July 19, 2013

Ordering Coffee from Flavor Coffee/フレーバーコーヒーにコーヒーを注文

I ordered some coffee (Brazil and Mocha) from Flavor Coffee last Tuesday, and it arrived yesterday.
フレーバーコーヒーにコーヒー(ブラジルとモカ)を注文して、昨日、届きました。
 
Shown on the left is a giveaway, I suppose.
左側のは、おまけだと思います。
 
I had requested them to coarsely grind both brands. You need coarsely ground coffee to brew coffee with the Matsuya method.
両方とも粗く挽くよう頼んでおきました。松屋式でコーヒーを入れるには粗挽きのコーヒーが必要です。 
I also ordered two packs of KONO paper filters (for 1-2 servings).
コーノの紙フィルターも2パック注文しました(1~2人用)。 
Matsuya's original paper filters (available in different sizes for 5, 10, and 20 servings), with one side sewn, are rather expensive.
松屋独自の紙フィルター(5、10、20人用のサイズがある)は、片側がミシンで縫ってあって、ちょっと高価です。 
 
Sheet listing the brands available from Flavor Coffee:
フレーバーコーヒーで売っている銘柄が載った紙:  
Back of the sheet:
紙の裏側: 
Instructions on the Matsuya method,  as well as some variations, such has Shochiku drip.
松屋式や、そのバリエーション(松竹ドリップを含む)の説明。
 
I decided to try the giveaway first.
まずは、おまけを試すことにしました。 
Kono's paper filters are cone-shaped.
コーノの紙フィルターは円錐形です。 
Matsuya' original wire-frame drippers:
松屋オリジナルの金枠ドリッパー: 
Bought from Flavor Coffee years ago.
フレーバーコーヒーから何年も前に買ったものです。

I also bought this coffee drip pot from Flavor Coffee at the same time. The pot had three improvements made to it by Mr. Nakagawa, the owner of Flavor Coffee.
このドリップポットも同時にフレーバーコーヒーから買ったものです。このポットには、フレーバーコーヒーのオーナー、中川さんにより、3つの改良がなされています。

Improvement 1:
改良点1:  
The metal knob was replaced with a wooden one.
金属製のつまみが木製のものに変わっています。

Improvement 2:
改良点2: 
It's hard to see, but a silicone tube is inserted to control the water flow.
分かりにくいですが、シリコンチューブを入れ、水量を調節しています。

Improvement 3:
改良点3:
The spout end is bent and filed to improve "mizu gire", meaning that you can stop the water flow immediately without dripping by holding the pot upright.
「水切れ」(ポットを真っ直ぐに持てば、水の流れをすぐに、垂れることなく、止められる)を良くするため、口の先端を曲げ、やすりがけしてあります。

I made 5 servings of coffee with the paper filter for 1-2 servings. I regretted not having bought Matsuya's original paper filters...
1~2人用の紙フィルターで5人分のコーヒーを入れました。松屋の紙フィルターを買わなかったことを後悔しました...。
Basically, 5 servings are considered the minimum amount of coffee to be brewed with the Matsuya method at a time.
基本的に、5人分が松屋式でコーヒーを入れる場合の最低限の分量と考えられています。

After wetting the ground coffee, I "steamed" it for 3 minutes, with a lid on.
コーヒーの粉を濡らしてから、ふたをして、3分「蒸らし」ました。 
Ideally, the lid should be dome-shaped.
ふたは、ドーム型が理想的です。

I managed to make 5 servings of coffee with the Matsuya method.
どうにか松屋式で5人分のコーヒーを入れました。 
Right: First 300 ml coffee
Left: Last 300 ml coffee
右: 最初のコーヒー300 ml
左: 後のコーヒー300 ml 
With Nakagawa's version of the Matsuya method, you dilute the first 300 ml coffee with water to  drink it (and dispose of the last 300 ml)
松屋式の中川さんバージョンでは、最初の300 mlのコーヒーをお湯で薄めて飲みます(後の300 mlは捨てる)。
 
(I first tasted both brews and then mixed them together!)
(私は両方とも味見してから、混ぜました!)

26 comments:

Sissi said...

Hiroyuki, it's all very interesting and I must say that such a deep coffee brewing descriptions is one if the last things a European expects to find on a Japanese cookery blog ;-) You have such multiple food and drink related interests!
If I remember well coffee shops/cafés were the only surprisingly expensive places in Japan and I have assumed few Japanese drink coffee regularly. (Like many Europeans I am a morning coffee addict and I always take a small coffee after my lunch and I sometimes missed it in Japan after lunch; the weak hotel coffee was the only bad part of the breakfast buffet, but it's often the case, even in Italy!).

Dan said...

Hiroyuki ....I am happy to see blogging more on coffee ...Good stuff ..Keep them coming :-))

Hiroyuki said...

Sissi: You have to expect to pay around 350 yen per cup of coffee in a kissaten (coffee shop), but there is more to kissaten in Japan than meets the eye. That's especially true of Aichi prefecture, where there are just a lot of kissaten that offer generous services.
Examples are:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrfRRsklaq8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLGRDy8wm1Y

I wish I could visit some kissaten in Aichi.

Dan: I'm stuck! I want to talk about the Matsuya method, but I have to ask some questions to Kakagawa-san first for clarification!

Fräulein Trude said...

One thing I know for sure is that in each and every country - concerning coffee, the taste preferences are not the same. So I am really very interested in visiting Japan just to taste these differences. In one of the videos there was written on a paper at the wall: New (written in kanji) dessert (written in katakana) fire mountain (written in kanji) 700 yen - I would order this - sounds intriging. Fire mountain is a coffee company but I think this is not what the dessert is about. The product name "fire mountain" should be written in Katakana too, but I am not quite sure (it is really hard to read japanese).

Dan said...

Hiroyuki ...You are a customer and coffee ambassador for Flavor coffee ....I am sure Nakagawa-san will gladly share his secrets on coffee with you...Maybe he shall talk to you if you call him on the phone ...:-))

Sissi said...

I see that I should visit Aichi prefecture then :-) Thank you, Hiroyuki. The first link: the sandwich (is it a sanwich? ) looks huge and the dessert resembles slightly the French baba au rhum.... but it contains lots of rum, so I suppose this one is different.
The second video: the drink looks delicious but I'm more skeptical about kiwi pasta ;-)
I must find a nice kissaten in Tokyo next time. The ones I went to were somehow modern and "stiff". No hand-written menus etc.

Sissi said...

By the way, all this discussion reminds of the film "Seagull diner" where there is a scene in which a man teaches how to make excellent coffee. It's a dripping method, but I don't remember the details. Pity I haven't read your posts before the film ;-)
Talking about Japanese food-related films, I have seen "Rinko's Restaurant"; veeeeery weird :-)

Hiroyuki said...

Kiki: Take a look:
http://www26.tok2.com/home/lunchboy/maunten5.htm
Ice cream inside.

火山 = Kazan = Volcano

Now, would you like to order it (laugh)?

I think that the Japanese prefer paper drip coffee. French press coffee is much less popular.

Hiroyuki said...

Dan: Nakagawa-san is willing to impart his knowledge about coffee to anyone at anytime.
I think I'll send him an inquiry first.

Hiroyuki said...

Sissi: Katsu sando (cutlet sandwich)
Here's a menu:
http://www.komeda.co.jp/contents/n_sandwich.php

The second one is:
http://www.komeda.co.jp/contents/n_shirono.php
Shiro-noir
(Shiro = White, noir = black, as you know)
Danish bread, syrup, and soft-serve ice cream

Do you remember the words that the man says before brewing: Kopi Luwak (civet coffee)?

Dan said...

Is this the scene from that Movie ?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzTprcd3Efs

Sissi said...

Hiroyuki, yes, now I remember!!! Of course it's not civet coffee (the one he brews) but I have heard a lot about this coffee...
I found it strange the way the woman made coffee in her café in Finland... I wonder if kissaten in Japan also serve only drip coffee and never from Italian pressure coffee makers? In Switzerland and France (not to mention Italy) drip coffee makers are considered as home appliance only and all the cafés have Italian espresso machines. At least I have never seen any other coffee making method.

Sissi said...

In Italy actually I don't think anyone has a drip coffee maker. Most people have mocha "kettles", like me, but in France drip coffee is more popular at home. Although it's made by a very basic method. Nothing to do with the methods you mention of course.

Hiroyuki said...

Dan: I will, after I watch the two videos.

Sissi: I don't know why the paper drip method is the most preferred in Japan.
Nearly one decade ago, Nakagawa-san said that paper drip coffee was suitable to Japanese cuisine because of its clearness and other features. He also talked about the hardness of the water in Japan. In general, the water in Japan is softer than in the United States, where French press coffee is popular.

Dan said...

Hiroyuki....Besides those 2 videos I sent earlier ...here is another experiment with Nakagawa-san ...where he compares both "pouring in stages" and "continous pour" ...If you got some time can you pl explain in a nutshell...I think he says that one method is better than other as dry grounds stick too high with one method.. ...Sorry for all this trouble ...I think I got to learn Japanese :-)

http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?depth=1&hl=en&ie=UTF8&prev=_t&rurl=translate.google.com&sl=ja&tl=en&u=http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DyDCpg15AbKg%26feature%3Dyoutu.be&usg=ALkJrhhxxeVtqpZZtiH8G_9UY-meVGgAeA

Hiroyuki said...

Dan: I'm working on your requests, but allow up to one week or so for me to post about the videos. Watching and understanding is one thing, and summarizing, interpreting, and translating is quite another.

Dan said...

Hiroyuki ...Please take your time and I really appreciate all your helps ...Hope I can repay them one day :-)...Just an overall intrepretation will be more than enough ...

Dan said...

Hiroyuki,

By the way I was going through reviews on Japanese coffee drippers ...
http://www.h4.dion.ne.jp/~tzr-bass/coffee/goods/

I love hario v60 (paperless) and love it and I have not used a Kono yet ....I am planning to buy one soon as its got good reviews...Also besides the Melitta Aroma filter which has a hole on the side there is also a product called "Kalita Syphon filter" which is exactly the same ...Which is a better product Melitta Aroma filter or the Kalita Syphon filter ? . Both of them have holes on the side ...to facilitate steaming which is the core of Matsuya method ...Below are links to those 2 products ...

Any suggestion will be much appreciated ...Hope your week is going good :-) ...I dont find any reviews for Kalitta even in amazon( japan) ..


Kalita Siphon dripper

http://nicocoffee.exblog.jp/19829380
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEkafDPFyHc

12.7 × 10.8 × height depth about 7.9cm width: size
Weight: 115g
Material Material: PP (polypropylene) resin
Country of origin: Japan
Color: Black

Melitta Aroma filter

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Melitta-coffee-filter-dripper-1x2-hand-drip-brewer-/260866852302?pt=Small_Kitchen_Appliances_US&hash=item3cbce045ce
Manufacturer's part number: AF-M 1 × 2
94mm height 135 × depth 117 × width: size
Weight: 92g
Material Material: AS resin (acrylonitrile styrene)
Country of origin: Japan

Hiroyuki said...

Dan: Sorry, I have no suggestions whatsoever on these two products.

I found some reviews on them (Japanese only):
http://review.rakuten.co.jp/item/1/193811_10001254/1.1/
http://review.rakuten.co.jp/item/1/208980_10000342/1.1/?l2-id=item_review
But I can't get any useful information from the reviews.

After all, these products are for those who wish to make coffee with minimum effort, right?

As you may know, Nakagawa-san talks about Aroma Filter in this video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDCpg15AbKg&feature=youtu.be
starting at around 59:42
but doesn't talk about Kalita syphon filter, so I can't determine which is better.

Kono products are for serious coffee lovers. You will love or hate them depending on who you are.

Well, my only suggestion would be to forget about all these Kono, Kalita, and Melitta products for now (unless you like making a lot of experiments) and get a Matsuya-style wire-frame dripper (and indulge in mastering this unique method).

Dan said...

Hiroyuki...As you know matsuya is my favorite method so far ...Coffee just erupted with flavour and I replicated it using a hario filter as I dont have a matsuya filter ...What makes matsuya so special and I beleive the secret is in "STEAMING" the coffee ...At times when I am very busy I crave for that perfect cup and I dont have the time, I want a faster alternative which also uses "steaming" with less effort ...I found melitta aroma and kalita syphon which gives emphasis on steaming ....But I guess I need to get a matsuya dripper soon...By the way , what is the feedback of Nakagawa on Melitta Aroma filter ? ..I saw the video but cannot understand of what he says ...By the way whats his opinion on all conical flat bottom filters( kalita/Melitta ) anyways ...Is he for them or against them ? . Thanks again for taking the time to answer Hiroyuki ...Much appreciate this help .

Hiroyuki said...

Dan: I don't want to disappoint you, but Nakagawa-san does not provide any pertinent information or opinions about Kalita and Melitta equipment. His intention is somewhere else. I have understood his intention by watching the Jan. 9, 2013 video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8x0bDt7OmUc&feature=youtu.be
Please be patient until I have the time to explain it fully.

Dan said...

hiroyuki,

Thanks again for responding ...I shall gladly wait patiently to hear the opinions of an expert and please do take your time to explain ..No hurry :-)..I am in an experimental mood these days and wanted to give other brewers a shot...Anyways much appreciate your help ! ..Have a good day !

Dan said...

Hiroyuki ....Just wondering if you had a chance to explain nagakawa's videos and his thoughts...If you are busy thats fine.

Hiroyuki said...

Dan: Sorry, Dan. I'm extremely busy right now. I'll work on it as soon as I can have some free time, and let you know by email!

Dan said...

Sounds good hiroyuki ...and dont work too hard now :-)

Hiroyuki said...

Dan:
>In the first one below at 27mts Nakagawa explains matsuya dripper and other flat bottom drippers

He explains the hypothesis he made, which he proved wrong in a later edition of the program. I will talk about it in a future post.