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Tokyo · Japan

Bear Pond Espresso

Since 2009 · Katsuyuki Tanaka

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Overview

Bear Pond was opened in April 2009 by Katsuyuki 'Katsu' Tanaka in Shimokitazawa, Tokyo, after roughly eighteen years living and working in coffee in New York. The shop is famous for the Angel Stain — a syrupy, sub-half-ounce ristretto pulled to leave streaks on the inside of the cup — capped at ten shots a day and served only until 1pm. Tanaka is the only person who touches the La Marzocco FB80 espresso machine, and the no-photos policy is as strict as the brewing rules.

Known for

  • Signature 'Angel Stain' ristretto — capped at ~10 shots per day, served until 1pm only
  • Owner Katsuyuki Tanaka is the only person allowed to pull espresso shots
  • 'Dirty' (cold milk topped with double espresso) — a Bear Pond original now copied worldwide
  • Spent ~18 years in New York coffee before opening in Tokyo in 2009
  • Strict no-photos policy and short morning espresso window — defining austerity of Japanese specialty café culture

Why it matters

Bear Pond is the definitive expression of Japanese single-craftsman café culture applied to specialty espresso. Where the rest of the world treats ristretto as one option on a menu, Tanaka treats it as a temple ritual — and the side effects (the Dirty, the angel-stain visual cue, the 10-cups-a-day scarcity) became templates that Tokyo, Hong Kong, Seoul and Melbourne all copied.

Production

destoning
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head roaster
Katsuyuki Tanaka
color sorting
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roaster machine
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filter equipment
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cupping frequency
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roastery location
Tokyo, Japan
espresso equipment
La Marzocco FB80
annual volume tonnes
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Café

2-36-12 Kitazawa, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 155-0031

Recognitions

  • Featured in Condé Nast Traveler and Asahi Shimbun
  • Cult-classic status in international specialty press (Sprudge, A Life Worth Eating, Metropolis)

Sources

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