{"id":2845,"date":"2018-01-22T21:10:09","date_gmt":"2018-01-22T12:10:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/2018-01-22\/2845"},"modified":"2018-01-22T21:10:09","modified_gmt":"2018-01-22T12:10:09","slug":"kafe-kosen-quite-the-unique-and-delicious-coffee-experience-in-kyoto","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/2018-01-22\/2845","title":{"rendered":"Kafe Kosen: Quite the Unique (and Delicious) Coffee Experience in Kyoto"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n
<\/a>\niPhone 7 Plus + iPhone 7 Plus back camera 3.99mm f\/1.8 at an effective 28mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>17 sec, f<\/span>\/1.8, ISO 40 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nUnassuming, but Delicious<\/span>\nKafe Kosen (KAFE\u5de5\u8239)\nKyoto, Japan\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

In the 12 years I've been blogging, I don't<\/span> think I've ever gone two weeks without posting something new, but today's post is\nthe first in almost a month,<\/span> the first this year. The break<\/span> wasn't intentional... I just haven<\/span>'t felt like writing, I guess.<\/span> But today<\/span> I visited<\/span> a cafe<\/span> with coffee so unique — I'd never had anything like it — that it deserved to roust me\nfrom my blogging lethargy.<\/p>\n\n

I've been feeling lethargic about cycling as well, not having done many rides since autumn. For months<\/span> I'd been planning to\nride an hour south to visit Eric Findlay (seen on this ride-report blog\npost<\/a> a couple<\/span> of years ago), but I finally<\/span> met him today when he came up to Kyoto and suggested we try this cafe.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\niPhone 7 Plus + iPhone 7 Plus back camera 3.99mm f\/1.8 at an effective 28mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>30 sec, f<\/span>\/1.8, ISO 40 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nSimple Menu<\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

Let me say up front that I'm not a coffee<\/span> aficionado, nor a coffee<\/span> snob. I do drink<\/span> my coffee black (no cream nor sugar, thank you),\nand while I appreciate<\/span> a good<\/span> cup of coffee, I never<\/span> find coffee to be really<\/i> good. Time and again I'm introduced to\na place<\/span> that has “<\/span>amazing coffee”<\/span>, and invariably find that it's fine, but nothing special.<\/p>\n\n

So it was with surprised that this place gave me a coffee<\/span> experience like I'd never had. <\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\niPhone 7 Plus + iPhone 7 Plus back camera 3.99mm f\/1.8 at an effective 28mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>20 sec, f<\/span>\/1.8, ISO 40 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nYellow to Red: Light to Deep<\/span>\nchoose your level\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

I ordered “<\/span>red”<\/span>, their deepest roast, which surprised me a bit<\/span> because I don't<\/span> like espresso at all. It's just hot<\/span> bitterness\nthat is gone in two sips. But the thought<\/span> of “<\/span>light”<\/span> coffee just isn't appealing, so I gave<\/span> their deep roast a try.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

It came in a little glass a bit larger than a Dixie<\/span> Cup, which made me think “<\/span>espresso”<\/span>, but wow, it was anything but.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\niPhone 7 Plus + iPhone 7 Plus back camera 3.99mm f\/1.8 at an effective 28mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>15 sec, f<\/span>\/1.8, ISO 100 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nUnappealing Presentation<\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

It was indeed deeply rich, but without the slightest<\/i> hint of bitterness. At all. It was almost<\/span> sweet. It must be<\/span> what\nGod had in mind when He created coffee.<\/p>\n\n

It also wasn't scalding hot... it was just pleasantly warm. In this regard<\/span> it felt odd, since gingerly sipping from a piping<\/span>\nhot cup is part of The Coffee Experience. But the taste<\/span> was so very nice.<\/p>\n\n

Normally I get a big cup of coffee, because I like<\/span> volume. I like the<\/span> act of drinking. So the tiny<\/span> portion was part of my\ninitial pre-taste dismay, but I found<\/span> myself content to just sip slowly as I chatted<\/span> with Eric. It was quite<\/span> nice.<\/p>\n\n

Along with your glass of coffee you get a small<\/span> pot of weak watered-down coffee (perhaps the second pour from the grounds\nused to make your glass) that you can use to temper your coffee it proves to be too strong.<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\niPhone 7 Plus + iPhone 7 Plus back camera 3.99mm f\/1.8 at an effective 28mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>15 sec, f<\/span>\/1.8, ISO 80 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nTrying the Weak Coffee<\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

I wanted no part of that watering-down stuff — the coffee as they brought it was perfect as is — but after I was<\/span> done\nI tried<\/span> the weak coffee as its own drink.<\/p>\n\n

It tasted, unsurprisingly, like watered down coffee, all the worse on the heels of the fantastically-rich cup that preceded it.\nNext time I'll try the watered-down stuff first, then the real coffee.<\/p>\n\n\n

The place is invisible from the road, so you have to know to look for it. (Google Map<\/a>; Cafe home page<\/a>)\n<\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\niPhone 7 Plus + iPhone 7 Plus back camera 3.99mm f\/1.8 at an effective 28mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>120 sec, f<\/span>\/1.8, ISO 32 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nEntrance<\/span>\nthe white door in the center\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\niPhone 7 Plus + iPhone 7 Plus back camera 3.99mm f\/1.8 at an effective 28mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>120 sec, f<\/span>\/1.8, ISO 32 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nWhat Passes for a Sign<\/span><\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n
<\/a>\niPhone 7 Plus + iPhone 7 Plus back camera 3.99mm f\/1.8 at an effective 28mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>60 sec, f<\/span>\/1.8, ISO 32 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nStill Doesn't Look Like a Cafe<\/span><\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

It's one tenant in a very old building that\nhad originally, 100+ years ago I'd guess, been a hospital.<\/span><\/p>\n\n

<\/a>\niPhone 7 Plus + iPhone 7 Plus back camera 3.99mm f\/1.8 at an effective 28mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>15 sec, f<\/span>\/1.8, ISO 50 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nDoesn't Look Promising<\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n
<\/a>\niPhone 7 Plus + iPhone 7 Plus back camera 3.99mm f\/1.8 at an effective 28mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>30 sec, f<\/span>\/1.8, ISO 25 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nFound It<\/span>\non the second floor\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\niPhone 7 Plus + iPhone 7 Plus back camera 3.99mm f\/1.8 at an effective 28mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>30 sec, f<\/span>\/1.8, ISO 40 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nNot Too Exciting<\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

My first impression of the place was that it was really hard to find, and even when I was<\/span> there I wasn't<\/span> sure\nthat I was<\/span> there, because there's no sign on the actual entrance. There's the sign at the street door, and one on\nthe wall at the base of the stairs, but nothing on the door that actually lets you into the cafe. Odd.<\/p>\n\n

My impression went down further as I walked<\/span> in, because they clearly allowed smoking. Luckily for me, the lady\nthat had been smoking all morning (as apparent by the full ashtray in front of her) was just leaving, and they had\na good<\/span> enough air system that I was<\/span> able to actually enjoy my time there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>\niPhone 7 Plus + iPhone 7 Plus back camera 3.99mm f\/1.8 at an effective 28mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>15 sec, f<\/span>\/1.8, ISO 80 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nSuch a Grind<\/span><\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n
<\/a>\niPhone 7 Plus + iPhone 7 Plus back camera 3.99mm f\/1.8 at an effective 28mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>15 sec, f<\/span>\/1.8, ISO 64 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nRaw Coffee Beans<\/span>\nwaiting their turn to roast\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
<\/a>\niPhone 7 Plus + iPhone 7 Plus back camera 3.99mm f\/1.8 at an effective 28mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>15 sec, f<\/span>\/1.8, ISO 100 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nThe Roaster<\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n
<\/a>\niPhone 7 Plus + iPhone 7 Plus back camera 3.99mm f\/1.8 at an effective 28mm — 1<\/sup>\/<\/big>15 sec, f<\/span>\/1.8, ISO 64 —\nmap & image data<\/a> — nearby photos<\/a><\/span>\nHot<\/span>\n\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n

I'll have to go back another time with a good<\/span> camera, and document how they actually make it. I gathered<\/span> that it's all done by\nhand (pouring hot water through the grounds using some kind of filter), but not knowing how good it would be, I hadn't<\/span> paid that\nmuch attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the 12 years I've been blogging, I don't think I've ever gone two weeks without posting something new, but today's post is the first in almost a month, the first this year. The break wasn't intentional... I just haven't felt like writing, I guess. But today I visited a cafe with coffee so unique -- I'd never had anything like it -- that it deserved to roust me from my blogging lethargy.<\/p>

I've been feeling lethargic about cycling as well, not having done many rides since autumn. For months I'd been planning to ride an hour south to visit [...]","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,2],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2845"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2845"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2845\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2845"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2845"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/regex.info\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2845"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}