What Makes Specialty Coffee Special?

Gaku Ito, The Trip Boutique’s local curator, coffee expert, and the head barista at Auer & Co., Zurich, answers all your caffeine-related questions: What makes specialty coffee so special? How is instant coffee made and is it really as bad as they say? And can local coffee shops survive in a world dominated by Costa, Starbucks, and other, larger-than-life coffee chains?

I knew that the hotel industry was not the right fit for me — I didn’t like the distance between me and the customer.

Despite growing up in Tokyo, Gaku was always more interested in coffee than tea. Which has become, as he explains, more and more common in Japan. ‘Associating Japan with tea is a thing of the past. Today, we actually foster a rich coffee culture. Tokyo, in particular, has a lot of specialty coffee shops. But it’s true that most Japanese drink their coffee black — an American influence,’ Gaku laughs.

Paradoxically, Gaku’s career as a specialty coffee barista — which is associated with smaller coffee shops, but more on that later — started at Starbucks.

‘I worked there part-time for four years during my studies and the barista role really appealed to me. Although the food service industry was tough at first, I loved the exciting environment, teamwork, and friendly interaction with customers.’

But since Gaku studied Tourism and Hospitality at Dokkyo University, he was expected to work in the hotel industry. ‘To prepare for that job, I did many internships: I was working at the reception, providing room service, even taking care of the hotel parking. But the more experience I gained, the more I knew that the hotel industry was not the right fit for me — I didn’t like the distance between me and the customer, which made me feel like a servant. I wanted a position where the client and I would be on the same level.’ The solution was surprisingly easy: coffee!

What does being a barista mean?

Six years ago, Gaku moved from Japan to London with his partner — and fell in love…