Blogged by Björn

Iterating on the Pour-Over funnel design.

Sat, 18 May 2013 17:48:42 +1000

Iterating on the Pour-Over funnel design.

Documenting Depo for Scrag End.

Sat, 18 May 2013 17:41:00 +1000

Documenting Depo for Scrag End.

20 Hzby Ruth Jarman & Joe Gerhardt.

Mon, 13 May 2013 11:22:59 +1000

20 Hz
by Ruth Jarman & Joe Gerhardt.

Laser Cut Recordby Amanda Ghassaei via Instructables.

Sun, 12 May 2013 18:51:51 +1000

Laser Cut Record
by Amanda Ghassaei via Instructables.

Pothraby Matthew Waldman (Nooka) via Cool Hunting &...

Sat, 11 May 2013 12:25:45 +1000

Pothra
by Matthew Waldman (Nooka) via Cool Hunting & Kickstarter.

OSCILLATEby Daniel Sierra.

Fri, 10 May 2013 10:42:47 +1000

OSCILLATE
by Daniel Sierra.

The MHN west wall, on launch night.

Thu, 09 May 2013 17:07:32 +1000

The MHN west wall, on launch night.

MHN continues to evolve.

Thu, 09 May 2013 17:05:46 +1000

MHN continues to evolve.

Ben installs headlights above the MHN (Made Here Now) workspace.

Mon, 06 May 2013 15:15:05 +1000

Ben installs headlights above the MHN (Made Here Now) workspace.

Moving into the Made Here Now studio. Follow me on alpha.app.net...

Fri, 03 May 2013 15:47:32 +1000

Moving into the Made Here Now studio. Follow me on alpha.app.net for details on my occupancy.

A little footage I shot this afternoon for Protokol, playing...

Wed, 01 May 2013 20:04:00 +1000

A little footage I shot this afternoon for Protokol, playing this Saturday at Alhambra from 9:00pm.

Sascha prepares sourdough from a culture he established while...

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 19:32:05 +1000

Sascha prepares sourdough from a culture he established while offshore.

Batch filter at St. Ali, just like that I encountered at Café...

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 19:09:53 +1000

Batch filter at St. Ali, just like that I encountered at Café Myriade, only more expensive.

Heading north for Launceston.

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 17:54:00 +1000

Heading north for Launceston.

Sascha picking from Pinot Noir clones established at d’meure in...

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 17:03:00 +1000

Sascha picking from Pinot Noir clones established at d’meure in 1991. The Scrag End team like the team from Garagistes, who are also amongst the vines, like to get our hands dirty.

Sascha pick Pinot Noir at d’meure while on assignment for...

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 16:57:00 +1000

Sascha pick Pinot Noir at d’meure while on assignment for Scrag End.

Brisbane to Melbourne, before flying to Hobart for Scrag End.

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 15:31:00 +1000

Brisbane to Melbourne, before flying to Hobart for Scrag End.

I little artefact from Japan found stowed away in my wallet.

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 15:03:40 +1000

I little artefact from Japan found stowed away in my wallet.

My final moments in Tokyo, spent drinking a coffee at Fuglen.

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 11:34:19 +1000

My final moments in Tokyo, spent drinking a coffee at Fuglen.

Cafe Culture Japan

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 11:34:15 +1000

Coffee in Japan has for the longest time been synonymous with the syphon and filter processes. However, in recent years the demand for espresso has grown to support a vibrant specialty coffee culture. These are my findings presented in no particular order.

Tokyo

Bear Pond Espresso
Run by formerly New York based ad executive Katsuyuki Tanaka, this little cafe in Shimokitazawa has become a mecca for coffee enthusiasts the world over. His darkly roasted coffee is dosed into 22g baskets and extracted into tight syrupy espressos, producing a rich chocolate taste with an incredible caramel sweetness. While slightly over extracted and short for my tastes, this surprising coffee is worth the visit, though fans of brighter notes may not agree. Be aware of Katsuyuki’s despicably relaxed operating hours of 10:30 - 13:00 Thursday to Monday.

On the Corner
For visitors to Tokyo, On the Corner’s Shibuya location makes it an easy place to recommend. It too serves coffee roasted by Katsuyuki Tanaka of Bear Pond Espresso. However, they also serve single origin coffee extracted in a French-press which is outstanding.

Streamer
I can barely remember the last time I have encountered such a dark roast profile. As such expect the ristrettos, extracted from large filter baskets, to display a bitter chocolate taste with an ashy finish and viscous mouth feel. It’s long operating hours (08:00 - 19:00 Monday to Friday and 12:00 - 18:00 on weekends) and its Shibuya address make it an easy place to visit. Which may account for the disproportionate number of foreigners, most of which appear to be very impressed with the offering.

Fuglen
This little piece of Oslo nestled beside Yoyogi Park comes with my highest recommendation, an absolutely essential experience. Its dark timber interior is accentuated by Scandinavian classics and sharply dressed staff. It features an array of coffees roasted in Norway, including that of the legendary Tim Wendelboe. Espressos lengthened with milk or water are done so in front of the customer and the filter coffees, produced on an AeroPress, are amongst the best I’ve had. If you visit just one café in Tokyo, this is the one to visit.

Nozy
Opened in 2009 by Masataka Nojo while he was still a university student. Nozy offers exclusively single origin coffees lightly roasted on site. Of the eight available for purchase two where available to be enjoyed as an espresso. The honey processed Costa Rican was fantastic and at 200 yen it was the cheapest espresso by a large margin, excusing the slightly long extraction.

Greater Japan

Streamer (Osaka)
As in Tokyo, the coffee is roasted to an extremely dark profile, glistening with oils. This is coffee best enjoyed with a touch of milk, as my travel partner (Maggie) concluded. Unlike Tokyo, Osaka serves only take away coffees from a space shared with a fashion boutique. However, its coffee was far more palatable and its single staff member was outstanding.

Vade Mecvm (Osaka)
Fair espresso served from a great space. Maggie asserts this is the second best coffee in Japan. While I enjoyed its proximity to the park in which I enjoyed my take away Americano, as it was too early in the day to sit inside, the privilege of which also comes at an additional cost to the coffee.

Sfera (Kyoto)
While not strictly a café, this CKR designed space bears mentioning for its surprising filter coffee and remarkable Matcha. Though prepared on a V60 the coffee was pre-ground and the filter paper was not washed, even so the result was good. Despite the presents of an espresso machine, don’t expect it to be running. The staff are amazing and may even treat you to something special. This is an essential stop in Kyoto.

Sarasvati (Miyajima)
The greatest surprise of the trip, this sophisticated specialty roaster and café is located on the little island of Miyajima just outside Hiroshima. Sarasvati offer a great selection of single origins available as espresso or filter coffee. The filter coffee was of a reasonably high standard, with a homely taste but slightly unsatisfying mouth feel. The espresso appealed to both Makiko & Maggie who’s taste are very different from mine and each others, which might suggest a crowd pleasing quality. It’s dimly lit, cozy interior is a great place to pass time.