Actually tried one of the World's Rarest Coffee from Japan!
Have you tried charcoal Sumiyaki Roasted Craftsman Coffee, not available anywhere else?
Usually coffee beans are roasted in gas, which retrieve their moisture. Sapporo Coffee Kan in Japan use binchotan, which is Japanese charcoal to keep the moisture to maintain its original flavor. They even travel around the world to find the best beans to match their process and here they are.
We tried tried five different types of coffees. Three single origin coffees from Colombia, Brazil, Indonesia. Two blended coffees, which is "European blend" and decaf. To enhance the flavor (yes, there is no other reason), we did not forget preparing chocolate cake, cheese cake and ice cream.
We tried then with newly-bought French press.
First we tried "Colombia - Arabica Caturra - Pital-Mountain - Single Origin Premium Coffee" .I have attached the flavor index so you can find your favorite.
At the beginning Kei Nishida, who is a owner of Japanese Coffee Co. ,where you can get these coffees showed up via Zoom from Oregon (we were in Tokyo and when he showed up we was welcomed like a star) to "educate" us about coffee. Though we drink coffee almost everyday, we were not so knowledgeable about coffee.
According to him, one of the factors which decides acidity of coffee is the acidity of the soil. The plantation of this Colombian coffee has high acidity, so we tasted its sourness and the impression of this coffee to us was considerably light flavor. Though it still has bitterness, we tasted like it is light and easy to drink like tea and we agreed that we would like to drink this whole day!
The second one "Catuai - Cerrado Shimada Plantation - Single Origin Premium Coffee" has good balance of fragrance, sweetness, body, bitterness and acidity.
As you can see from the name of the plantation, this is made by the descendent of Japanese who moved to Brazil. We were tasting thinking about our ancestors. We could still taste its acidity more compared to the ones from Indonesia, so I felt like drinking in the morning. This was one of our group's most favorites.
Then we tried "Indonesia - Arabica Typica - Mandheling Berkat Lintong - Single Origin Premium Coffee". This was one of our group's most favorite. The Indonesian one was much bitter than the Colombian and Brazilian ones. We felt the strength of the "body" . It was good as it was and personally I felt like adding a little bit of milk and it was great too.
According to Kei, who had explained us about the soil of plantations, the soil has less acidity compared to the former plantations in Colombia and Brazil. Though the acidity level was the same as the Brazilian one, we did not taste it a lot from Indonesian one, I guess, due to the strength of the body.
Then, we "flew" to Europe. "European Premium Mild Signature Blend Coffee (Colombia, Brazil, Honduras, Indonesia)" was my most favorite.
Thanks to Kei's education, we learned that the blend type of coffee was not just the assortment of the "leftovers" (we had to apologize for the misunderstanding for the past). Unlike single origin type coffee, whose flavor differs depending on the year, the representatives who have certificate carefully select the best beans every year to make the flavor as the same as every year in Sapporo Coffee Kan. Due to this careful work, we can enjoy the same flavor every time we have. This was such fascinating story. This was my best!
Finally, we tasted "Decaffeinated - Premium Blend Coffee (Colombia, Brazil, Ethiopia)". If we did not know this was decaffeinated, we would not realized. One of the members, who were the huge fun of coffee and is currently breast feeding, told that she could switch herself into this easily. We all enjoyed this and loved it.
Here is how we brewed these five coffees. If it is too strong, you can try reducing 22g to 20g or 18g.
We also changed the amount depending on the flavor.
Put 22g of coffee in French Press or Jar, add 500 ml of 95-degree c hot water, and stair a little
Wait for 2 min
Add another 500 ml of 95-degree c water and stair a little
Wait for 2 min
Push down the French Press (or if it is a jar, simply filter the coffee with fine mesh)
Enjoy
While drinking we felt extraordinary passion of the companies towards coffee. We truly recommend this carefully selected and roasted coffee with love.
You can see more details about their careful works and product at Japanese Coffee Co.
Don't forget to enter a discount code MAYUKO, when you make a purchase so anyone uses it to get 15% off all the products.
Arigatou for reading. See you over a cup of coffee!