IGNIS

Eiji Dobashi’s obsession with coffee began when he started part-timing at Starbucks — at a time when baristas there still pulled their own espresso shots by hand. 

After a year of university he dropped out, unwilling and went on to refine his craft at BLENZ COFFEE and then Paul Bassett, the Australia-born chain founded by the World Barista Champion of the same name. From there on he was opening member of Glitch Coffee & Roasters and  store manager for five years before striking out on his own.

Ignis opened in December 2020, in the middle of the pandemic, in a former sushi restaurant — the counter layout being no coincidence. Dobashi-san wanted a space where he could narrate the story of each bean's producer directly to the person drinking it, the way a sushi chef presents each piece across the pass. The shop handles dozens of nano-lot and auction-lot varieties at any time, driven purely by Dobashi-san's curiosity rather than commercial logic. He has been known to sell single cups at ¥10,000 and above, arguing that if the experience justifies the price, it raises the floor for what coffee can be worth — and benefits producers accordingly.