365 ~ Neighborhood bakery and beyond

There is a fine quality neighborhood bakery called 365日, 365 nichi means 365 days in Japanese, located near Yoyogi koen station, Tokyo.  Japanese bakeries sometimes appears like a fine boutique or jewelry shop in terms of display, and this one as well.  Looking through the show window, big big window, there are freshly baked breads facing us.  They are beautifully organized and completely in order.  It is funny to say "breads are in order", but there are no other words can be found at the first look at the shelf through the window.  They are coordinate very well i line and have exactly in same shape, which is just amazing.


There are show cases which store freshly baked breads, and customers are pointing at ones they want to let the crews pick up for them.  
Right behind the show case, there are a bar counter to have your breads purchased with one drink order.  They serve 2 kinds of coffee here: their original blends by CAFE FACON, and their original by the roster on their own.  The owner of this bakery opens new cafe near by, then start roasting on his own.  Both of coffee goes well with their sweet breads.

Besides all the detail of this fashionable appearance and price, 365 days may fulfill your cravings for fine quality.  Their croissant tastes moderately salted enhances butter flavor, but not buttery nor oily.  Thin and delicate layers gives crispiness, but melting feeling once it touches a tongue.  Sweets breads, Danish pastries, also made with quite gentle sweetness and adequate sizes.  They prove that people satisfies with quality of fine ingredients, not the size.  

Their breads are very small even compares to other bakeries in Tokyo and high in price, so you may surprise for the first visit.  Even if you are surprised by the price, it is better choice for you to overcome the feeling and choose simple breads together with one sweet bread.  They will confirm you that there are world class arty boulangeries hidden in the neighborhood of this country together with the finest quality ingredients producers.  

Mocca Queen ~ MOPLACO special blend

Beans: Mocca Queen
Roaster: Home roasitng 
Roasting Degree: Full City
Origin/Area: Ethiopia
Grade: G3
Screen: N/A
Defect: 28～45
Altitude: 1,700-2,000m
Variety: N/A
Process: Natural

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

【Impression】
Medium, high tone, fragrant, chocolaty, lightly brandy, rummy, touch of vanilla, toasted coconuts, flowery, bright, elegant, almond flower, clean, medium body, clean mouth-feel, smooth, light in texture, juicy, highly well balanced sweetness, bitterness, and acidity, rich in flavor profile, syrupy sweetness, light tone, thin layered, mellow, clean bitterness, cacao nib as bottom note, millet, light molasses acidity, slightly tropic, fruity, jasmine like, no significant flavor but well held bottom sweetness, light clean acidity, flat but rich round sweetness as a long lasting aftertaste.  Orange like flavor stays.

【Note】
MOPLACO is one of the biggest coffee shipper in Ethiopia.  This Mocca Queen blend tastes "the Ethiopian" with typical Mocca flavor with clean mouth-feel and bright flowery acidity with mellow sweetness, lighter and more mild than Yirgacheffe Natural.  

Seven Stellas ~ Cup tasters blend

Beans: Seven Stellas
Roaster: Nama-mame Hompo
Roasting Degree: Full City
Origin/Area: Aceh and Lake Toba, 
                         Northen Sumatra, Indonesia
Grade: G1
Screen: N/A
Defect: None
Altitude: 1,000-1,300m
Variety: Typica, Catimor, Ateng
Process: Sumatran methods

【Flavor scale】
Aroma: 4
Sweetness: 4
Acidity: 2
Bitterness: 4
Richness: 4
※Grade 1 to 5

【Impression】
Bold, aromaful, high aroma, sweet, complex, musk like, jasmine, chocolaty, sugary, thick layer of aroma, heavy, touch of hay, sheer blackberry, a touch of fresh green, bold, creamy texture, well balanced bitterness, heavy but mellow bitterness, thick flavor, thin layers of sweetness and bitterness creating thick layer, dates sugar, dried longan fruits, cacao nib, orange skin, dark maple,  grape fruits like soothing acidity, mellow deep and complex sweetness as a long lasting aftertaste.  

【Note】
Shippers Blends of seven out standing farming communities in Ache and Lake Toba area.  The cup taster's concept was "impressive flavor in cleanness".  The organically rich soil fulfills and completes sweetness in beans and hold strong body.  Personally, would like to test cups to see how these seven villages differ in impression.   

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.