2015 tokyo coffee festival good coffee farmer's market aoyama japan sprudge

A few weeks ago we brought you coverage of the 2015 Specialty Coffee Association of Japan event, a massive trade show celebrating the best in coffee from Japan and around the world.

This is not that article.

2015 tokyo coffee festival good coffee farmer's market aoyama japan sprudge

Shortly before the 2015 SCAJ event, theย Tokyo Coffee Festivalย was held for the very first time.ย A grassroots event bringing together some 60 different coffee shops from all over Japan, the TCF took place as part of theย Aoyama Farmers’ Market.ย Event organizer and barista, Yuji Otsuki, says the event focused on the idea of โ€œbringing coffee homeโ€ and helping people realize that specialty coffee is a part of life, and not simply a trend.

To do this, Otsuki planned the event around filter coffeeโ€”making it the centerpiece for each stall at the event space. Exhibitors saw a slow build of traffic from the early hours of Saturday morning, morphing into long midday lines and extremely busy baristas. But the goals of the Tokyo Coffee Festival were not strictly limited to foot traffic. As Otsuki told me, “I donโ€™t want this to be just a festival. Of course, I want people to have a good time, but the backbone of it is deepening new roots of coffee culture. Iโ€™m really happy for everyone who came, and helped, and experienced the event.โ€

So without further ado, here are some highlights from the 2015 Tokyo Coffee Festival!

2015 tokyo coffee festival good coffee farmer's market aoyama japan sprudge

2014 World AeroPress Champion alert

On day one at the Paul Bassett stand, 2014 World AeroPress Champion Shuichi Sasaki could be found working his magic on the AeroPress, and also pour-over on the V60.

2015 tokyo coffee festival good coffee farmer's market aoyama japan sprudge

No glitches hereโ€”just an endless flow of coffee

Nearby, newly opened Glitch Coffee brought their home-roasted beans and their trademark style, and were practically an assembly line of pour-over coffee for two days straight. Read more about Glitch and owner Kiyokazu Suzuki here.

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2015 tokyo coffee festival good coffee farmer's market aoyama japan sprudge

Yeti Fazenda and his colorful pour-overs

Yeti Fazendaโ€™s trademark hat, coffee, and doughnuts came all the way from Shiga Prefecture to participate, but it was that lineup of colorful pour-over cones that drew the most attention at the pour-over stand.

2015 tokyo coffee festival good coffee farmer's market aoyama japan sprudge

Trunk Coffee repping Nagoya

Hailing from Nagoya in Aichi Prefecture, Trunk Coffee served up a selection of Colombia, Nicaragua, and Ethiopia, all in the Scandinavian style that has made them a popular favorite among Tokyoโ€™s specialty coffee scene.

2015 tokyo coffee festival good coffee farmer's market aoyama japan sprudge

Roasting on-site with Coffee Beans East and Kohiya

These two coffee shops were boldly roasting on-siteโ€”with Coffee Beans East doing it fry-pan style, and Kohiya bringing their cute and reliable micro-roaster. Both coffee shops used the opportunityโ€”and undoubtedly the scent of freshly roasted coffeeโ€”to share a little roasting knowledge with curious onlookers.

2015 tokyo coffee festival good coffee farmer's market aoyama japan sprudge

Andromeda Ethiopia, Iโ€™m told, is a special coffee imbued with the energy of Idaki Shinโ€™s music for 48 hours by way of a specialized sound system, adding an exquisite taste and resulting in a healthier cup. Makes me wonder if there are any studies out there on the effects of sound waves on coffeeโ€”if not, perhaps this is the place to start?

2015 tokyo coffee festival good coffee farmer's market aoyama japan sprudge

Merry Time Coffee showing some Four Barrel love

The girls from Merry Time were on hand with a selection of San Francisco’sย Four Barrel Coffeeย from Ethiopia, El Salvador, and Guatemala, as well as some delightful โ€œf!ck itโ€ mugs that made me laugh out loud, and then say, well, f!ck itโ€”let’s order another cup of coffee.

2015 tokyo coffee festival good coffee farmer's market aoyama japan sprudge

Viewings and Cuppings to the tune of “A Film About Coffee”

To help people get a better understanding of the specialty coffee industry, screenings of โ€œA Film About Coffeeโ€ were followed by cupping sessions including coffee featured in the documentary. Veterans and first-timers sipped, spat, and shared tasting notes, all the while helped out by the guys from Good Coffee.

2015 tokyo coffee festival good coffee farmer's market aoyama japan sprudge

Save abandoned animals by drinking all the coffee: Buddy

Buddy Coffee are using their coffee as a vehicle to raise funds for an animal shelter for abandoned pets. They believe coffee is something to share with friendsโ€”with buddiesโ€”and that includes pets just as much as people. And just look at the packaging for their coffee packsโ€”cats in hats and dogs in shadesโ€”itโ€™s adorable.

2015 tokyo coffee festival good coffee farmer's market aoyama japan sprudge

Single O Tokyo and the Day Two takeover

Recently established in Tokyo, Sydney roasters Single Origin setup on the second day, expecting to share coffee and catch up with friends. That is, until a line started growing, and stretching, and snaking all the way out towards the street. It was a huge hit.

2015 tokyo coffee festival good coffee farmer's market aoyama japan sprudge

Much pouring was done, much coffee was shared, and when people got lost, they simply looked for Yamaโ€™s bright orange beanie.

2015 tokyo coffee festival good coffee farmer's market aoyama japan sprudge

Kenya Burundi at Tom-Tom Coffee

Hailing from Ibaraki Prefecture, and famous for growing coffee in their own coffee greenhouse, Tom-Tom Coffee and 2006 Syphonist Champion Mieko Koike served up a wonderful Kenya Burundi, as well as a selection of coffee beans.

2015 tokyo coffee festival good coffee farmer's market aoyama japan sprudge

Tim Wendelboe spotting

Signing books, mean mugging the camera, and talking coffee was Tim Wendelboe, visiting to promote the Japanese translation of his book, โ€œCoffee with Tim Wendelboe.โ€ Flanked by the Fuglen Tokyo crew, Wendelboeย was whisked in for a quick signing, and whisked out just as quickly for another one somewhere else.

Hengtee Limย (@Hent03) is a Sprudge.com staff writer based in Tokyo. Read moreย Hengtee Lim on Sprudge.

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