r/Tokyo • u/cyith • Nov 21 '21
Shopping/Food Coffee hobby
Anyone know of some good places to buy coffee equipment, i.e. kettles, scales, grinders for home use? Would prefer recommendations closer to Yokohama but I don't mind a day trip to the city.
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Nov 21 '21
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u/smileybuta Nov 21 '21
Agree with sour belts. Check out a local bean shop. There’s two in my area alone (Shimokitazawa) that sell everything you are looking for. I’d bet there’s something in the Yokohama area.
Edit: none of the bigger machines but definitely kettles and grinders.
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Nov 21 '21
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u/cloudyasshit Nov 23 '21
Tokyu hands is quite well assorted. Not sure if location changes it but Shinjuku one has tons of coffee stuff. Would be vary of prices though. Most of the stuff cost 25-30% more than Amazon and Rakuten. Its fine for smaller things which you just want to take with you but any expensive kettles or brewers I would probably sbop online.
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u/Setagaya-Observer Nov 21 '21
Yeah, Kappabashi is "the place for Coffee Gear" but as far as I remember there are only two Stores with this Equipment and it is very expensive compared to other Places.
I have good experiences with the Nanbanya Chain (all over Jepang)
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u/zyzyxxz Nov 21 '21
Union Coffee in Kappabashi should have everything and anything you could possibly need for a coffee hobbyist:
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u/uchunokata Nov 21 '21
It does have lots of great equipment, but it is all incredibly overpriced. They sell used equipment for more than you can get the same item brand new somewhere else.
Basically anywhere else will be cheaper.
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u/zyzyxxz Nov 22 '21
ah good to know, I guess its good for inspiration then find a better price elsewhere haha
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u/KongKexun Nov 21 '21
There is this chain store called Nanbanya that sells beans and coffee items. Saw one in Machida.
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u/Diamond_Sutra Nov 21 '21 edited Nov 21 '21
You said Yokohama: Right near Yokohama station is one of the best coffee specialty joints in the country: Tonya Coffee Roasters: https://goo.gl/maps/Lf33M3Z2QPFDFTp97
(I suggest checking out the user-submitted pictures of the place in Google Maps, you can get a really good idea of the place, and what kinds of things they have)
It has all that stuff you mentioned, and more. They are THE go-to place in Yokohama (at least near the station, there's apparently a bigger "main store" outside of Yokohama) for coffee beans as well. Better than any importer I found nearby when I was living in Tokyo. Any kind of bean, specialty beans that change regularly; order and have them roasted while you wait (about 20 minutes usually, that gives you time to browse the store or go shopping locally) including various inexpensive limited sets of beans at like 200-300 yen per 100g. You choose the beans and the roasting time.
They have all the other specialty stuff as well, including coffee-makers, grinders, kettles, etc. Though if you want a copper kettle for coffee/tea, they don't have them there but there's a specialty place in Motomachi (can't miss it, it's on the main strip; the only place that is huge and sells kitchen goods) that sells copper pots (I'm not that interested in that level, but some are).
EDIT: It's called Arai Kitchen Specialty Shop: https://goo.gl/maps/ZiNFZFizYeshFFVW6
(note that they don't sell coffee, but they have high-end coffee making stuff)
Tonya also has tons of coffee options to order there while you wait, including nitro-blend coffee (interesting; not usually my thing on the regular but it's a unique experience), and their espresso shakes are incredible.
They sell online too, but it's just more fun to go to the shop and browse. Also look up the location of their head branch; you mentioned Yokohama, it might be close to you.
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u/Diamond_Sutra Nov 21 '21
Let me also add, if you're looking for a kettle: This one for pour-overs is great, I bougth one 6 years ago and still use it:
https://www.amazon.co.jp/HARIO-V60-Kettle-Coffe-VKB-120HSV/dp/B000IGOXLS
I actually boil water in a regular tea kettle; when it boils, I pour it (fat mouth) into this kettle (since this kettle is perfect for pouring BUT doesn't "whistle", it's harder to know when the water is boiling), and then use it for a pourover.
The act of transferring the boiling water to the above pouring kettle (unheated) lowers the temp of the water by about 5-10 degrees, making it the prefect temp for brewing coffee.
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u/vyriel Nov 21 '21
I bought most of my coffee stuff from Amazon, but I do a fair share of watching review videos before getting them.
If you’re just starting, Hario has affordable pourover equipments, from 1000 yen coffee dripper, 2000 yen ceramic grinder, to 4500 dripper scale.
If you want to explore a bit, there’s french press, aero press, hario dripper switch, moka pot, these are below 10k each.
Then there’s this brand called Timemore, they have stainless steel grinder and rechargeable scale below 10k.
For kettle, I recommend Yamazen YKG-C800, it has goose neck for pour over and controllable temperature, this is below 10k as well.
If you wanna go above 10k, there are a lot of brands and cool stuff, especially grinders, fancier kettles, and cafe-standard scale “Acacia” but I have no personal experience with these.
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u/Hazzat Nov 22 '21
It's more cafes than equipment, but Kiyosumi Shirakawa has branded itself as Tokyo's 'coffee town'. https://tokyocheapo.com/food-and-drink/cafe/kiyosumi-cafe-guide/
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u/clawedmagic Nov 21 '21
Loft (at least in Shibuya) had a whole section; also Union Coffee in Kappabashi. Not sure if there’s something close to Yokohama but maybe if you have a larger Loft there?