Caffeinated Morning Adventure at Lonich Coffee Omakase Fukuoka

On our first morning in Fukuoka, instead of heading to a convenience store for a quick caffeine fix, we went in search of something far more unusual — Lonich Coffee Omakase.

We had done food omakase before, but coffee omakase felt like an entirely different adventure.

And so, slightly feeling the train version of jet-lagged from our trip from Kinosaki and still completely uncaffeinated (because one definitely does not drink 7-Eleven coffee before a coffee omakase), we wandered the quiet streets of Fukuoka looking for Lonich.

The place was not easy to find. We actually walked past the building once. It looked completely unassuming. Only when I noticed the tiny sign did we turn back.

Inside, reflecting the quiet streets outside (seriously, where are the people in Fukuoka?), the shop was empty. Ryo greeted us, our reservation names confirmed, and then presented us with two choices: the Creative course or the more seriouse kinda course.

I let Fafa choose. Coffee is very much his thing. I’m more of a tea enthusiast — ask me about my Uji matcha adventure, and I can talk endlessly about it. And besides, this was his anniversary gift.

I thought he would pick the Serious menu. But he surprised me and chose the Creative course, reasoning that I would enjoy it more too.

And then it began.

Creative Course Menu at Fukuoka Lonich Coffee Omakase

Tea-Presso

Truthfully, I wasn’t interested at the start (it was more for Fafa than for me), and I’ve never been particularly good at distinguishing coffee beans or coffee from good, better to best. But that lack of enthusiasm disappeared before I even finished my first cup.

The first coffee was a cocktail of Peruvian coffee beans and Chinese Pu-er tea — a new hybrid of coffee and tea (with Yuenyeung being the OG long before these “dirty” “offee” started popping up in every single Melbourne hipster café).

It looked and tasted like nothing I had had before. It was light, refreshing, and felt like something I could keep drinking endlessly. Before we knew it, the many small sips I had taken were gone, and I found myself staring at not-even-half-melted, perfectly crystallised square ice cubes.

“Wine” Espresso

If I’m ever asked what the best coffee I’ve had in my entire life is, the second coffee in the Lonich Coffee Omakase will almost certainly be my answer.

Ryo described the drink as a blend of espresso, blackcurrant, and cream cheese. But what I witnessed felt more like an act of magic — a quiet, careful blending before the drink was finally served, like a glass of wine, the surface dusted with tiny gold freckles.

It looked magical, and somehow tasted even more so.

I could smell the coffee, but the deep blackcurrant colour and its gentle tartness tricked my brain into sipping it like wine. The cream cheese — thankfully not too bold — added a layer of creaminess and richness that you would never expect from wine, yet somehow made perfect sense in this strange and beautiful hybrid.

Just like coffee, I can’t differentiate wine beyond the simple categories of “I like it” and “I don’t“. If someone ever manages to infuse this drink with alcohol, it would easily become both my favourite wine and my favourite coffee in the world.

Halfway through the session, a patron walked in dressed like he had stepped out of The Matrix, with a Labubu hanging from his handbag. He looked exactly like someone who belonged at Lonich — in sharp contrast to me in my bulky Northwest snow coat (better safe than sorry, I thought, especially since I was still medicating throughout the trip).

Joy Latte

The next course was a perfect follow-up to the deliciously boujee “wine” c“ffee” It was a dessert-like coffee — absolutely delightful in a childlike way, almost like the feeling of the Six of Cups in a tarot deck.

It was made with frozen concentrated milk, drizzled with beautiful dollops of coffee, and once again finished with fancy high-cacao chocolate. Each sip was cold, yummy, and deeply comforting.

Just like its predecessors, it was something I could keep drinking endlessly. I could easily imagine finishing a jug of the first, a bottle of the second, and happily polishing off this one, too.

Lonich Coffee Omakase Signature Mocktail

The last drink was a mocktail made with non-alcoholic Japanese gin, flower syrup, and coffee. It was a burst of flavour. I could clearly smell the gin, though there was a slightly salty note that reminded me it wasn’t awasn’ty alcoholic — even at 10 a.m. in the morning.

It was served in a martini glass, and once again it was dangerously easy to finish. I could easily have had more and more, and we were both a little bummed when it was over.

At the end of the experience, after asking Fafa many questions about his coffee-drinking habits, the barista gifted him a whole bag of coffee.

It was a lovely ending to a surprisingly delightful morning. One of the best Omakases of our lives.

Now, I want to try a coffee omakase in Tokyo as well — and next time I plan to come better dressed and with my own Labubu in tow. Because this one — happy, highly caffeinated, and slightly converted — is an experience I would absolutely repeat

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