Meet Mizuki Tsuge, a devoted and compassionate coffee professional, originally from Tokyo, Japan. Mizuki moved several years ago to London to study Fine Arts and then started and grew her career in specialty coffee. Currently, she is the Quality Control Lead at the acknowledged Caravan Coffee Roasters.
Mizuki stands out in the London coffee scene with her caring attitude, attention to detail and aesthetics. Always with a compassionate and welcoming attitude – both towards her guests and colleagues. She took part twice in London Coffee Masters and we can’t wait for her to spread her wings even further. Seeing Mizuki on stage with her humble, focused yet warm attitude is always an unforgettable experience!
Mizuki, what is your first memory with coffee?
My first memory with coffee goes back to when I was a child living in Tokyo. My mother took me to this local cafe after school as a little treat. The staff there were very kind, and I used to order a cappuccino, which always had a cute animal latte art drawing. This quickly caught my attention as a young girl at the time, and I asked the female barista there to teach me this magic art.
What inspired you to pursue a career in the hospitality industry, and how did you get started?
I was studying Fine Arts at Central Saint Martins University before coffee, never knew that I would be entering the specialty coffee industry. After my graduation, I started working at Sacred Coffee for a year as I used to be a regular customer there in my student life. I learnt the joy of customer service there, and also about Antipodean coffee. Then I joined Omotesando Koffee in London, as one of the opening members of their first European branch – definitely this was the pivotal period of my life that has led me to pursue a career in the coffee industry.
Mizuki, can you let us know more about your career path in coffee?
Sure thing! Even though I grew up in Japan, I got to know about specialty coffee from living in London, so I am more familiar with the UK coffee scene than where I’m originally from. I met lots of wonderful people (including coffee legends) especially when I was working for Omotesando Koffee. Through working as a Co-Manager and later as a Head Barista there, this allowed me to think hard about my real career path in coffee.
I chose to learn more in-depth about the craft of coffee making. After that decision, everything became clear to me, and my next chapter with Caravan Coffee Roasters started organically. Caravan has amazing resources. Working with the roasters and the coffee team has been fun and educational for me every day!
Tell us a bit about your role at Caravan Coffee Roasters.
I have joined Caravan Coffee Roasters in November 2022. I am the Quality Control Lead there. I still do barista shifts but twice a week I have full QC. A QC day involves production cuppings with our coffee team, then tasting all of our blend components and single-origin coffees to check if their quality/roast level is following the optimum profile we want to keep. I also do seasonal coffee menu development for our Brew Bar cafe sites, lots of coffee researching, and testing new coffee tools/equipment.
What kind of experience do you want your customers try your coffee?
I try to make sure our customers all feel welcomed, and offer some kind of endorphin effect on them – whether that’s a caffeine fix before heading to work, a relaxation time with friends or loved ones, a company to help with studying…I do my best to create a positive highlight in their daily lives.
Captured with three Barista Stories heroes Ryohji Hope, Claire Wallace and Davide Orazi.
What is your favourite part of the day at work, and why? Which tasks do you enjoy the most?
I enjoy having my first hot filter coffee of the day after opening the shop. It is a peaceful feeling to have a morning coffee while waiting for the first customer to step in.
How do you stay motivated and inspired to keep improving your coffee-making skills?
Meeting baristas who work at my favourite cafes (Paradox Design + Coffee, RUA… and more!) is my source of inspiration and motivation to keep me driven as a coffee professional. They are all so experienced, knowledgeable, and adaptable in every kind of situation. They are often working with so many different kinds of delicious coffee from great coffee roasters, with interesting (or borderline weird) coffee processes which I’ve never heard of. Talking and working with them allows me to add lots of new ideas and skills to apply to my work.
What are the current trends in cafes in your region? Are there any trends you promote yourself and would like to see more often in other places?
The current trends I see a lot lately are uniquely designed no-bypass coffee drippers. Another one I see is fun beverage recipes with unusual combinations of ingredients, offering unexpected flavour alchemy with crazy visual impact. Seeing these things excites me as a consumer, and also for my work involving coming up with new coffee drink recipes. The trend I would like to see more is fruity decaf filter coffees!
You take part in quite some coffee competitions. Can you tell us more about them? What are the next championships you’d like to compete in?
The first coffee competition I took part in was Coffee Masters back in 2022 at The London Coffee Festival. I decided to apply because I wanted to know how it feels like to compete and meet new fellow coffee professionals. I was surprised by how the competitors and judges were friendly and helpful to each other, backstage and on stage. Obviously, you want to do well yourself, but it is more than that – it is an opportunity to build stronger barista relationships/community through having great fun together!
Ever since, I took part in the English Aeropress Championship 2023, Latte Art Throwdowns, and Coffee Masters 2024 – hopefully next would be SCA Championships?
What is in your opinion the most important thing to have in mind when you start to compete in coffee competitions?
Being really sure that you want to take part in it, because every competition will require physical and mental commitment if you want to do well. If you are unsure, asking people who have experience in competitions and hearing their approaches helped me a lot.
What coffee challenges are you looking forward to? Any new projects or collaborations?
Probably learning more about coffee roasting, but I would love to do more collaborative work too! Also, once I get some good coffee concepts, I would like to take part in SCA competitions as another way of improving my skills!
Quick Fire Questions for Mizuki Tsuge
Would you serve filter coffee with milk if asked for it?
Yes, I would, with no judgment 🙂
Do you ever take sugar with your coffee?
Sometimes, yes!
Espresso or Filter coffee?
Filter coffee.
Milky or Black?
Both…
Do you aim for Sweetness, Acidity, or Body?
Definitely sweetness.
Slurp or Spit?
Spit (to try more coffee)!
Cake or Pastry with your coffee?
I’m open to both.
Favourite piece of barista equipment?
Gooseneck kettle.
