Finally made it to Idobata in Kamakura, Japan!
Ever since I saw the YouTube video of these guys, I’d wanted to come check them out.
So to my knowledge they’re generally known for their hand drip technique, very slowly done. Center pour, bloom slowly built up. Dark roast beans are common. I decided to get a standard hot cup of a dark roast and see how it fared, while my wife went with a medium (lightest thing on the menu) iced Kenyan.
Dark roast? Pretty good, very drinkable “classic” coffee taste. The lower temp they use definitely lends itself to a sweeter sort of profile. Very akin to the nel drip recipes that use a much stronger coffee:water ratio.
Kenyan? Fucking fantastic. Super heavy on the typical tomato soup notes that only Kenyan coffees provide. I stole my wife’s cup several times just to get a little more of it. Highly recommended!
All in all it was fun to finally see this little van in person, and the wonderful people that run it.
Hope some more of you can get over there someday!