Coffee Enlightenment

For the start of the day, I went for another run around the Imperial Palace; the same route Chris, Emma, and I ran earlier in the trip. It's only a few blocks from my hotel so I could just run out the door. I was hoping October would be less hot compared to our September run, but it turns out this is one of the hottest Octobers on record for Tokyo. Still a lovely run though.
After that, I wanted a pick-me-up and sought out a specific coffee place recommended to me by my friend Alex (thanks Alex!). It's called Glitch Coffee, and was in the Jimbocho district. The small coffee shop is known for its single source origin pourovers, and is all the rage on r/espresso on Reddit. I went in with somewhat high expectations, and they raised a bit more seeing that my flight of three bean varieties would run me about $30. I asked for recommendations, and got three types; one was a Geisha variety, one a melon flavored Columbian, and one that was whisky barrel processed. The Geisha variety was light and floral with almost a tea like finish that hung around long after. The next was the columbian that smelled almost bad at first; but tasting had this distinct cantaloupe and fruit flavor that paired quite well with the acidic coffee. And lastly... the La Loma. This was an experimental variety where unique bean processing is tried out; in this case they were processed in Whisky barrels. A light whisky taste with vanilla to sweeten and coffee for acidity was the most unique and distinct coffee I've ever had. All three were remarkable, and paired well together, but the La Loma was legitimately a revelation for me on the potential of coffee. My taste buds have been forever rescaled, with Glitch's forbidden nectar comfortably at the top.
After that I wondered around the book store district and eventually wound up at the Asakusa Shrine. There I walked around the shops, my favorite being the fake food models often seen in restaurant store fronts. I went through the shrine itself, and although a louder and more crowded experience than my earlier shrine visits, it's still a beautiful site in the heart of Tokyo.Les mer