Artly Robot Coffee @ MUJI Portland

After buying a few things I needed, I stayed inside MUJI a little longer. Near the in-store embroidery service, right beside the shelves of Japanese cups and plates, I noticed a robot coffee station that immediately made me curious. After placing my order and making my selections on the touchscreen—adding everything to the digital cart, paying, and then walking over to the counter—I watched the robot begin preparing my drink: a hot cappuccino, $5.25. I genuinely enjoyed watching the robot create the latte art… honestly, the design looked better than mine (haha). Once the drink was ready, there was an announcement over the speaker, a light flashed on the counter, and I even received a text message on my phone. That level of detail was surprisingly thoughtful. Beside the pickup counter, there was a small station with lids, napkins, straws, cream, and sugar for anyone who wanted a little extra sweetness. I, of course, added both sugar and cream. The coffee here is quite strong. In my opinion, if you’re drinking it hot, the 10 oz is just right—12 oz feels like a bit too much. But it tastes really good. Next time, I’ll try one of their fruit drinks. If only I could sit by those large windows, slowly sipping coffee while looking out onto the street… that would be perfect. After the shopping experience here, I noticed some customers hesitating and walking away—maybe because the space is quite narrow, and standing there to drink can feel a little awkward. Still, the wooden beams and the warm lighting fit the coffee bar beautifully. Ah… one small downside: there’s no restroom here.

Amazing!!! You order at the tablet or in the phone app, and mini industrial robot arm assembles your coffee! It loads the espresso machine with espresso grounds, positions coffee pot, picks up and loads you cup with ice, pours the pot of coffee into your cup, and then pours a separate pot of milk and flavorings of choice, and moves the cup of the completed coffee drink onto a pickup bar which has your name projected onto it. Really fun experience, and the coffee is really good too. The coffee bar is inside the MUJI Japanese Department Store, located toward the rear-middle of the store, by the checkout registers.

Stationery, fragrances, cutlery, kitchenware, men's and women's wear, and everything else in between. The place has it all. Set in a very basic essential artsy setup, this store has a charm of its own. Everything you find here is one of a kind and has an authentic mark of Japanese perfection set in a 'back to the basics' vibe. The colours are subtle, the designs are subtle and the people here are sweethearts. Our daughter left a book we had already bought somewhere in the store when we were clicking pictures. The manager duly took her back to the aisle and bought her another one without charging us yet again, for it. And then ensured he stayed with her and cajoled her all the way out of the store. A definite place to go for lovely fragrances for your home. Some unique refillers for your diffuser that you may find here

The Artly coffee is a small stand inside the Muji shop. They offer a variety of beverages, and coffee. I personally like how you can add your order on their tablet, put your name, pay and wait for your order to be prepared by a robot. When your drink is ready, it calls you by your name and invites you to pick it. Nice service.

Kinda interesting to watch a robot preparing your coffee which tastes decent. Best part is that you don’t have to tip it. Can get crowded though!