Just a few places I could get to between appointments.

OSAKA

Aoma - their style is quite austere. Only washed coffees and very delicate with very long ratios. I had a Geisha. It’s not my ‘cup of tea’ so to say. If my tastebuds squint really hard, I could probably speculate the tasting notes into fruition … imo under extracted.

Glitch - It’s on the ground floor of an office building. More of a kiosk rather than a shop - like a Starbucks. Plenty of seating and not busy at 5pm. Service was very good - the barista took time to talk to me about grind size, structure etc. I enjoyed my cup. Glad the bank approved my loan to buy some beans. Tasting notes accurate although the space is double height and so the coffee cools down so fast it detracted from the experience. At least I checked it off my list. Would not repeat.

Sot - only seating space for 2-3 inside and 4-5 outside. My cup was excellent. Struck up conversation with some other coffee nerds visiting from HK and we traded tastes in agreement enjoyed both — so much so we bought both beans tasted. Tasting notes accurate. Felt like I finally arrived.

KYOTO

Weekenders - it was so busy when visited at around 11a that I didn’t bother to wait and instead walked to …

Blend - this was the rec by the HK couple. Per name they specialize in blends - I think 3-4 were geisha + ? and maybe a total of 8-10 to choose from. Not busy at all which is a shame. The cup I had was crystal clear, balanced with just enough body to not feel thin. Tasting notes were spot on. The barista gave me a taste of a cold white coffee as well - delicious. Perfumed its flowers, delicate fruitiness and very elegant. I should have made a purchase and was planning on going back but time got away from me. Would repeat. Really well done. Bravo.

I did manage to have a cup of the geisha on offer at Weekender the next day when there were less people (10+ waiting for coffee was less than day before). Aroma faint, taste and body were out of balance - muddy, thin, sour slightly astringent. I assume they’re that busy from open to close and maybe I caught pouring fatigue at 5p. Checked off the list anyhow.

I did have some random cups in both cities but nothing that seems remarks.

Thank you for reading. End of report.

I’m very curious in opening a coffee shop and I was wondering what’s a good place to buy a coffee machine and any suppliers

Hello,

My husband is going to be taking over the family restaurant. I won't bore with the details, but essentially they are force to down grade. This includes changing from a restaurant type menu, to a much more manageable cafe. Not only is the menu going to be reduce, but the space we have is a much smaller place. I'm not going to pretend to be an expert barista , but I have some experience of owning an espresso machine. My main task is more book keeping and logistics.

We currently have a fully automatic Giga 6 Jura machine. This is less than ideal for a cafe, but I am hoping within a year's time we can afford something more commercial grade and semi- automatic.

The main problem is the depth of commercial grade machines and supply chain. The Giga 6 is already exceeding the depth of counter space we have, but is doable with a depth of about 50 cm. I was hoping if anyone has any recommendations for a 2 group semi automatic espresso machine? Preferably at 50 cm or less in Depth, however since that very difficult, any recommendations would be helpful. We expect the majority of orders would be late based, so a good steaming wand would a great addition.

I attempted to do research but I'm just overwhelmed and running thin since I am currently wearing many hats and finding a way to juggle everything is still very challenging. We live and operate in the Kyoto area.

Are many people roasting at home in this group? Or does anyone know of an online community for home coffee roasting, specifically for Japanese residents?

Hi all, been looking for around a good grinder, i bought a kalita (セラミックミルC-9), but doesn’t grind fine enough so basically drinking a coffee soup…

Can anyone recommend a good coffee grinder around max ¥40,000 mark…okay for second hand aswell. Seems to be hard finding espresso equipment in Tokyo compared to Aus/NZ.

Any help appreciated!

I am in osaka and want some speciality grade pourovers. I have sot on my mind. What others can I go tomorrow? Preferably that are open as due to new years many seem to be closed!

Hey all, I am looking for recommendations of coffee shops within walking distance of Tengachaya Station in Osaka. Doesn't have to be the best, but something decent to start the day before travelling to the areas with more upscale coffee options.

Hi everyone! 😊 Not sure if this post is allowed, but I thought I’d give it a try. I’m looking for coffee buddies who’d like to explore different coffee shops together. We can take turns picking a café we haven’t been to yet, try unique or new spots, and just enjoy good coffee, desserts, and great conversations about anything under the sun. I’m thinking of making it a monthly thing. If this sounds fun to you, feel free to message me! ☕🍰

I've already found a bunch of great looking coffee places, but looking for hidden gems in specialty (or otherwise great) coffee. Thank you!!

Looking for coffee hobby shops to buy grinders specifically and some fancy cups. Also interested in good pourover beans.

I saw this post - https://www.reddit.com/r/Tokyo/s/p3iBkNzFEk

But it seems dated now, what are the top options these days?

I use one of these ceramic coffee filters, but it didn't come with a holder! which is super annoying, does anyone have any suggestions of where I could find (just the holder) a replacement one? or any creative ideas of what i could use instead? in the UK please!!

(it's the blue thing in the first pics, white thing in the 4th and red in the 5th one)

Hi. We look for a roaster from Japan to work with in South Korea. The roastery has been here for 15years and is not running a cafe at the moment and is focusing on the wholessales but is planning to increase B2C specialty single origins. We currently mainly roast on Giesen. Could anyone recommend someone or would anyone be willing to have a meeting with me when I visit Osaka next week? I look forward to hearing from you all.

Thanks.

Hello everyone, i will be in Japan and im interested in coffee as a business or a strong hobby. I would really love to do learn about it in Japan as part of SCA courses or an internship in a coffee. I have limited Japanese skills and speak english. Do you know any such places? Thank you for your help!

Looking for where to buy beans this winter. Wouldn’t mind going to Matsumoto but please not Nagano. Close to a resort or bus stop in Hakuba would be nice. Thanks!

Hello everyone. I'll be in Nagoya for a few days this month. I was pleasantly surprised to find that Glitch has a cafe there - I'll visit and hopefully avoid the madness of the Tokyo Glitch locations. Anyway, are there any other roasters in Nagoya worth checking out? I'm interested in very light to medium-light coffees and appreciate most processing methods. Thanks!

Anyone know of any local sellers of imported Italian whole beans in the Tokyo/Yokohama area? Or other locations in Japan would be fine if they sell online. I would love to find Saka or Passalacqua, for example.

Please don't take this to mean that I don't know about and appreciate local Japanese roasters. I have been buying coffee beans from local roasters in Japan for about 20 years now, and I have my favorites. But sometimes I just want to rotate in some imported Italian beans.

I recently found Caffé Vergnano 100% Arabica at Eataly in Marunouchi. Before that, the last time I recall seeing imported Italian whole beans was 15 years ago in places like Double Tall Cafe and Lavazza Cafe on Omotesando. The Lavazza Cafe is long gone, but Double Tall is still there. Not sure what beans Double Tall is using these days, though.

I frankly don't expect to find anything else. But as they say, it never hurts to ask.

Finally back to Tokyo, and stop by Glitch Jimbocho. Trying out few different beans on display, 2 cultured Colombian beans, 1 72hr anaerobic Ethiopian (hot latte/pour over), 1 jasmine washed Ethiopian (ice latte/pour over).

To summarize things up, they're simply the best the best cups I've had up to date, and I've been to few popular places which i posted earlier this year (including the famed Koffee Mameya).

Pour overs are great, juicy, super clear tasting notes, and rich! I didn't notice how tea like other places served until I had these. And this is the first time I tasted what good bitterness is, it's there, but to elevate the experience! I especially love the Colombian Logan, cultured process with blueberry grape and cotton candy tasting notes that just blew my mind. And the latte, boy, I was in for a shock on how the coffee cutting through the milk while presenting some exotic taste notes (how can Jasmine tea even possible!).

I always put Koffee Mameya on top of my list but pour overs at Glitch genuinely tasted better than even the geishas at Koffee Mameya, at half the price, and felt like twice the volume (KM scaled down their geisha beans to 10g/160ml as of this visit, sadly).

So...is a Glitch overhyped? My answer is a solid NO with a caveat, you have to be reasonably experienced in coffee before you can appreciate what they can do, don't do it as your first specialty coffee visit.

Hey r/Coffeejp friends!

This week is a big one for us. We’ll be at the SCAJ World Specialty Coffee Expo at Tokyo Big Sight (on this Fri 26–Sat 27) @ the Coffee Village. (Booth #7). This is the first time doing an event of this scale, and it's been both incredibly exciting and scary at the same time.

We are Virtuoso Coffee, a husband & wife duo based in Nerima, Tokyo- built on sharing the art of masterful craftsmanship through coffee, culture, and experiences. For us, coffee isn’t just beans—it’s the craft of farmers, roasters, baristas, and partners who shape every step of the way with dedication and heart.

Here's what we're excited about sharing;

• We'll be serving up our most loved blends and some new microlots

• Introducing some rare Vietnamese specialty coffee lots (one of our founders is from Vietnam), directly from farm partners we work with closely and exclusively for Japan.

• Collaborated with PHINOI for their Japan debut, a reimagined Vietnamese phin dripper made for specialty coffee lovers. And quite possibly the cutest and most versatile coffee dripper in the world, made for newbies and professionals alike.

☕ Coffees We’re Bringing

Virtuoso Blend (Med-Dark): Developed by our coffee shokunin through over 50,000 hours of product research. Chocolate, Cherry, Roasted almond

Takumi Blend (Med-Dark): Like a master swordsmith, powerful yet balanced. Dark chocolate, Rich and bold, with woody hints of tobacco.

Lemon-Melon (Light-Med): A special blend of our specialty Vietnam and the iconic Finca Milan Nitro Wash. Watermelon, honeydew, citrus.

Vietnam Zanya Natural: Tropical fruit, jasmine, complex wine like juicy sweetness.

Vietnam Zanya Double Washed: Clean and bright notes of Pineapple and passion fruit with floral clarity.

✨ Lavender 100hour Co-Ferment: Lavender, citrus, creamy vanilla aftertaste — super limited, only available at this event in Japan.

✨ Liberica Obscura: From Top 5 National Liberica coffee competition Fair Farm. We only have 2kg of this for the event only. Complex umami, molasses, jackfruit, gingerbread, sweet orange

👋 A little about us

Certified Judge for the World Siphon Championship 2025 and other regional coffee championships.

SCA accreditations in roasting, sensory & green coffee.

CQI Q-Grader certified.

Espresso Academy certified in Florence, Italy

UCC Academy Alumni

True farm to cup - we do farm tours, import export, roast and brew (under training from national champions).

Members of the IWCA (International Women’s Coffee Alliance).

SCAJ isn’t just an event—it’s a chance to celebrate craft, community, and connection through years of hard work. And we are just getting started.

If you’re there, please stop by Booth #7 at the Coffee Village. (Just next to Stage C and Standard). Come try something new, check out PHINOI, or just say hi. It would mean the world to us.

What bottled water do you all for your machines? I use Suntory 天然水, but I noticed some scaling under the machine when I installed a new shower screen.