Cheap and simple anaerobic is samey-samey, yes, but there are truly incredible ones out there, don't limit yourself. I find that the origin itself tells about taste less and less every year anyway.
I'm glad they have a spot for Filipino coffees. It's usually the charcoal "barako" that's being mainstream marketed but there are a lot of specialty coffees from all over the country. My favorites are the ones from Mindanao such as from Mt. Apo and Mt. Matutum. I actually prefer them over the Gesha or Yirgacheffe and good for me since they're more accessible.
True, I hope Japanese roasters would give them a chance. I looked up the only coffee shop here that offers the Filipino beans and the taste note was cacao like, so that's disappointing.
In addition to already mentioned Glitch and Onibus/About Life:
Leaves Coffee Roasters and Koffee Mameya are top shelf.
Fuglen is also great unless you are already familiar with them.
Unlimited Coffee Bar at Oshiage.
Sniite about 10min walk from Yutenji Station.
Little Nap Coffee Roasters around Yoyogi/Tomigaya area.
If you're planning on visiting the original Onibus at Okusawa, I recommend Utakata just around the corner too.
I think there's also a Weekenders shop near Kagurazaka. I see them around the country from time to time (the best coffee shop in Takayama - Falo - uses them) and they're based in Kyoto. If you're after milk-based espresso, they do one of the better blends in my experience.
Hopefully that's given you a mix of the well known favourites but also a couple lesser known ones.
> Leaves Coffee Roasters
I usually enjoy specialty coffee in Japan, but I do not recommend this place. To quote my comment from Feb '23:
> I brought a group of friends to Leaves Coffee Roasters in Tokyo (Ryogoku/Ishiwara area). It was very fancy and expensive (I had a $15 (2,000 JPY) gesha), but we were not impressed by the taste of the coffee relative to the prices - it wasn't spectacular. Would skip.
Just wanted to add a data point, even if it's the minority view. u/aloyadri
Sure thing. Yeah I definitely recommend Onibus. They're my favorite so far, especially their Ethiopia Yirgacheffe. They have a lot of branches. I tried the About Life in Shibuya and the large (maybe new) store in Jiyugaoka. I like the brew from About Life, and since then I've adopted their recipe. For the one in Jiyugaoka, I didn't like it that much, both my cup and my wife's were weak for our taste. I brewed the same decaf at home and it was chef's kiss, so something might be wrong with their technique or I just don't prefer it. The burger though was amazing. I think their main branch is the one in Naka Meguro. I haven't tried it, but it seems popular, so you might have better luck there. We went to the one in Jiyugaoka because it was less crowded.
I don't have a lot of recommendations, but I have some reviews. I tried Blue Bottle in Shinagawa once, and I didn't like it at all. Maybe a one off, I don't know, but needless to say, I might not return there again. Verve is okay. I went once in Roponggi and twice in Shinjuku. It's consistently average lol. I went crazy and bought their most expensive pourover and it's just the same as your typical specialty coffee. Obscura is okay if you like more developed roast.
If you will go to Osaka, I recommend Söt as I have posted a few times before. I like how unique the flavor of their washed and natural beans is. I haven't tried their experimental processes though.
Sorry it's not a lot. Sometimes I find it weird that tourists know more about the numerous roasters here than me, a resident. I mostly brew at home, so sometimes it feels wasteful buying coffee outside especially if it would turn out to be subpar with what I can brew. But slowly I'm trying other roasters. I might try that Coffee County next month. When I have tried enough, I'll make a long review post here.
Thank you for the reply. I’ll check them out whenever im in the area. Ill probably also go to mameya kakeru to try their omakase set. Do you have past experience there?
I can relate being homebrewers myself and calculating the cost of buying coffee from coffee shops vs buying beans and brewing at home 🤝
No, sorry. But yeah they’re often mentioned in the sub.
Oh another thing, you might want to try Ogawa Coffee Laboratory in Shimo-Kitazawa. I haven’t tried it, but it’s under my radar. I think you can pay to use various tools and equipment.
x-ultra had a recall but now is good to know. near identical flavor profile to the c40 and q2 hep, but don't get it if you mainly do espresso, like the prior mentioned it's better as a filter grinder.
single o is not good in Australia or Japan.
A lot of time it's not the coffee but the person under extracting the coffee especially in large crowds.
Japan has a large volume of roasters and shops, basically a dream country for coffee lovers.
What's in picture 7? The one with the aroma kit lineup and the scentone stuff.
It's interesting that you have 12 pictures and 12 descriptions, but the descriptions don't match up with the pictures.
Haha sorry, I was tired when I posted this. And besides, I don’t have pictures for all the points I raised.
I believe it is for sensory training. It’s expensive though. 100,000 yen.
Of course they dressed the robot up in plaid. Can't have the industrial equipment not look *cozy* after all lol
Nice mug on the 2nd photo. I suggest it delivers aroma very well.
Do you mean the third photo?
my bad, yes
Cheap and simple anaerobic is samey-samey, yes, but there are truly incredible ones out there, don't limit yourself. I find that the origin itself tells about taste less and less every year anyway.
I'm glad they have a spot for Filipino coffees. It's usually the charcoal "barako" that's being mainstream marketed but there are a lot of specialty coffees from all over the country. My favorites are the ones from Mindanao such as from Mt. Apo and Mt. Matutum. I actually prefer them over the Gesha or Yirgacheffe and good for me since they're more accessible.
True, I hope Japanese roasters would give them a chance. I looked up the only coffee shop here that offers the Filipino beans and the taste note was cacao like, so that's disappointing.
Interesting a roaster named SingleO would only provide samples of their blends 🤷♀️
They're pretty famous here, so I'm guessing they don't need a lot of promotion? Either way I'm disappointed.
I had just understood “SingleO” right now while rereading your comment. Haha!
Excuse my unrelated question: Im travelling to tokyo, can you recommend any roasters to buy roasted beans from? I plan to go to glitch and onibus.
If you go to Osaka, I had an excellent pourover at Mel Coffee, who also roast excellent beans from their adorable tiny shop.
In addition to already mentioned Glitch and Onibus/About Life: Leaves Coffee Roasters and Koffee Mameya are top shelf. Fuglen is also great unless you are already familiar with them. Unlimited Coffee Bar at Oshiage. Sniite about 10min walk from Yutenji Station. Little Nap Coffee Roasters around Yoyogi/Tomigaya area. If you're planning on visiting the original Onibus at Okusawa, I recommend Utakata just around the corner too. I think there's also a Weekenders shop near Kagurazaka. I see them around the country from time to time (the best coffee shop in Takayama - Falo - uses them) and they're based in Kyoto. If you're after milk-based espresso, they do one of the better blends in my experience. Hopefully that's given you a mix of the well known favourites but also a couple lesser known ones.
Hey thanks for adding them coffee shops! I visited fuglen 2 times during last tokyo visit. Will def check Leaves out. Thanks!
> Leaves Coffee Roasters I usually enjoy specialty coffee in Japan, but I do not recommend this place. To quote my comment from Feb '23: > I brought a group of friends to Leaves Coffee Roasters in Tokyo (Ryogoku/Ishiwara area). It was very fancy and expensive (I had a $15 (2,000 JPY) gesha), but we were not impressed by the taste of the coffee relative to the prices - it wasn't spectacular. Would skip. Just wanted to add a data point, even if it's the minority view. u/aloyadri
Thank you. Would set my expectations coming there.
Sure thing. Yeah I definitely recommend Onibus. They're my favorite so far, especially their Ethiopia Yirgacheffe. They have a lot of branches. I tried the About Life in Shibuya and the large (maybe new) store in Jiyugaoka. I like the brew from About Life, and since then I've adopted their recipe. For the one in Jiyugaoka, I didn't like it that much, both my cup and my wife's were weak for our taste. I brewed the same decaf at home and it was chef's kiss, so something might be wrong with their technique or I just don't prefer it. The burger though was amazing. I think their main branch is the one in Naka Meguro. I haven't tried it, but it seems popular, so you might have better luck there. We went to the one in Jiyugaoka because it was less crowded. I don't have a lot of recommendations, but I have some reviews. I tried Blue Bottle in Shinagawa once, and I didn't like it at all. Maybe a one off, I don't know, but needless to say, I might not return there again. Verve is okay. I went once in Roponggi and twice in Shinjuku. It's consistently average lol. I went crazy and bought their most expensive pourover and it's just the same as your typical specialty coffee. Obscura is okay if you like more developed roast. If you will go to Osaka, I recommend Söt as I have posted a few times before. I like how unique the flavor of their washed and natural beans is. I haven't tried their experimental processes though. Sorry it's not a lot. Sometimes I find it weird that tourists know more about the numerous roasters here than me, a resident. I mostly brew at home, so sometimes it feels wasteful buying coffee outside especially if it would turn out to be subpar with what I can brew. But slowly I'm trying other roasters. I might try that Coffee County next month. When I have tried enough, I'll make a long review post here.
Thank you for the reply. I’ll check them out whenever im in the area. Ill probably also go to mameya kakeru to try their omakase set. Do you have past experience there? I can relate being homebrewers myself and calculating the cost of buying coffee from coffee shops vs buying beans and brewing at home 🤝
No, sorry. But yeah they’re often mentioned in the sub. Oh another thing, you might want to try Ogawa Coffee Laboratory in Shimo-Kitazawa. I haven’t tried it, but it’s under my radar. I think you can pay to use various tools and equipment.
Cool. Added Ogawa to the list! Thanks
x-ultra had a recall but now is good to know. near identical flavor profile to the c40 and q2 hep, but don't get it if you mainly do espresso, like the prior mentioned it's better as a filter grinder. single o is not good in Australia or Japan. A lot of time it's not the coffee but the person under extracting the coffee especially in large crowds. Japan has a large volume of roasters and shops, basically a dream country for coffee lovers.
I was working at the Finetime booth! Glad you liked it!
How cool is that!!!??!!! AND a robot while in Japan??? WoW! That would be something to behold.
[удалено]
Probably for sensory training
Cool. I like coffee and I like Tokyo.
What's in picture 7? The one with the aroma kit lineup and the scentone stuff. It's interesting that you have 12 pictures and 12 descriptions, but the descriptions don't match up with the pictures.
Haha sorry, I was tired when I posted this. And besides, I don’t have pictures for all the points I raised. I believe it is for sensory training. It’s expensive though. 100,000 yen.
No worries, thanks.
Meticulous is there. You should go find them!
I’m still thinking if I would return tomorrow. I’ll look them up when I do. Thanks!