Japanese Coffee

I didn't start drinking coffee until I was a junior in college, studying abroad in Italy. Once I had my first cappuccino (and espresso), I got it. When I came back home, I stopped altogether. Obvs! I mean, how could I drink the crap served in American restaurants when I had just had the elixir of the gods? Since then I have had an on-again off-again relationship with coffee. I still really like it, but drink much less than I used to because it triggered headaches for me. (Yes, the coffee triggered them, not the withdrawl.) I once went cold turkey and my headaches went away entirely. Now I try to drink decaf or just wait until I can get a really good cup of coffee and take my chances. That's why I was excited to get the...



What is the Dripper V60 you ask? (Watch this video!) It's apparently the only way to make proper coffee in Japan. (Wait. They drink coffee in Japan?) My friend Sonja brought back my very own V60 drip coffee vessel from Tokyo and I just tried it out. Sadly I realized that I probably didn't do it exactly right after comparing my experience to the numerous You Tube videos available for reference. (Should have checked those out first!) I had a hard time pouring the boiling water, taking pictures, not causing 3rd degree burns on my person, yet still trying to get the coffee to do the right thing...like make it "bloom!"

Aside from not having a kettle with the perfect spout, I also think that my grounds were not quite the right texture. Need to work on that. My cup of coffee was still delicious though! I actually turned it into a latte, so that might not be exactly proper, but it was fabulous. If anyone has any tips, please feel free to share. I am going to try to perfect my technique over the holidays and I think I need all the help I can get!