Glitch Coffee Jimbocho, Tokyo

Coffee is meant for pouring, when it pours.

We enter the coffee shop on a rainy day, glad to escape the weather. We leave the behind us the dusty bookstores, crammed floor to ceiling with old and used books. We leave behind the aging noodle shops and the shower-slicked streets of Jimbocho.

Here at Glitch Coffee & Roasters is an entire world hidden away yet very much part of the neighbourhood its owner, 2014 Japan AeroPress Champion Kiyokazu Suzuki, has chosen. This space isn’t meant to be busy or fashionable; quite the opposite. Suzuki chose it for its serenity and sense of community. As other customers walk in, their ready, friendly smiles tell us they are regulars.

Opened two and half years ago, Glitch Coffee has that ambience of casual camaraderie. The open counter where we observe our baristas work their magic at the pour-over station. The take-out window that is so retro. The unobtrusive music that never reduces to the level of a commercial café soundtrack.

Our coffee is black, tea-like and light in body, yet deepens in flavour as we sip slowly, allowing it to cool. Single origin beans rather than blends. An almond croissant and a charcoal bagel help to sate our appetites as we wait out the rain. We are in no hurry.

The roasting machine, 5kg Probat Roaster, stands quiet while we are here but we learn it’s part of a shared roaster project that enables other cafés to roast their own beans. It’s all about experimenting and sharing the results and learning. Hence the name “Glitch” – it is the small glitches that arise in the process of roasting beans and brewing coffee that create opportunities for new discoveries.

We understand the concept; after all, isn’t coming here a discovery for us too, and a very happy one at that.

那是一個雨天，雨下下停停地，
我們就這樣帶著傘在東京街頭走走看看。
午飯後，我們來到了Glitch Coffee＆Roasters，
這家由2014年日本愛樂壓冠軍鈴木清和的所開設咖啡館。

咖啡館的佈置簡單，
除了吧檯和幾張木質桌椅外，還有一家烘豆機，
店面空間不算大，不過也許是咖啡師的親切，
也可能是我們幸運的在雨勢轉大前走進了咖啡館，
也或許是那杯充滿花香的手沖咖啡。
讓整個咖啡館瀰漫著一種很恬然愉悅的氛圍。

微寒的天氣里，總讓人想吃點什麼，
於是我們便點了一些糕點來解饞。
馬少坐在店裡邊喝著咖啡邊涂塗寫寫，
我便在那看看小說，吃吃糕點，
在想偷拍咖啡師的當兒，卻讓他們發現了，
兩人還一起擺好姿勢讓我拍個夠，非常的合作、愛玩。

雖然不是坐落在景點區，附近也沒什麼著名的商場，
但能在這麼一家讓人心情愉快的咖啡館里，
看看著紅綠燈前來往的人群，
嗅吸著迷人的咖啡香，聽著耳邊傳來異國情調，
當下的一幕早已是這趟旅途中一抹難忘的景色了。