Coffee souvenirs from Japan

[yeeza]

Hey CSs,
So I was in Japan for the past 10 days. Picked up a few things along the way, including a few syphons, a halogen burner, heaps of paper filters of different sizes/shapes/makers, heaps of filter cones of different types, hand grinder, cold brew drip filter stand, cloth drip filters, a few cups, a pour over pot, and a batch of the signature blend from the Paul Bassett cafe around the corner from my hotel, donated by the happy staff there, fresh roasted There are also a few cupping spoons there too not in the pic. I guess its not all for me... but most of it is 8-)

I went skiing in Furano for a few days too and found a totally random coffee house in the snowy woods that had some v.skilled pour-over angels. They gave you beans at the bar and a grinder and you grind it on the spot. They then distributed it into cloth filters (like I bought) and poured a deadly coffee mmmm...

Also managed to pay 1080 Yen for a CUP of syphon brewed in Tokyo. That was not deadly. > Lucky it was good

There was cheaper around too.

Also found an Aussie connection, Pelle Cafe, vaguely linked to the infamous Pellegrinis in Melbourne. They had a Faema E61 like Chris. Lucky. (Just quietly, was better than the Melbourne cafe)

There was more awesome (and not so awesome) coffee experiences in Japan... just a bit outta it from the plane ride.

Ill add more soon.

Peace,

YeeZa

[Thundergod]

Re: Coffee souvenirs from Japan

How did you not get busted at customs for trying to import a meth lab?

[beanflying]

Re: Coffee souvenirs from Japan

Currently on the AFPs watch list for sure ;D

The Ice Brewer? looks interesting

Have fun playing with the toys

[Ben_S]

Re: Coffee souvenirs from Japan

holy crap - you must have broken the bank
Looks good stuff.
Now u just need some fresh beans!

[redzone121]

Re: Coffee souvenirs from Japan

Sick>>>>>>>love it Mate !

Enjoy !

Chris

[acoggins]

Re: Coffee souvenirs from Japan

Did customs see this stuff? I bet their first thought was its for a meth lab.

[Koffee_Kosmo]

Re: Coffee souvenirs from Japan

Nice one YeeZa

Are the cups to the Japanese master artisan high standard
Tulip cup is a nice shape

And how did you get past customs

KK

[hazchem]

Re: Coffee souvenirs from Japan

oh man, i went to Japan twice last year and NEVER had time for coffee fun like this.

Must stay away from Akihabara and look for coffee!

[yeeza]

Re: Coffee souvenirs from Japan

How did you not get busted at customs for trying to import a meth lab?  

I had some fresh roasted coffee to declare so they put two and two together. haha, plus ive got a trusting face  :

Are the cups to the Japanese master artisan high standard  

I didnt actually find any good cups while I was over there. Most of them were either imported from europe or just now how I roll.

Must stay away from Akihabara and look for coffee!

Yeah the Yodobashi is hard to resist.  Lets just say I made some good friends that supply coffee stuff over there  ;D

The syphon/filter joints are pretty hidden, and its hard to know that they are unless you go in. One called Tsubakiya in Shinjuku that Toshi from Ali recommended I would have never found if it were not for my japanese translator. Saw heaps at bases of buildings and in the back alleys.

[hazchem]

Re: Coffee souvenirs from Japan

One called Tsubakiya in Shinjuku  

I knew it! If im in town and not out at Atsugi or down at Kosai i stay in the Hilton in Shunjuku. I KNEW there was syphon bars around there but I had no luck finding them. Sounds like I need to step up the Japanese from ichi nama birru onegaishimasu to a few other phrases!

[yeeza]

Re: Coffee souvenirs from Japan

Sounds like I need to step up the Japanese from ichi nama birru onegaishimasu to a few other phrases

Haha, yeah that doesnt get you to a syphon bar in a hurry haha. I had some really good filter coffee, but I also had some really bad filtered coffee, its like any other place. Theres good and bad. Let me know next time you head there and Ill let ya know... if I can remember. :

[mwatt]

Re: Coffee souvenirs from Japan

 There are also a few cupping spoons there too not in the pic. I guess its not all for me... but most of it is  8-)

You mean cereal spoons, no?

Youre pretty much unbelievable Dan : So so so much cool gear there!

BTW, Im so coming over to play ... soon!

[yeeza]

Re: Coffee souvenirs from Japan

You mean cereal spoons, no?

Hmm, its pretty much the same as the SCAJ cupping spoon without the SCAJ engraved on it... and the cool case :P

[luca]

Re: Coffee souvenirs from Japan

Nice haul, Dan,

The pouring kettle is utterly amazing - Im really keen to get one, but, damn are they expensive. Theyre even good for cupping; you transfer the water from the electric kettle into them, then pour directly from them and its easy to saturate all of the grinds uniformly, with water at the right temperature. Yours looks smaller than the standard Hario kettle - what is it?

Cloth drip is absolutely awesome, but a PITA to keep the stuff clean. According to Toshi and Mieko, its called Neru drip in Japan and it is considered to require more skill than syphon brewing. Good to see that you bought multiple socks.

You seem to have both the hario V60 cone and the standard melitta cone in porcelain. A melbourne-based company is going to be importing the latter from Japan, so let me know if you need any and Ill put you in touch. I expect that some of the sponsors will end up stocking them, anyway. Im getting four or six; havent decided yet. Im also keen to try the V60 drip cone; only problem is that Im not sure about the availability of the papers. Toshi should be getting some of the V60s in, so Im picturing one helluva drip shootout in Melbourne in the next few months.

Cheers,

Luca

[yeeza]

Re: Coffee souvenirs from Japan

Yeah I used the kettle today and yeah its perfect for pouring, slow, constant and precisely over the grinds. I love it. The other thing you could probably use is an oil can, though Im yet to find one with a long enough spout that can get right in there.
I went everywhere trying to find one, eventually finding the one I have for 1700 yen in a suburb called Kappabashi (a place where people go to get there restaurant supplies... or syphon coffee brewers ). The Hario one wasnt any different except for the ridges in it and matt finish. IT was also around the 3000 yen mark. I found one that was pretty much the same as the one I got for about 5 times the price. There were enamel ones too... but... not as cool. The one I really wanted was about 9000 yen . When it comes down to it, they all do pretty much the same job. I managed to test a few out (pouring water) and settled on the cheapest one. i would have brought back more were it not for the space.
Mine is the same size as the Hario one. 1.2L I think.

Im super excited to use the cloth drip, and yeah not looking forward to cleaning then, although I reckon Ive got enough spares to keep me going a while, plus more of the Cafetto EVO I think I saw a few bars I went into with "Nel Drip" as the name of the method. But I can understand the translation issues. Saw similar things in the US as Nel drip. I got a few of the V60 cones from Hario, also one from Kona. Theyre pretty much the best, and Im planning on leaving the trapezoidal ones for back-ups only. Its a consistency thing, and I reckon the conical shape is obviously perfect for a consistent saturation of the grinds. Ive got about infinity of the filter papers in bot hthe 1-2cup size and the 3-4 cup size. Just makes sense, though Im looking forward to playing with the toys sussing out their positives/negetives.

Attached a few pis of Pelles Espresso. Notice the VB stubbies in the top right corner on the shelf - cool 8-)

Also a pic from the syphon bar I went to an paid a heap for one cup called Tsubakiya in Shinjuku, Tokyo - (thanks to Toshi for this recommendation )

Cheers,
Dan