February 19, 2014

Spilling the Beans

Good things are brewing in Tokyo

Barista Banter

By Kevin McGue

A member of the all-female staff at Lattest in Omotesando, Nozomi Takiguchi tells the the steamy truth of working the espresso machine

How did you come to work at Lattest?

To tell you the truth, I didn’t really care for coffee too much before. I discovered this place shortly after it opened and found their espresso to be strong but easy to drink. That piqued my interest and I started working about a year and a half ago.

How long does it take to master latte art?

Some people can learn it in two weeks and others can practice for a year and not be able to do it. Luckily, I caught on rather fast.

How do you come up with your foamy designs?

We have a base of about ten basic designs and all the baristas arrange them according to their own style to show our personality. We sometimes get special requests—people on a date will ask for a heart design.

How do you keep honing your skills?

I’m in training for the TNT Latte Art Competition in July. Thankfully, I can practice while I am working.

Roaster Repartee

Properly roasted coffee is the secret to a great cup of Joe. Masaki Itahara, master roaster for The Cream of the Crop and Co., gives us the Joe-down.

Lots of people want to become baristas these days. Why did you decide to to become a roaster?

I don’t really separate the jobs like that. My goal is to do a good job to make our customers happy. In my case, it was just a matter of timing. The company needed someone to roast so I took the job.

How did you learn the art?

I read a lot and talked to other roasters. But nothing beats hands-on experience. You’ve got to get to know the beans.

Tell us about your roasting machine.

It’s imported from the US. It’s one of only three in Japan, and the only in Tokyo. It can do 35 kilos at a time.

How do you know if a batch has come out right?

It is hard to judge right after roasting, because the acidity is high and the aroma hasn’t come out. I let it rest a day or two and then judge if it is fit to send on its way.

Going Green

If you’re hipper than the hipster latte crowd, you roast your own beans

More and more coffee devotees are buying green beans to roast at home. Their motivation lies in the scientific fact that once the roasting process is complete, the brown beans start to oxidize and no amount of vacuum-sealed packaging can keep the flavor from gradually turning acidic. After the initial investment, home roasting is easy on the wallet—nama mame (raw beans) are cheaper per kilo—and allow you to fine tune flavors. Here are some resources to get you started.

Coffee Tonya’s Yokohama flagship store (1-27-6 Tennocho, Hodogaya-ku, Yokohama. Tel: 045-334-0203) stocks a selection of green beans and affordable hand roasters that are a great way to get started. Their online shop offers automated roasting machines including compact ones for home use. www.tonya.co.jp

Mame Kobo based in Tokushima sells green beans in quantities ranging from 200 grams up to five-kilo sacks on their Japanese language site. www.1jb.jp

Mitsumoto Coffee sells green beans in one-, five- and ten-kilo bags on their Rakuten shop. site.www.rakuten.co.jp/mmc-coffee

Tokyu Hands locations stock simple hand roasters.

The Coffee Project website has a Roasting 101 primer as well as reviews of roasting machines. www.coffeeproject.com