COFFEE, CRAFT, AND THE TWO ISLANDS THAT BROUGHT US TOGETHER
Requiem.Coffee, also known as Requiem for a Crema, began with two people from opposite ends of the world — an Irishman from a rugged northern coast and a Japanese woman from a mountain-ringed city — who met in a tiny kissaten café in the mountains near Hiroshima, Japan. Matt was a high-school English teacher and Haruna worked in eldercare: We learned we both cared about people, society and, most importantly, really good coffee. We began to meet daily for the kind of strong, quality coffee that fuels the working-class jobs that keep our society functioning.Reachers and eldercare workers, like me and Haruna: We may not have a lot of money, but we deserve a world-class shot of quality coffee just as much as any suit and tie wearing salaryman.
Those cafés treated coffee like a small ceremony, something to slow down for. That philosophy followed us through marriage, across continents, and eventually home to Ireland, where we decided to build a family business around the ritual that shaped us.
Today we brew syphon coffee the old way — slow, scientific, intentional — using restored vintage Conas, Harios, and Bodums, and serving from our carefully restored Jaguar hearse. We use it with dignity, not novelty: a reminder that moments are short, cups are fleeting, and beauty deserves attention.
Requiem Coffee is our craft, our home, and our shared ritual. Every cup is made with the same care that first brought us together.
WHY SYPHON COFFEE
Where Science Meets Ceremony
Syphon coffee is one of the oldest and most theatrical brewing methods in the world — a quiet fusion of heat, glass, motion, and precision. Long before modern machines, Japanese kissaten masters perfected this technique, treating it not as a novelty but as a disciplined craft. The result is a cup with unmatched clarity and depth: clean, aromatic, and layered in ways other brewers simply cannot reach.
What makes syphon coffee special isn’t just the flavour. It’s the ritual. The rising water, the bloom, the gentle draw-down — it forces you to slow down and pay attention. Every variable matters. Nothing is rushed. Nothing is hidden.
For us, syphon brewing represents everything we value: intention, patience, and respect for the beans we source from small farmers around the world. It’s a method that rewards care, honours craftsmanship, and transforms a cup of coffee into a moment worth remembering.
In a world obsessed with speed, syphon coffee insists on meaning. And that’s why we choose it.
OUR ETHOS
Respect for Craft, People, and Every Cup We Brew
Our ethos is simple: do things properly, and treat everyone from farmhand to salaryman with the same respect. That means choosing beans with a story, not a slogan. We work with growers and small farms whose labour is often invisible — people who cultivate complex, character-filled coffees through skill, patience, and tradition. We pay fairly, purchase responsibly, and source only from producers we can trace and trust.
But ethics don’t stop at sourcing. They shape how we brew, how we serve, and how we carry ourselves as a family business. Every vintage syphon we restore, every cup we prepare, every ritual we perform from our Jaguar hearse is done with the same sense of responsibility: to honour the craft, honour the people who made it possible, and honour the fleeting moments we get with our customers.
We’re not here to chase trends or shave seconds off a brew time. We’re here to make coffee with intention — sustainably, transparently, and with dignity for everyone involved, from farm to flame to cup.
We study the art of coffee like a science, so in our store you'll find beans from emerging regions in China and Africa that you won't find in any other supermarket or roasters. You will find honey fermented and koji fermented experimental roasts. Importantly, you will find beans that have been chosen for the lightest, most delicate flavours: Because we believe the syphon is the only method that truly combines the elements of steeping and pressure brewing to create something completely unique. That's the literal opposite of your typical Italian or French roasters, who no offence to my neighbours intended, seem intent on burning all complexity out of the beans.
Our coffees are meant to be exclusive, ephemeral, almost like a once in a lifetime experience. That's why we roast in such small lots: Many of our roasts may only ever see 50 or so packs reach the market. And that's fine: We are not trying to be Starbucks, we are trying to be the exact opposite. If this stays a small, weekend passion project forever, we will be satisfied doing what we love. We will still be brewing the best syphon coffees every morning, even if we go back to teaching and eldercare.
Requiem.Coffee exists because some things are worth doing slowly: They are worth doing right.
