Brewing Chemex!

There are - what feels like - 1,284 ways to brew coffee. The wonderful thing about that, besides experimenting in your own kitchen and pretending to do science, is that you can find your own preferences. We try out different roasts to see what our favorites are, but what about brewing methods? Do you prefer French press? An immersion technique? Or maybe just a simple pour over.

The combinations are endless (or at least enough to keep us preoccupied). But once you land on that perfect cup of coffee and learn to replicate it every morning, you're pretty much golden.

Our recent favorite cup is via Chemex. My husband and I have been doing French press for a while, just for ease and convenience. He runs quickly off to work every morning and I run quickly off to wherever our 10-month-old is quickly running off to hurt himself.

But a couple of weekends ago, we pulled out the old Chemex. It came out like a shining beacon of hope to perfectly complete our waffley (yes, I just made it a word) breakfast. I have to admit, I've seen Chemexes all over, but I always thought they were just fancy coffee or juice pitchers. Haha. Live and learn. I actually got that idea from Friends. You often see one in Monica's kitchen.

friends.wikia.com

Can you spot it?

It was indeed an experiment, but we followed this post (from one of my favorite blogs) and it turned out great! (ps, how awesomely barista do these dudes look? I feel like you need a rocking beard and/or wear a denim shirt to qualify as a worthy barista. I guess I'll go for the denim.) We tried the same bag of coffee that we'd been using in our French press, but from the Chemex it was so smooth. It made us both sigh all heavy. The coffee wasn't crisp. It didn't hit a certain part of our palates, but distributed itself all over. It was so warm. And full. And crazy delicious. I think it will be our method of choice when we're drinking coffee together on the weekends. Did we just become an old couple??

First, we placed the filter in folded side near the spout (i.e., multiple layers towards the spout). Then, we gave the filter a quick rinse (though it's best to be more thorough than we were this first time and get more of the filter saturated) by pouring hot water through it. Of course, dump out the water from the Chemex before actually brewing. In went the freshly ground coffee (we went with a medium grind in our Hario mill). We made the bloom by pouring in just enough water to cover the grounds and waiting until a little coffee seeped through. That told us the Chemex was ready for the pull pour.

Then we slowly poured hot (but not boiling!) water on over ...

Slow. But much. Mmm. Don't mind our simultaneous waffle preparations. Are you hungry yet?

And then we just let it drip. Simple as that! And it makes for such a great cup of coffee. In a pretty pitcher. But that's secondary. Don't worry. I know that now. ;)

Our Newest Addition

You guys! Hey! Hey! You guys!  

...

There's a new cafe in Yokosuka!  

{And the crowd goes wild!  Aaaaaaahhhhh!}

Ok, maybe that's a little much. But let me tell you that this cafe is capital-G great. Great. GREAT! You know that corner across from Daiei Mall? Right on the tip of the Honch and basically the first thing you see when you come into the city? Where there used to be a men's clothing store that no one ever went into? Well BOOM, it's now a coffee shop, ready to welcome you to sweet little Yokosuka. Come on in. Stay awhile.

Ok, that was cheesy. But you can't hate me for it.

This shop is Mikasa Cafe. It just opened a few weeks ago, and we took our first excursion there last weekend. We were absorbed in the tone almost instantly. It has a modern cozy chic kind of feel, and if you could drink up the atmosphere alone, it would be mighty tasty. 

The cafe has good offerings too. Coffee and pastries, of course, along with a few meal sets. But they also serve a few characteristic beers. We didn't partake - coffee was on our minds - but we were still impressed by what they had to offer, and would definitely spend an evening there.

They also sell Navy Curry. In a can.

The coffee was pretty good. Very enjoyable. My only critique was that it wasn't consistent with the tone of the shop itself. My iced mocha was really sweet - delicious, yes - but after walking into a place that felt very mature and modern, my mind was set up to drink something bitter, something had coffee written all over it. Sweet didn't feel right sitting where I was, surrounded by earthy tones and modern motif. Coherent? Make sense? I hope so.

Still, the coffee was delicious. Just not Barista Champion delicious. Would we recommend this cafe? Absolutely. It is a worthy addition to Yokosuka, and you bet your ace we'll be going there again.

Bridge Coffee & Ice Cream in Kappabashi

One of my favorite places in Tokyo is Kappabashi. It's like a candy shop for me - shops filled with kitchen and baking goods, coffee equipment, and china. I recently took my husband and our 9-month-old and also planned to introduce them to the waffle cafe that serves as the cherry on top to my Kappabashi experience. We waited for it to open only to find that it was no longer a waffle cafe. WHAT?! My dreams were crushed. I also didn't understand how a waffle cafe wouldn't just exist forever out of sheer awesomeness. 

Sigh.

But. BUT! We walked around the corner to continue rummaging through piles of things that make me super domestic. And only a few storefronts down the road was a brand spanking new coffee shop. Hooray! And It. Was. So. So. So. Good. I would recommend this shop above many others, and it sure helped me grieve the loss of waffle heaven. 

This shop is Bridge. Right smack dab in the middle of Kappabashi street, it's a architecture design firm meets specialty coffee shop. We actually spent half the time wondering why there was an off limits computer room in the back and model rooms everywhere. Oh, and there's a giant stuffed moose. That one never got an explanation, but it probably doesn't need one.

The atmosphere was homey but classy, and the coffee and food were ohmygoshsogood. I had a latte complete with beautiful latte art as my husband sipped some joe (gosh, he is so boring). They were both great, but what really took the cake (or shall I say took the muffin, heh heh) was the --- wait for it --- pistachio chocolate chip muffin that I had. It ... it just changed my life. It was so good that I'm pretty sure it ruined me for all other baked goods. But not really, because I still bake more than any person should. 

Oh and ... Curt's brownie was good too.

(overshadowed)

I highly recommend this shop. It has ambiance, it has good coffee and excellent treats. And it's Japanese, so you know the service is spectacular (which it is). You can find Bridge on Kappabashi-dori, about a 15 minute walk from Asakusa Station and a 10 minute walk from Tawaramachi Station on the Ginza subway line. The beauty of this location is that you can couple a great coffee shop experience with shopping kitchen good stores and a walk through Asakusa. Really, you just can't go wrong.

Kaffe Latte, Please!

Swedes are genius, and apparently we need to move there.  Check out The Kitchn's rundown on How Swedes Drink Coffee.  It's daily siesta meets the coffee break.  Sounds to me like the best thing in the world.

So.  When are we going?  Tomorrow?  Meet you there?  Great.

World Barista Championship Outcome

Congratulations to Mr. Hidenori Izaki from Maruyama Coffee for winning the World Barista Championship! He is the first champion from both Japan and Asia. What an honor!

The WBC was last week in Rimini, Italy. You can read more about his win and the WBC here and here.

Cielo Pancake Cafe

Can't go wrong with dancing sign pancakes

We have businesses coming and going all the time in our neighborhood. Mostly bars and restaurants are opening and closing, but this sweet little spot opened up this March. This cafe is Cielo, "Chaaro" (チャーロ) in Japanese. The fact that we saw the word "pancake" and didn't immediately run into this shop is surprising. But once we did make it there, our thoughts ended up on both sides of the spectrum.

I'm going to level with you. So get ready. The coffee was not good. The iced coffee wasn't any good either. I used copious amounts of cream and sugar, which is uncharacteristic. The place was a bit dirty, too. The floor was gross and there were ants. At first glance, there's really not much going for it.

But we would go back.

How, you say? The service was impeccable. The server wasn't just sweet and nice. She was accommodating. She was hospitable. She went the extra mile.

Shall I share the many examples?

When we first arrived, there was a TV on with a show in Japanese. She immediate switched on an American movie. I think she's a psychic too - or a wonderful sort of stalker - because she turned on X2, one of my favorite movies. 

Notice the chips! Notice the chips!

Once she gave us our plates, she held our kid. She just took our kid and played around with him! Both of us were able to enjoy our food without competition from our 7-month-old. And neither of us had to play the game of be-a-jungle-gym-while-inhaling-food.

We were caught off guard by the thoughtfulness of her doing that. And a little bit touched, too.

The food itself was delicious. I ordered banana chocolate pancakes and was so tickled to see banana chocolate chips on my plate. Fantastic! I honestly don't even remember what my husband had - I was too enamored with my own dish. French toast or something without banana chocolate chips, that's all I care to know.

Since our visit, I've walked by this cafe multiple times. Three times I've seen the same waitress and she's recognized me, said hello, and smiled at our son. I'm so utterly torn on this place! Was it immaculately clean? Far from it. Was the coffee good? H to the no. But would I go back for some good pancakes and a chance to support their wonderful service? In a heartbeat.

Well, at least her wonderful service. Maybe I'm just becoming a fan of this one particular waitress. But she makes some mean pancakes and knows how to take care of some folks.

Cielo is located on Odakicho, two streets parallel to highway 16 intersecting Blue Street, between Claps Hair Salon and Hotel New Yokosuka. You can't miss it as it's a small but bright red building. Find them on Facebook here. English menus available. And complementary English movie time. 

Sio Cafe: A New Gem

Driving around Yokosuka gives a new perspective. Before we purchased a car, our scope (besides the Naval base) was any path we would walk to a train station or place close to home we would wander. Now, whenever we drive to a friend's house, my eyes resemble that of a three-year-old - darting back and forth at the new world I'm seeing!  Ha.  

Really though. We've made some great discoveries from our drives. A few weekends ago, my eyes were instantly drawn to a sweet little cafe that's actually very close to our house. Thus ensued weeks of my poor husband having to endure my verbal processing on when and how we could make plans to go there.  

Ok, this weekend we could go for a walk on Saturday and then go to the cafe!  

Maybe after we run those errands we could stop by that cafe!

Hey, after lunch can we try that cafe??

Finally, he told me that it wasn't going anywhere and that it would all be ok. I probably did need the reassuring; the place looked cute enough to make me desperate to experience it. Was it love at first sight? May have been.

And oh my lucky stars, I finally walked in their doors on Saturday afternoon. Sio Cafe (シオ カフェ) is their name, it turns out. I do have to confess, though, that I left my sweet man of a husband at home fast asleep on our rocking chair. But time was of the essence as my son's nap time was fast approaching. There have been times in the past, just like on Saturday, when Curt would come home exhausted, pass out, and fall quickly and deeply back to sleep upon attempts to wake him. I've gone many places without him when this situation occurs. A friend's birthday party. Errand running. You name it, I've probably left him to hibernate in peace while the rest of the world (including me) continues to operate. There have even been times he didn't realize I was gone. I guess that's what you call a Navy coma.

Anyway. Maybe it was wrong to go without him, but I think he'd rather I do that then mention the cafe in every conversation from here on out. 

AND I plan to take him back there. Let me commence in telling you how great my experience was. It literally started at the door. Their store front is a row of sliding doors. A row of sliding doors! So not only can you enter at any point, but they can open all of the doors and suddenly have an open air cafe. Wonderful!

The inside was so little (i.e., Japanese) - probably at capacity of 14 people or so - but the ambiance was so fresh and light that it felt much larger. I was greeted instantly, given a cup of water and told about my options in English. By, I might add, a woman who looked like the Japanese version of my daycare lady growing up. Kelly, is that you?? Since the menus were in Japanese, she helped me make my decision verbally. She was so kind and I was impressed by the many options I had. They serve lunch items (a few of which I scoped at other tables - creep!), curries, cakes, scones, and coffees, of course. I noticed that they had the perfect balance of a professional yet homey third place.

I guess you could say it was all I dreamed and more. I ordered their dessert set of the day - New York style cheesecake with blueberry sauce - with an iced coffee. It was delicious and the presentation made me feel wonderfully dainty and girly.

Another tidbit? They sell jewelry. There's a small tagboard of earrings and necklaces to be purchased. Fun to buy, I'm sure, but also pleasant to look at. They were also offering a knitting class later that day. Cute? Sooo cute.

If you're in Yokosuka and want to visit, Sio Cafe is located on Highway 16 just past city hall. Take a left at the Seven Eleven outside of Womble Gate, continue on 16, and you'll see them on the right just after the cement park in the middle of the city. A walk from Womble Gate would take ten minutes or less. Also, check them out on Facebook.