So I’ve been back from Tokyo for 48 hours or so now, and in that span of time I’ve enjoyed a lovely pot of Stumptown’s new Hondouran Finca El Puente Matilda, a Tanzanian from Batdorf, and the ultimate decadence of a Stumptown’s Panama Esmeralda Especial. I greatly enjoyed the brews served up on the Clover at the WBC and the shots pulled at the WBC Café. I was even able to sample a few signature drinks, so at least during the days of the WBC I had access to a decent amount of terrific coffee.
After the end of the WBC, however, not so much. I had two days to spend exploring Tokyo and the surrounding areas, and it was fantastic, but I ran into a familiar conundrum, is it better to spend your days seeking out great coffee or great sights?
I have access here at home to great coffee pretty much all of the time, but I don’t have access to Tokyo often at all, so yeah, I could have spent my days looking for quality coffee shops. I know a few people during the WBC stumbled upon or sought out Paul Bassett’s café and Zoka Japan, and I know there must be other shops out there doing great stuff, but… most of what I came across was less-than-great.
So my question to you is, what do you do? When you find yourself in a new city without much time on your hands and a lot of things you’d like to do, how important is it to find a great shot or cup, or do you just take what comes your way while you explore?
