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Answerman - How Is Coffee Brewed In Japan?

You've never seen anyone have a frappe coffee or Frappuccino?

s0nicfreak wrote:

You've never seen anyone have a frappe coffee or Frappuccino?

Well...I've never been to Starbucks or any other coffee shop near my vicinity, so...no, never saw anyone drinking either (photos on social media being the exception).

Coffee machines aren't all that common a kitchen appliance outside of the US in general to be honest. It's definitely not just a Japanese thing. Not in the same way that the Japanese do it which results in better coffee though. Most people I know who drink coffee at home just see it as a means to an end, and stick with instant. They still drink nicer coffee from shops when they're out, but I don't know all that many people that brew at home. I'm in the UK by the way.

You could say the same thing about electric kettles being fairly uncommon in US kitchens, but utterly ubiquitous in UK ones. It sounds stereotypical, but it's because we drink a hell of a lot of tea, and we wouldn't wanna be heating water on the stove every time we needed it. Even though I don't drink all that much tea myself, I still couldn't imagine having a kitchen without one, since they can seriously speed up any cookery that requires you to boil water.

Back in the days when online shopping was not as convenient as nowadays, us international students from Asia were quite shocked and surprised to learn that electric water boilers were not a common kitchen appliance in US, and purchasing one (e.g. Zojirushi) would be neither easy nor cheap.

We all grew up drinking hot coffee, tea, chocolate, powdered milk, instant noodles, some types of medicines, plain warm water, etc., by using hot water readily available in those boilers, so we were somewhat bewildered and confused why Americans would design and purchase machines that could only prepare a single type of drink.

I just realized another potentially very significant reason electric coffee machines are not as prolific in Japan is because appliances are often incredibly expensive there, thanks to strict import rules/tariffs. My first summer in Tokyo I bought a regular electric fan, and the least expensive model I could find cost the equivalent of US$ 65. Most were over $100. And no these weren't some technology-loaded smart-fans. They were the kind of fans you'd by at a Wal-Mart in the us for $9.99 or something. So now looking back, I remember what Americans would call "run of the mill" coffee machines at Bic Camera costing something like close to $100. So why bother when the brew-cone from the 100 yen shop does just as good a job right?

Sakagami Tomoyo wrote:

This brings up another question on cultural differences I've always been wondering: why do Americans put cream in their coffee rather than milk?

I've heard this cliche before but, I'm American and I just haven't seen it! Maybe it's common in some parts of America but not others? I've never known an American that actually keeps pure cream in their house. Some people put half and half (half whole milk, half cream) in their coffee but I'd say milk in coffee is way more common. Milk is certainly more common than cream in purchased coffee drinks. "Creamer" is quite common to put in coffee made at home but that's a vegetable oil based thing.

@leafy sea dragon

Nah, non dairy creamer is popular because it is cheap and doesn't spoil as fast as milk. As a result it can be left sitting out where people have a communal coffee pot. I doubt it tastes as good, but against the strength of the coffee flavor it may be hard to notice.

Among the people I know, real cream in coffee has been a luxury ever since homogenized milk became a thing. They still call it coffee with cream since that is what they always did but, as people have mentioned it is usually with milk, half & half or non dairy creamer. I wouldn't be surprised though to find that in areas where the dairy industry is close, people still do use cream.

So there was a time that cream was cheaper than milk? (I know that's the idea behind city chicken, that chicken was once more expensive than pork or beef.)

What are the advantages of electric kettles over the traditional kinds you'd put on the stove? Is it a matter of space and portability?

leafy sea dragon wrote:

What are the advantages of electric kettles over the traditional kinds you'd put on the stove? Is it a matter of space and portability?

They're more convenient -- most people leave them part-filled with water, so all you need to do is press the button -- and they're actually faster than the stove top, because 2.4kW.

leafy sea dragon wrote:

What are the advantages of electric kettles over the traditional kinds you'd put on the stove? Is it a matter of space and portability?

They're more convenient -- most people leave them part-filled with water, so all you need to do is press the button -- and they're actually faster than the stove top, because 2.4kW.

It's not that cream is/was cheaper than milk - it's that separation and homogenization didn't use to be as efficient (and ubiquitous) as it today. (Plus, back then whole milk actually meant whole milk - cream and all.) So when you bought milk, cream was invariably included. If you let it stand a few hours, a layer of cream would rise to the top and could be poured off.

DerekL1963 is correct. Back in the early 1950s my family lived in New Jersey across the road from a dairy farm. We got our milk direct from the cow. It wasn't until the late 1950s when we moved to Pennsylvania that I saw homogenized milk. Until then before you served milk you had to mix the cream back in.

nargun wrote:

leafy sea dragon wrote: What are the advantages of electric kettles over the traditional kinds you'd put on the stove? Is it a matter of space and portability? They're more convenient -- most people leave them part-filled with water, so all you need to do is press the button -- and they're actually faster than the stove top, because 2.4kW.

Or 3kw for fast boil;)
If you time it right you can pop the kettle on at the start of an advert break, go to the loo whilst it's boiling and make it back to the TV for the end of the break with a cuppa.

They're also safer as they shut off automatically once boiled, so no chance of leaving it running long enough to boil dry and cause serious damage.

I don't think I've been in many houses in the UK that didn't have an electric kettle, kettles on the hob tend to be something you see if the owner is really old fashioned, "hip" with an aga type stove, or there is a power cut and you've resorted to camping supplies.
I think most of the electric kettles boil in about 3 minutes if full (usually 1.7-2L about 3 pints) or under a minute if they only have a cup or two of water in them.

So if you're having coffee at home, chances are you're using the pour-over method for brewing.

It's not that they don't function at all, they function but not well enough. Or just well enough for decent coffee, but not quite well enough for decent tea. When my parents - major tea drinkers - were on the US leg of their round-the-world trip a few years ago, they complained greatly about that.

Sakagami Tomoyo wrote:

It's not that they don't function at all, they function but not well enough. Or just well enough for decent coffee, but not quite well enough for decent tea. When my parents - major tea drinkers - were on the US leg of their round-the-world trip a few years ago, they complained greatly about that.

UK outlets have a crazy amperage rating (and they are 220v), so the appliances can be really high-power. You'd need a special plug to run a typical UK electric kettle at full power in the US.