Blue Bottle ~ Aoyama

There are decent coffee shops everywhere in Japan, traditionally.  Japan has been the center of coffee culture for a long time, small coffee shops, like cafe, serves Nel-drips, Siphons, paper drips and so on.  Some are individually roasted, developed their own roasting techniques such as far infrared roasting using hard wood charcoal called Binchō-tan.  Japanese style cafe, so called "Kissa ten" , are every corner in town, sometimes middle, of course, not difficult to find.  Certainly, Japan is one of many countries welcomed Starbucks invasion since mid 1990s.  Although the company moved quick and powerful to expand its domination, there are few area they find hard to find strategies and benefits to open the stores due to strongly localized and exclusive "Kissa ten" culture.  

With this story behind, somewhat the third wavers find opportunities to come in to Japan.  In 2015, San Francisco's leading coffee roaster, "Blue Bottle" opens its first rostery & cafe in Kiyosumi-shirakawa, historical part of Tokyo.  People in Tokyo welcomed Blue Bottle open-handed, there were line over line to have a cup of coffee when the cafe opened.  Some says, "waited for 2hrs just for a cup".  
Within a year, they had plan to open the next one in Aoyama, March 2015, then third in Shinjyuku.  

This Aoyama cafe is located cozy, quiet part of Aoyama, near Omote-sando Station, at the second floor of "Cabane de zucca".  Within 3 min distance, there are Shozo Coffee Kiosk, where you may find fine quality Scones and madeleines.  
The layout of Aoyama cafe reminds me of the one in Oakland, W.C. Morse, although W.C. Morse is more spacey and has more natural lights.  Unlike Mint Plaza, unlike Hayes Valley, interior of Blue Bottle seems to have settled with this plane, white and stainless look.  Somewhat this reminds me of a cooking studio, which might be part of their concepts.

I am not yet ready to taste Blue Bottle in Japan.  For me, flavor of Blue Bottle Coffee is made of James Freeman's passion and obsession with coffee.  I still remember flavor of his coffee and his smile.  Personally, I wonder, is there still James' DNA breathing any of new cafes.  It is business, certainly.  However, we still need to keep it in our mind that Tokyo is the town which welcomed "The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf" by lining up hours and hours when it opened in Nihon-Bashi.  

Bean Around the World

Bean Around the World is the first choice in Van-city, Canada to make a brief stop.

As a seasonal inhabitant of San Francisco, this cafe automatically reminds me of original Four Barrel Coffee in Mission, although nothing is look alike.  Maybe it is because of location, maybe it is because of air around staffs?  

Van-city is also town of cafe culture.  There are many coffee shops which offer pastries and breads in elegant and exquisite quality, also high chance to encounter the one you really like...compared to San Francisco.  My apology for SF people, but it is true.  On the contrary, regarding coffee, most of them are far away from SF quality.  Again, my apology for Van-city people, but it is true. 
  

Bean Around the World is one of few I recommend to people who has sophisticated flavor in Coffee world.  They offer latte with creamy milk and refined espresso which has deep sweetness on the bottom layer of the flavor.  

Perhaps, it was location, there are not many people coming and going like coffee shops' usual morning scene, so it allows us to sit for hours to have MTG.  Of course, we changed our cups quite often and filled us with their well developed coffees.  

Try and error is also fun, but it is good to know where to go when you are the first timer of the town.

Hacienda Sonora ~ Black Honey

Beans: Hacienda Sonora ～Black Honey
Roaster: Home roasitng 
Roasting Degree: City
Origin/Area: Alajuela, Central Valley, Costa Rica 
Grade: SHB
Screen: N/A
Defect: N/A
Altitude: 1,000-1,300m
Variety: Villa Sarchi, Caturra, Catuai
Process: Black Honey

【Flavor scale】
Aroma: 5
Sweetness: 5
Acidity: 4
Bitterness: 3
Richness: 4
※Grade 1 to 5

【Impression】
Bold, nutty, high aroma, chocolaty, high tone hazel nuts, thin layer of cacao hidden, sweets, lightly caramel, condense milk, mellow, calming, shady, orange skin, medium mouthfeel, mild texture, bright, soothing, complex, deep clean sweetness, lightly herbal, lightly cinnamon, smoky acidity, syrupy sweetness, rice syrup, linden honey, deep bitterness and clear acidity, lemon, a touch of almond butter, muscovado sugar, matured blood orange, tangy bitterness as orange skin on bottom layer, multi layer of muscovado like sweetness and smoky bitterness, clear bitterness and almond flavor as a long lasting aftertaste.
Flavor profile changes quickly with cup temperature.  Espresso adds high tone citric acidity, but kills complexity of flavor.  

【Note】
Central Valley is the origin of Costa Rica coffee,  the chemistry of the naturally nutrient rich volcanic soil nature by Volcán Poás.  Blessed with natural forests, exotic trees and vegetation,  Hacienda Sonora grows their crops in perfect shades of diverse ecosystem.  All of the energy consumed by the farm is 100% renewable energy, hydroelectricity, harvested on the farm. This energy supplies power to the micro-coffee mill they own.   Hacienda Sonora process beans with their own Micro-mills, picking and processing only the red cherries.  

Finca Las Lajas ~ Black Honey

Beans: Finca Las Lajas ~ Black Honey
Roaster: Home roasitng 
Roasting Degree: City
Origin/Area:  Sabanilla de Alajuela, Central Valley, Costa Rica
Grade: SHB
Screen: N/A
Defect: N/A
Altitude: 1,300-1,600m
Variety: Yellow Catura, Red catuai, Villa sarchi, Catura, SL28 
Process: Black honey
※ BRIX: 15 above, Organically grown

【Flavor scale】
Aroma: 4
Sweetness: 5
Acidity: 3
Bitterness: 3
Richness: 3
※Grade 1 to 5

【Impression】
Medium light, clean, fruity, grape, touch of winy feeling, red, Cabernet Sauvignon, mellow, blackcurrant, sheer eucalyptus, a touch of mint, soothing, light and clean, complex but light and refined clean aroma, full bodied, rich mouth-feel, soothing texture, clean, mellow but juicy, light weight, sheer acidity, rhubarb, well balanced sweetness, clean but layered sweetness, musucovado sugar, fruity touch, gooseberry, blackcurrant, Concord-like, touch of mint, green, light sheer sweetness and fruity-ness mouth-feel as a long lasting aftertaste.


【Note】
The Chacón Family has been growing coffee at Las Lajas for over 80 years and became organically certified farm in 2000, one of only a handful of farms in Costa Rica to be officially certified organic at that time.  Oscar Chacón, the third generation of this farm, began organic farming 30 yrs ago due to his loss of his father cased by pesticide.  At Finca Las Lajas, cherries are matured on tree and maturity are assessed by BRIX.  This technique enables them to manage stability in quality as well as flavor.

Finca Sítio Floresta ~ COE2015

Beans: Finca Sítio Floresta 
Roaster: Home roasitng 
Roasting Degree: Full City
Origin/Area: Castelo, Espírito Santo, Brazil
Grade: N/A
Screen: N/A
Defect: N/A
Altitude: 750m
Variety:  Catuaí 81 
Process:  Pulped Natural

【Flavor scale】
Aroma: 4
Sweetness: 4
Acidity: 5
Bitterness: 5
Richness: 4
※Grade 1 to 5

【Impression】
Highly fragrant, nutty but flowery, jasmine, almonds, lightly matured strawberries, cacao, sweet, deeply mellow, roasted wheat berries, fresh bakery like sweetness and crispiness, medium body, clean but rich in body, juicy, creamy, weighty mouthfeel, typical Brazilian flavor but artful, harmonized, dark chocolate like richness, caramel, clean sweetness, cream, tropic acidity, blackcurrants, papaya, guava, lemon zest, clean citric juiciness as a long lasting aftertaste.     

【Note】
Sítio Floresta is honored to be placed 19th in Cup of Excellence Brazil Program, Pulped Naturals, in 2015 with score 86.59.  The harvest is completely managed by hand, cherries are matured on trees and only ripe fruits are picked.  Cherries are taken to washer and separator on the same day, then pulped.

Butemba Washing Station (Sogestal Kirimiro) ~ Brundi COE 2015

Beans: Butemba Washing Station (Sogestal Kirimiro)
Roaster: Home roasitng 
Roasting Degree: City
Origin/Area:  Kirimiro region, Buraza, Gitenga Province, Burundi
Grade: N/A
Screen: N/A
Defect: N/A
Altitude: 1,749m
Variety: Mainly Bourbon 
Process: Washed(BUDECA; SIVCA), sundried
※Brundi 2015 COE Finalist

【Flavor scale】
Aroma: 5
Sweetness: 5
Acidity: 4
Bitterness: 5
Richness: 5
※Grade 1 to 5

【Impression】
Clear, high aroma, bold, mellow, dark chocolate, malty, sheer orange zest, hot caramel fudge, lightly brandy like, creamy buttery aroma on base note, full body, dimensional, unique, syrupy sweetness, flat bitterness, fruity crisp acidity, green apple, a touch of lime juice, syrupy, sweetness, fully matured orange, tangerine, dark maple syrup, a touch of black mint, complex, layers of sheer bitterness and acidity, bold sweetness, orange peel, hazelnuts cream, orange milky feeling as aftertaste.    




【Note】
Burundi is located west of Tanzania, South of Rwanda.  COE is has been held in Republic of Burundi since 2012 on basis of washing stations, not coffee farms/estates.  Butemba Washing Station was selected three times as the finalist since, in 2012, 2013 and 2015, not only co-working with farmers but also supporting their way of living.  The flavor of this cup is bold and creamy, reminds us of dark maple syrup.  Together with chocolate and Japanese sweet may have the best marriage of flavor.  As a note, ACE is not going to hold Cup of Excellence in Africa in 2016 at this moment.

EastTimor Quirlelo

Beans: EastTimor Quirlelo
Roaster: CAFE FACON
Roasting Degree: High
Origin/Area: Quirlelo, Letefoho Subdistrict, 
                        Ermera District, East Timor 
Grade: N/A
Screen: N/A
Defect: N/A
Altitude: 1,550-1750m
Variety: Native heirloom, arabica
Process: Fully Washed, Sun-dried

※Organically grown: JAS organic certified

【Impression】

Low tone, sweet aroma, light, Dutch cocoa powder, mellow, cane sugar, bright, clean, mellow, roasted sunflower seeds, hazelnuts powder, medium body, high tone, sharp, clean mouth feel, high tone citric acidity, lemon, lime, green apple, white grapefruits, sheer sweetness on bottom, cane syrup like, thin layer of bitterness on bottom, high tone clean acidity follows candy like sweetness, lemon juice like feeling as a long aftertaste.

Aroma mazes.  Flavor impression totally differs from aroma: lemon juice like freshness together with citric acidity.  It goes very well with sweets like Crème chantilly. 

 【Note】
Quirlelo is a small village located in Letefoho Subdistrict,  in the west-central part of East Timor.  There are 21 families own and manage their  coffee farms.  In total, about 15.0ha of farm is managed organically, using skill like shade grown.  Cherries are matured on tree, and hand picked.