Coffee Breakdown
Japanese Coffee Breakdowns
Here I will rate all the Japanese coffees I sample during our time in Japan. Perhaps this will grow to an international coffee review over time!
One thing to note to readers is that I primarily drink black hot coffee – “Black” will be the keyword to look for in vending machines.
Rating Scale
In honor of Jeff Goldbloom, I will be rating these on a scale of one Jeff Goldbean to a possible ten Jeff Goldbeans.
The Coffees
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Conrad Tokyo Breakfast coffee
A small cup of dark but smooth coffee. Initially I thought they were just using the Nescafe pods, but I did notice they would refill from a pot. Overall harmless but nothing to write home about.
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Brioche Doree (cafe) coffee
This was a necessary coffee during a hectic travel day, so the calming strength perhaps augmented my opinion here. Very well made cup though, and it appears that many cafe coffees in Japan are handmade.
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Cafe Dumbo
We came to this Kanazawa cafe hoping for a quick lunch, only to realize that food wasn’t offered on the weekends (apart from the typical pastry option). After some confusion, we ended up with a drink and a muffin. The coffee itself was of a very similar style of previous ventures, but a small pour and not a very strong flavor.
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Georgia Deep Black (hot)
Recently introduced by Coca Cola company in January, the George Deep Black is said to use 100% Brazilian beans, and goes for a “clear rich” taste. To me, I only really got the “clear” part. Very watery, and not really including any deep flavor. I noticed Georgia is a Coca-Cola brand, and I think from here on out I’ll focus on purely Japanese companies.
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DyDo Blend Black
Coming in a barrel-ish shape (which, let’s face it, sold me), DyDo black definitely tasted stronger than my first vending machine coffee. Still a bit watery, but much more flavor than Georgia, and made me hopeful for others of the brand.
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Wonda Asahi Black
An unexpected collab between Wonda coffee and Asahi for some reason, this can came in as most expensive (a whopping 140 yen), but did back that up with the most flavor so far, and what felt like an event hotter can – maybe you’re paying for that electricity. With more coffee flavor, and what tastes like a darker roast with the accompanying bitterness, I wonder if you get what you pay for applies for vending machine coffee.
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Suntory Boss Black
At the top of Mt. Utatsu, next to a lovely shrine, we of course found a coffee machine. This was a Suntory brand, and so the Boss Black was the only viable option. I had enjoyed the Craft Boss brand on our previous trip, but
found the price not worth it (even when talking about 20 yen, that adds up!). The regular boss is normal price, and normal taste for that matter. I’m finding it hard to differentiate these, and wonder if I’ll ever find my holy grail vending machine coffee.
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Cafe Ashita
The coffee from this next door cafe in Kanazawa was made all the more lovely by a delicious red bean toast, and the genial conversation of our host and barista. Obviously a private shop, and tucked into a tiny nook with only two available tables, it was the perfect cozy getaway from the snow outside. The host also gave us some great advice and beared with our poor Japanese, and practiced his own English with us as well.
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Kaino Coffee
This smoky corner coffee shop was where we got breakfast our first morning in Kanazawa. I really dug this place, with it’s obvious ritual clientele stopping by, drinking their quick coffee, having a simple jam and toast, and even catching up on the news with community papers. The coffee was a bit burnt, which was actually refreshing after the onslaught of smooth thus far. Unfortunately, my egg sandwich gave me food poisoning, so one star removed…
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Kirin Fire Black
The best vending machine coffee I’ve ever had, hands down. None others really had that essence of coffee flavor that I was looking for.