BERTH COFFEE | TYPICA Lab

First day in Guatemala (Food report)

watanabe — Mon, 20 Mar 2023 10:04:00 +0000

After a fun-filled time in Los Angeles, we finally arrived in Guatemala before 5:00 am. Although we were a bit tired from the flight, the excitement of visiting Guatemala for the first time kept our spirits high.

Today was a rest day, courtesy of TYPICA, which allowed us to enjoy a delicious breakfast at the Best Western Hotel in Guatemala City.

The pancakes with fried bananas and fruits like melon and mango were delectable, as were the omelette and boiled beans. However, some of the food was very spicy, so we had to be careful.

After breakfast, we strolled around Guatemala City with a group of energetic people. Although we were aware that the area could be dangerous with many robberies and murders, we stayed together in groups.

As we walked, I noticed that there were few Asians around, and I felt a lot of stares directed towards us.

We later had lunch in the Zona 10 area, where we enjoyed an appetizer of baked sweet potato topped with fruit, cream, and lots of honey.

Guatemalan appetizers are typically sweet, but we also tried a Mexican-French cuisine dish.

After lunch, our waitress recommended that we take a walk in the Zona 14 area, an upscale residential area with various embassies. We checked out shopping malls and supermarkets before meeting up with Shimon from TYPICA’s EU team for dinner.

During dinner, we introduced ourselves and talked about our experiences in the coffee industry.

We also enjoyed Gallo, a local Guatemalan beer, and tried some fried banana chips dipped in salsa sauce.

For the main course, I had steak, and for dessert, I enjoyed a milk-flavored cake with condensed milk cream and cinnamon on top.

I know it may seem like I’m only talking about food, but tomorrow we will visit the place of origin and do a serious report.

watanabe — Sun, 19 Mar 2023 15:31:00 +0000

On the day of departure, I arrived at Narita Airport feeling a mix of nervousness, excitement, and a little anxiety, two hours early. Up until the night before, I had been busy roasting coffee beans and hadn’t had a chance to pack my bags. So, I hurriedly packed my bags early in the morning and dragged them to the airport.

Most of my luggage was filled with coffee beans, Japanese sweets, soup, and other items that I wanted to bring as souvenirs for the producers. Our first stop was Los Angeles, and we had a nine-hour flight ahead of us. Thankfully, I was able to sleep for seven hours during the flight, which made me feel relieved and ready to tackle the rest of the day.

For dinner, I had the choice of curry with pork cutlet or pasta, and for breakfast, I could choose between yaki-soba or omelet. We arrived in Los Angeles without any issues and had some time to explore the city before our next flight to Guatemala.

We first visited Intelligentsia Coffee, where I had the chance to try their drip coffee brewed by a fully automatic drip machine called POURSTEADY. We then went for a walk on Venice Beach, enjoying the endless California beaches and thinking about our upcoming trip to Guatemala.

We had dinner at Gjusta, where we enjoyed freshly baked bread, cheese, ham, jam, pastries, coffee beans, and more. Although the spinach salad with Gorgonzola cheese and salmon meuniere cost me $35 in total, it was worth it. After a day of sightseeing and having fun together, we boarded the plane to Guatemala, where I was warmed by the friendly personalities of the Central Americans who spoke to me often.

I’m excited to see what kind of encounters I’ll have ahead of me.

THE DAY !

watanabe — Sat, 18 Mar 2023 09:36:13 +0000

The spring breeze brings the sweet perfume of flowers to Tokyo, and it was exactly one year ago that I received an invitation from TYPICA to join TYPICA Lab.

It came as a bolt from the blue, as it had been less than half a year since our first roaster arrived at BERTH COFFEE.

I chose Guatemala and El Salvador as my destinations in the final series of TYPICA Lab because I simply love coffees from these countries. Also, I needed as much time as I could get to prepare for an origin trip.

Although I decided to participate without hesitation, I was not at all confident in myself, as I had only received my own roaster for six months earlier, and I’d only been roasting full time for 3 to 4 months. When I looked at other nominees, I realized that they were the coffee people I have always admired.

“Let’s face coffee with all my heart”

I am honored to have this opportunity to be a part of TYPICA Lab, and I want to once again convey the appeal of coffee to others! I am now on my way to coffee farms, with that mindset that I had when I first started.

At first, I didn’t even know how to buy green beans, and I just didn’t know how to roast, either, trying out different methods on an trial and error basis, but I just spent the past year doing everything I could. I even got a Q grader to make the most of this opportunity. I don’t know what will help me in the end, but I’m sure that when I turn around after running as hard as I can, I will find that there will be no wrong answers. I want to face the producers, coffee, and everything with my honest self.

Also, it has been two years since I launched my roastery, but I have never been away from the store this long. I am feeling a little nervous. I would like to remember that I am here thanks to the understanding staff and customers, and I would like to stay healthy so that I can share what I have gained with everyone.

I am off then.

I don’t know if I will have any souvenirs, so I appreciate your understanding.

Determination and Conviction

watanabe — Mon, 22 Aug 2022 15:00:00 +0000

08-23-2022

Determination and Conviction

One day, a long time ago, I decided, “I will make coffee my job!” But it seems that I always make a vow like that when I’m uncertain if I can stick it through. Back then, I didn’t have an iron-clad belief. All I had was pure adoration for coffee culture.

I wasted no time in sending my resume to coffee shop after coffee shop. But they all turned me down. My dream to become a specialty coffee barista didn’t come true while I was a student.

Still enchanted by the deliciousness of coffee and its colorful flavors, every week on my day off, I took a 2-hour train ride from Ibaraki, where I lived, to Tokyo, hopping from the Joban Line to the Yamanote Line on the way, to join coffee seminars and cupping sessions in the capital.

The more you drink coffee, the more possibilities open up. Meeting new people, new cultures and many great coffees turned my determination into conviction. Coffee, without a doubt, has the power to comfort us, surprise us and give us the purpose of life.

It’s been 6 years since I fell in love with coffee, 3 years since I made it my job, and only less than a year since I started roasting.

I am exhilarated to visit a place I’ve never visited, feel it myself and see it from my own perspective.

I wonder what will arise from the connections between different places, different people and different cultures.

What can I do to create a world that all those involved in coffee can be proud of?