Chatei Hatou, Shibuya

2017/08/172017/01/21Leave a comment

Ever since the Blue Bottle folks wrote about it, I was intrigued.

The beautiful storefront stands out against its surrounding cement urban jungle.

Walking in is like going back in time.

I’m glad that the smokers sat at the opposite end lol. I didn’t realize there was indoor smoking at this place. Fortunately, it only affected me briefly when I went to the restroom in the same corner as the smokers.

Unique assortment of cups, and not a uniform collection.

The ritual selection of a cup for each customer, and cleaning with boiling / steaming water.

Home made cakes indeed!

The chiffon cake was good but nothing particularly special.

I think what many like about this place is its charming ambiance, thoughtful rituals with attention to detail, and old school feel.

Coffee-wise, the two cups were both very sour, which I think a lot of coffee snobs enjoy. But, I don’t like sour. So, not my cup of coffee. Now that I’ve experienced it I don’t plan on coming back. I’ll stick to my SF hipster coffees.

Chatei Hatou
1 Chome-15-19 Shibuya
渋谷区 Tokyo 150-0002
Japan

Sarutahiko Coffee, Ebisu & Sengawa

2017/06/292016/12/28Leave a comment

Went to this coffee shop in two different locations.

The Ebisu shop shares its location with another business.

Got an iced latte. It’s somewhat of a safer choice for me, here in Tokyo. It was ok.

Noticed these little dog routers around town.

The Sengawa location looks pretty sweet and has two stories.

Lol. I don’t even know what they were trying to say.

Tried a drip coffee this time. Disappointed. I think I should just stick to the lattes, or bring coffee from SF lol.

And the bathroom was clean. Tiny, but clean.

Sarutahiko Coffee, Ebisu
1-6-6 Ebisu
Shibuya, Tokyo

Sarutahiko Coffee, Sengawa
1-48-3 Sengawacho
Chofu 182-0002, Tokyo

Toranomon Koffee, Toranomon Hills

2017/06/222016/12/28Leave a comment

Looks like a proper third-wave coffee house.

They’ve got fancy pastries.

I think this was an iced cafe mocha.

Iced latte.

Hand-drip coffee.

We tried the baked custard too; it was good.

The coffee was ok but nothing to write home about. I think a lot of places in Japan like to burn / dark roast their coffee beans. Maybe next time I’ll try more of the pastries.

Toranomon Koffee
Toranomon Hills Mori Tower 1-23-1
Toranomon, Tokyo 105-0001, Japan