mahabis gastronomy // japanese slow drip coffee

in our modern pursuit of the perfect cup of coffee we've noticed these sculputuristic contraptions in coffee shops from sydney to san fransico. the contraptions, variations of japanese drip coffee, look like they would be more at home in a science lab or an art gallery than a café.

so could it be sayonara to the old italian expresso and the third wave coffee trend, as the japanese transfer the ancient ideas of patience and ceremony (think green tea rituals) to coffee brewing and add some futuristic aesthetics? 

coffee makers, such as the one above have more control over the quality and character of the bean, taking 1 to 4 hours to brew, depending on the strength of the coffee you want. they can recirculate the coffee from the main brewing vessel giving the coffee further flavour.

there is not one standard coffee maker, from tall machines over a metre in height that line up along the walls of a tokyo coffee den, to Bunsen-burning-like individual drip coffee makers served on the connoisseurs table, like this machine found on the margaret river in rural western australia

blue bottle in san francisco serves bamboo straight from yama glass drip makers to tables

in tokyo, slow drip coffee takes up to eight hours and is most often used in iced coffee. we think the drip coffee makers are unlikely to replace your pre-work italian espresso hit on a weekday morning, but be prepared to see more people brunching on the weekends with these innovative new contraptions.

there is also something incredibly therapeutic about waiting for perfection, curled up in your slippers at home with some good music and a book. turn those devices off and let it drip.

click on the images to find their sources. on the blue bottle coffee website you can find a more detailed account of the types of drip coffee makers available and how to use them.