Starting November 18th, the Isetan Shinjuku Main Store's 6th floor event hall will host "My Cup of Favor," a coffee festival bringing together 11 Japanese coffee brands and three chef chocolatiers. The event will run until November 23rd.
This event fulfills the wishes of coffee lovers who want to "select beans from carefully selected regions," "try out the flavors of professionally brewed coffee," and "find the perfect coffee partner." With the recent trend of people who are particular about origins and varieties, the first event was well-received, leading to an expanded second event.
This year's themes are "Craftsman," where you can enjoy the skills of artisans such as baristas and roasters; "Tenoir," where you can appreciate the appeal of origins, varieties, and producers; and "Café Gourmand," which explores the compatibility of sweets and coffee. The event will feature a variety of content, including demonstrations by barista champions, limited-edition sales of hard-to-find beans, and the introduction of exclusive event-specific sweets.
The lineup of seven "craftsmen" who bring out the charm of coffee includes Hidenori Izaki of Maruyama Coffee, the first Asian to become world barista champion in 2014, and Masahiro Onishi of SWITCH COFFEE TOKYO, who has trained as a barista in Tokyo, Australia, and Fukuoka. This event brings together Japanese baristas and roasters active not only in Japan but around the world. Furthermore, four members of "terroir," including Yoshiaki Kawashima of Micaffeto and Masataka Noshiro of NOZY COFFEE, will be involved in the selection of carefully selected beans, based on the understanding that coffee beans are agricultural products, just like vegetables and fruits.
In recent years, dessert sets that pair coffee with small sweets have been called "café gourmand" in France, and have been gaining attention in the same way as "mariage," a term used in the world of wine and food. In the eat-in space set up for this event, Frederic Cassel, Morita Kazuyori of Libertable, and Yonemura Masayasu of Restaurant Yonemura will come together to offer "café gourmand" that can only be found here, such as dishes made with special vanilla or those that combine seasonal ingredients with a Japanese sensibility. You can enjoy a wide variety of sweets to go with the eight types of Nespresso "Pro Grand Cru" that will be served here. During the event, the specialists who have gathered will be at the storefront to personally serve customers. (Dates and times are limited. Frederic Cassel excluded.)
