Tokyo Explorer

Ichiro Sekiguchi, the owner and founder of the Café L’ Ambre knows a thing or two about coffee. It has been his trade since 1948 when he founded the Café’ L’ Ambre.

According to Mr. Sekiguchi, during the war, the Germans stored good quality coffee beans taken from Indonesia in Japan prior to shipment to Germany. Defeat for Germany meant that a lot of these coffee beans were left behind in Japan.

This resource was made use of and coffee houses began to open, finding eager customers among the occupying American soldiers, as well as their Japanese hosts.

Since that time, most days, except Sunday when the café is closed, the 94-year-old, has roasted the 14 – 19 year old coffee beans in a machine he designed himself. The process is then put in the hands of an assistant, who prepares the coffee in front of the customers. The coffee is ground, put into a cotton flannel bag, hot water is poured onto the ground beans and the coffee is finally poured into scalded porcelain cups before being served.