Barista Satoshi Kasuya has traveled the world, bringing a breath of fresh air to Japanese coffee culture. In the first part, we talked about his work as a barista and his thoughts on PHILOCOFFEA, while in the second part we talked about the coffee situation around the world as seen by Kasuya, and the challenges facing the Japanese coffee industry.

He will also be giving a lecture on the 4:6 Method, a theory that Kasuya advocates for making delicious coffee for everyone.

Click here for the first part

"Convenience store coffee" has influenced Japan's coffee culture and even increased the value of office coffee

Freshly brewed coffee became available for around 100 yen at convenience stores and fast food chains, and this brought about a major change in Japan's coffee culture. It is said that it all started in 2008 with the launch of "Premium Roast Coffee" by McDonald's Japan. In 2013, Seven-Eleven launched "SEVEN CAFÉ", and before we knew it, the era in which you can get authentic coffee for just 100 yen at any convenience store was firmly established. (Today, a small hot coffee often costs 120-150 yen.)

Kasuya himself has also co-developed counter coffee for FamilyMart's FAMIMA CAFÉ and overseen the "Approved by the World's No. 1 Barista" series of chilled cup coffee.

"When we started our joint development with FamilyMart, the first thing I told them was that rather than making 'coffee that everyone thinks is delicious,' I wanted to convey to the world through FamilyMart what 'delicious coffee' is. I believe that if the coffee is delicious, everyone will definitely accept it," he says.

You might think that FAMIMA CAFÉ's counter coffee would only need to be developed once, but in fact, they change the bean blend and roasting level every year to evolve the flavor.

"We have many convenience stores all over Japan, from Hokkaido to Okinawa. We aim to provide coffee that tastes the same wherever you are in Japan, but the water hardness is different in Hokkaido and Okinawa, so the taste of the coffee changes. There is a limit to the costs we can spend to offer it at around 100 yen, but we have been very particular about it in our own way, such as by installing water purifiers in the coffee machines."

There is probably no other place in the world where you can drink coffee of this quality for just 100 yen. Furthermore, the popularity of convenience store coffee has had a major impact on office coffee as well.

"Daiohs, an office coffee service company, currently uses PHILOCOFFEA beans and we are also developing coffee together. I heard from Daiohs that in the past, it was common for office coffee to cost 10 or 20 yen per cup. However, with the advent of convenience store coffee, it became common for a cup of coffee to cost 100 yen, which made it possible to increase the cost of office coffee."

Looking back, office coffee 20 or 30 years ago was by no means delicious, but nowadays it is possible to enjoy coffee that tastes just as good as what you get at a cafe. It could be said that convenience store coffee has made a big contribution to the Japanese people's growing awareness of coffee and their commitment to taste.

Coffee preferences vary widely around the world, so it makes sense to visit cafes around the world.

Kasuya was the first Asian to win the World Brewers Cup in 2016, and due to his achievements in proposing the 4:6 Method, a theory that allows anyone to brew delicious coffee, he is still in demand around the world to give seminars and coach top baristas.

"Coffee preferences are completely different around the world. At the root of this are differences in food culture, customs, and climate. These differences also affect coaching. I have no problem coaching at Japan or world championships, but it's difficult if I want someone to win a national championship in Thailand, for example. At world championships, there is a global calibration (evaluation standard) and the judging is at a world level, so I can see the path to winning, but when it comes to country specific calibrations, I don't really know what that country's calibration is. It's not easy to understand the tastes of that country."

So how do global cafe chains decide on the flavor of their drinks?

"For example, an American cafe chain with many stores in Japan has specialist departments in each country that determine recipes for each country based on marketing research tailored to the target zone. In other words, they sell different blends and roast levels depending on the country."

I was shocked to learn that this was the case, but I wonder if the average person would be able to notice the subtle difference in taste. I would like everyone to try it out for themselves the next time they travel abroad.

The risk that a decline in Japan's national power will lead to a decline in the taste of Japanese coffee

Japan's coffee culture began in coffee shops and has steadily evolved, with the rise of convenience store coffee, take-out stand cafes, and global cafe chains. But Kasuya says he worries about the future of Japan's coffee industry.

"Currently, the purchase price of coffee beans is skyrocketing due to the weak yen and high crude oil prices. But what's even more worrying is the decline in Japan's national power. Even if there are good coffee beans, if the coffee farmers don't want to sell them to Japan, they won't come into Japan. If the national power declines, it will even seem a waste to sell good beans to Japan. If that happens, poor quality coffee beans will gradually start to circulate, and the quality of Japanese coffee will surely decline. I think foreign tourists will stop going to coffee shops in Japan."

To make matters worse, he says that the declining population caused by a declining birthrate and aging population will surely shrink the coffee market.

"I feel like many people working in the coffee industry in Japan only have their eyes on the Japanese market. If we don't take a more global view, we'll continue to shrink. While it's important to know how to make delicious coffee, I think it's time to start thinking about it from the perspective of the Japanese coffee business."

It seems that there are many people who share the same perspective as Kasuya, but he also feels frustrated that there is a limit to what one person can communicate. One of his activities is posting on YouTube, and he continues to work by sharing in his own words what he can say and feel as a world traveler.

Finally, I asked Kasuya what he enjoys outside of work.

"I wonder. Regardless of whether you can do it or not, work is the easiest way to get a sense of accomplishment. You can immediately sense your success or failure. Maybe that's why I escape into work."

For those who have never tried PHILOCOFFEA coffee, we encourage you to try the coffee brewed from beans selected and roasted by Kasuya. We are sure that a new world of coffee will open up for you.

"4:6 Method"

A hand drip method in which the total amount of hot water used is divided into 40% and 60%, and the taste and strength are adjusted for each.

(Titles omitted)

Text by Yuko Taniguchi
Photography by Hidehiro Yamada