Aya grinding some Stumptown beans from PDXMoving from Oregon to Japan is hard because in Oregon coffee rains from the sky and in Japan you can pay $5 for a teacup of halfheartedly drip-brewed bullshit. Sometimes people here say things like "Strong coffee hurts my stomach" and I kind of want to sock them in it. Once at school I brewed a great cup of coffee and when I went to throw my grounds away someone stopped me and said they'd use them because "First brew is too strong, second is perfect!" I will never forget this.
I am always looking for good places to drink coffee in Japan. I never get the right levels of taste, atmosphere, and price at the same time. One is always missing. I am resigned to the price, though, to some extent. I am willing to pay $4 for an iced americano if it is delicious and comes with a comfortable, interesting spot to enjoy it in. This is where you recommend good cafes in Tokyo.
5 comments:
I've been on a quest to find a good coffee shop pretty much since the day I arrived here...and I have yet to find one.
So I'm really interested in what people have to say about this. I know that McDonalds coffee is gross..but it's 120 and they give you free refills! I just found out about the free refills part the other day.
Canal cafe in Iidabashi reminds me of Europe... http://www.bento.com/rev/0946.html
It's on the river and has outdoor seating.
I'll check it out!
Double Tall Cafe near Harajuku Station makes the best iced americano I've had in Japan, though it's typical-expensive unless you get it with a lunch set.
Mister Donut's coffee is mildly better than McDonald's and also gives free refills. It costs around 240. I will never go to Mister Donut again, though, because that's where I was always stuck hanging out in Yamagata and I ended up having a nightmare where THE Mister Donut was haunting the school where I taught. But yeah, free refills.
no one is recommending good cafes in tokyo.
for those interested, i found one the other day. ben's cafe in takadanobaba served me an iced americano that was absolute perfection. it seriously tasted like my favorite americano of all time in stumptown in portland. i think they might do their own roasting but i'm not sure. they have a great real coffee-shop atmosphere: low lights, open front, art on the walls they change by the week, good music, laid-back staff and patrons, and even open mic nights twice a month. i am in heaven knowing this. and my tall (for REAL tall, not japanese tall) iced americano was only 450 yen. still more than double what i'd pay in the US, but that's tokyo.
they also have bagels, avocado blts, and other beloved cafe fare.
The Lion Café in Shibuya is rad. The coffee isn't so great but the ambiance is incredible.
I'm from PDX too and I know whatcha mean about missing Stumptown.
http://expiring.blogspot.com/2008/03/lion-caf.html
there are 3 zoka coffee roasters in tokyo - one is really close to the akasaka mitsuke station. they make a mean cup.
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