SYSTEM NOTICE

Auto translation by AI. Be sure, accuracy, nuances and authorial intent may not be fully reflected.

The 2027 Beans Shop <Mid-Dream> Episode 14: Roasting and Extraction

2024年7月20日 14:01

A week later, an express letter arrived for Mr. Tanigawa. It seemed the rough estimate was ready. Mr. Sawaki must have rushed it, but it might have been quite a difficult task. It appeared to have a cover letter attached stating, "The formal estimate will take about another two weeks."

I learned about this from a morning phone call from Mr. Tanigawa, who sounded quite flustered. "It says in the rough estimate that it will cost 28 million yen. I'd like to consult with you about it. Is today not good?" "It's fine." "Then I'll wait for you at one o'clock at the usual Miyakoshiya in Yebisu Garden Place."

When I arrived at Miyakoshiya at one o'clock, Mr. Tanigawa was already there. After ordering coffee and cheese toast, we got into the conversation. Mr. Tanigawa said, "I had set 25 million yen as a high estimate for myself. Since it's over that by 3 million, what should I do?"

I said, "Let me see the documents," and he showed them to me. Although it was a rough estimate, it was made to be easy to understand. It didn't look particularly expensive anywhere. At current prices, it would probably cost about this much. Everything is rising in price, and construction materials are no exception. Furthermore, labor costs are likely rising too; Mr. Sawaki isn't doing everything by himself.

"That's a problem," I said. However, when I looked at the estimate again, the item for the deck terrace construction cost of 5 million yen caught my eye. I asked Mr. Tanigawa, "Is the terrace absolutely necessary? It costs 5 million just for this. As I mentioned before, you can't set up formal seating on the terrace. It certainly looks nice, but it's not like the image will drop significantly without it, and it's a facility you can do without. Mr. Tanigawa might be disappointed, though." "So that's it, after all," Mr. Tanigawa said. Mr. Tanigawa understood as well; I think he just consulted me wondering if there was anything he could do.

Reality is harsh. People who start a business with money to spare are only a handful. Most people manage by cutting back, deciding what to give up and what to do, narrowing down the reality.

I said, "If things really go well in the future and you have some leeway, it won't be too late to build the terrace then." Mr. Tanigawa said, "I understand. I'll give it up this time. That means it can be done for 23 million yen, so I think I can manage the rest by borrowing. I'll call Mr. Sawaki to that effect for now."

The formal order will likely come after the final official estimate is ready, but after that, it will move on to the issue of borrowing money.

I asked, "How about the borrowing?" "Miyu-chan taught me a lot about that, and by using town funds, prefectural funds, and national funds, I think I can manage to borrow 10 million yen. It looks like I'll be visiting each government office from now on."

With this, the problems of construction costs and loans were settled for the time being. It will be tough for Mr. Tanigawa from here on, but that is the path everyone who starts a business must walk.

I said, "You'll need to start learning roasting soon, or you won't make it in time. We're ready anytime."
"I was thinking about that too. Is it okay if I come with Keiko?"

"Of course. My wife teaches on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays, so please choose a time that works for you. One session is two and a half hours, and we roast four batches. I don't go to the shop, so my wife teaches everything. At first, you'll just watch from behind, and little by little, you'll start operating the roaster yourself. It takes about three months, or twelve sessions, to be able to roast on your own. You are free to come after that, too. Everyone comes for quite a long time."

However, our roaster is a 5kg direct-fire machine. Many people start with a 1kg roaster now. Since the roasting process is quite different, eventually, when the roaster is installed in their shop, I will go and teach them to create a manual. This allows them to sell delicious beans from the start. It might be busy, but if you're going to do home roasting, this is a path you must take. It's hot in the summer, but you can't complain about that; summer comes every year.

Next is extraction. Since it's a cafe, extraction is a very important job. Basically, it's definitely better to brew by hand without using a machine. There are various methods, including siphons, but we recommend drip. There are paper and flannel filters for drip, but the taste of flannel is overwhelmingly superior. The taste is softer. However, for an amateur drinking at home, paper is sufficient. When using flannel, maintaining it is difficult, and if you use a bad flannel, you will always end up drinking bad coffee. Be careful, as sometimes it can upset your stomach.

For flannel, there is single-cup extraction, where you hold a small flannel bag in your left hand, and multi-cup extraction, where you set a large flannel on a stand and extract several cups at once.

Miyakoshiya is unique; they use a large flannel drip for blends and a small single-cup flannel drip for single-origin coffee. It's said to be difficult, but compared to roasting, it's not that hard.

When extracted with a large flannel drip, you put it in a stainless steel pot, and every time a customer comes, you heat it in a copper pot and serve it. (It doesn't have to be copper.) Anyone can do this once they get used to it.

Whether using a large or small flannel drip, use plenty of coarsely ground, dark-roasted beans, drop the hot water drop by drop, and extract slowly without rushing until the grounds absorb the water well and can't hold it anymore, and it starts dripping down. This process is called 'holding'.

Once the coffee liquid starts dripping down, continue to drop the hot water slowly without rushing. And once you have the required amount, keep it in the pot as is. When a customer comes and places an order, just heat it cup by cup and pour it into the cup. At that time, don't forget to warm the cup.

In the case of Mr. Tanigawa's mini-hotel cafe, I think large flannel drip extraction is best because customers are likely to concentrate in the morning. A large flannel drip makes it easier to extract rich, soft coffee.

The rest is the cups, but a mug doesn't suit truly delicious French coffee. I think a good European coffee cup suits it better. Of course, Japanese Noritake or Okura are also fine.
I like Ginori. It's youthful and gorgeous, and on top of that, some are cheaper than other cups. Cups don't have to be brand new either. There are many used cups available now.

いいなと思ったら応援しよう！

よろしければ応援お願いします！いただいたチップはクリエイターとしての活動費に使わせていただきます！