Firecracker's return lined up nicely with a trip to Japan, so Dan and Tobes packed a few bags (and a few kilos of coffee) and headed over to catch up with the team.
Between brewing events, cuppings, wholesale visits and Yurakucho's first birthday, there was a lot of coffee, a lot of walking, and very little sleep.
Brewing Bridges at DDD Hotel
First stop: Abno at DDD Hotel for Brewing Bridges a monthly showcase of international roasters. Firecracker was brewed every which way - filter, espresso and even coffee caviar. We also got to share the brew bar with the legends from Seven Seeds. Good coffee. Good people. Great event.
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Firecracker Aussie-style
We snuck some Aussie-roasted Firecracker into the suitcase for a cupping with the Japan team at Roastworks, in what the boys described as the cleanest training room known to mankind. Then took it to Kanda Awaji for a public cupping with wholesale partners and locals.
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Visitng Cussies
Impromptu training with Bruno and the Bills crew. A banana and peanut butter sandwich at Get Better that really goes get you better. A rainy duck into Shibuya. Plenty of trains. Plenty of walking. Plenty of coffee.
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Things We Clocked
Tokyo loves water filtration.
And they don't hide it under the bench either. Filtration is front and centre, proudly on display like another piece of coffee equipment. Everpure seemed to be everywhere.
After geeking out over the setups, the surprise was the water itself. Once it'd been through all that filtration, it tasted remarkably similar to Sydney. Turns out we're both starting with pretty good stuff.
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Dion's Kastu Don
This non-negotiable food stop - Dion's favourite Katsu Don joint in Ryogoku. It’s good.
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Lemon beer
Bright, sweet, sparkling acidity... "Kind of like a washed Burundi." Tobes reckons.
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One More Birthday
The week wrapped up celebrating Yurakucho's first birthday. Firecracker on V60 flowing faster than the trains below.
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