessed a lovely rounded flavour with incredibly smooth mouthfeel. The iced house blend float retained more of the flavour notes in comparison, and would probably be my pick on a second visit.

Strawberry and cream tart was a highlight - the fruit and cream were both incredibly fresh and crisp, with a perfect balance between tartness, creaminess and sweet. Crust was flaky without being crumbly, all in all, positively divine, my compliments...

I visited on a Saturday around 5:15 PM during my work break. I was surprised to see that, despite the fact that they close at 6PM, they were nearly full up! But they were able to separate two tables to make a space for me. ラッキー！🎶

The interior is beautiful and simple. It seems like a nice place to visit both alone or with a friend. Not a place to bring your work laptop or college textbooks, though; there simply aren’t enough seats!

I asked for a paper cup because I wasn’t sure I’d be able to finish my flat white before needing to go back to work. (Sorry, Mother Nature!) I also got a Lamington, which is an Australian spongecake covered in chocolate and coconut flakes. I couldn’t resist the coconut! It was decent, but I remembered why I don’t care for spongecake.

The free coffee tasting and the info provided on how to enjoy the aroma of coffee (both near the entrance) were interesting. I’d like to visit again when I have more time, so I can try it out.

The staff were...