Ogawa Coffee

Rating: ★★★★☆

Address:  10 Milk Street, Boston, MA 02108
Hours of Operations: Monday – Friday: 6:30 AM – 9:00 PM, Saturday – Sunday: 9:00 AM – 9:00 PM

If you know me at all, you’ll know that I don’t really drink coffee (let alone caffeine). I don’t know what it is, but I just can’t get used to the taste of coffee. Never liked it, even as a standalone flavor for ice cream or something. I actively avoid foods that have a lot of coffee flavor in it. I drink tea occasionally, but even that is rare. Same with soda.

So once I discovered matcha lattes, which is pretty much the only caffeinated thing I can enjoy and drink, I became obsessed.

I’ve found great places in California that serve matcha lattes (if you’re ever in Orange County, you HAVE to try In-sīt Coffee), so when I decided to visit my sister in Boston, I knew I had to try ALL the places that served them. Ogawa Coffee (which has two locations: one in Boston, the other in Kyoto!) was one of the top places I wanted to try as it looked to be authentic.

Finding Ogawa Coffee was pretty easy. The shop is definitely on the smaller side, but the big windows keep it very well lit. Loved all of the natural lighting as this gave me the perfect opportunity for photos. The store’s decor is pretty modern, with a lot of places to park your butt and enjoy yourself. I do want to note that because it is small, the space is very tight and you’ll inevitably have to share a table with someone. I arrived right after lunch and even though there were only 3-4 other people in front of me, the line stretched to the door.

The wait in line was a little slow, but not a huge deal as I was busy looking around the store. Once I got to the register, I ordered the following:

  • Matcha latte with soy milk (I didn’t see almond milk on the menu)
  • Matcha cake roll

The employees were all incredibly friendly, polite, and more than happy to answer any questions that I had. Perfect customer service imo! Once I ordered, my drink came out pretty quickly. I want to note that they do latte art, but you gotta ask the barista to do something different if you want something cute – like a cat or whatever. I wish I had done that, it would’ve been perfect.

The drink itself was good. I personally don’t like soy milk all that much, so I think that affected the taste of the latte. It felt a little flat and not creamy enough. If you’re going to get a matcha latte, either go with regular dairy or almond milk. Next time I’ll have to get it with almond milk, if they have it.

It took a good <10min or so before my matcha cake roll appeared, but I didn’t mind as I had made a friend at the table I was at and we were busy chatting our heads off. The cake roll arrived at the table and I was pretty stoked! I actually thought I was only going to get the cake roll, so I was pleasantly surprised when I saw it with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream and some jelly.

Nice!

The ice cream was delicious. So, so good. The jelly turned out to be coffee flavored (lol), so after a bite or two, I stopped eating that real quick. I think someone who likes the taste of coffee would have enjoyed that a lot more.

The matcha cake roll looked fantastic. The cake itself is pretty spongy and moist, not dry at all. The matcha filling was also good, but I think my biggest gripe about it was that it was just… all matcha. Nothing else. I love matcha to death, but the cake roll was definitely missing something. I think if there was a cream inside the middle (even something like whipped cream) to break up the flavor, that would help A LOT. Not bad, but decent overall. I was pleased with what I ordered nonetheless.

Aside from that, a great coffee spot that I definitely recommend – a must try if you’re in the area. If you don’t want to really drink or eat anything, even just sitting here to enjoy the ambiance is worth it.