Filter Notes Japan edition

The Friday Edit

Beans, gear and good finds. Every Friday.

Friday Edit No. 05 · Japan
21 August 2026
Read the cup

Shopping region

Local availability, prices and fresh coffee sources.

The Friday Edit

Excellent beans. Interesting objects. Once a week.

The new regional edit, every Friday. Nothing else.

01 / The cover story Object of the week

The Friday Edit Japan — Read the cup

A domestic-only grinder and brewer lead a Japan-first edit of flow-conscious drippers, two washed terroir signals, and two small Kurasu-sourced local finds.

Spotlight

Kalita · Grinders

NEXT G2 (KAK)

A Japanese electric grinder with Kalita's vertically arranged cut burrs and a compact domestic footprint.

A Japan-only grinder whose controlled motor and static-reduction system aim to make the dose cleaner and more repeatable.

¥77,000

In stock on Kalita's official Japanese shop with an approximately two-week delivery estimate; checked 14 Aug 2026.

Visit Kalita ↗

02 / Fresh coffee 2 bags to know

Beans for the week

A short regional edit of fresh coffees worth brewing now.

Coffee

Raw Sugar Roast · Coffee beans

Kenya Gachika

Gachika, Gatundu, Kiambu, Kenya · 1,898m · Washed · Light · plum, semi-dried tomato, orange, molasses, herbal

A savoury-fruited washed Kiambu lot that makes the week's Japan pair a terroir comparison, not a processing trick.

Ethiopia Tamiru Tadesse Bona Zuria by Raw Sugar Roast

Coffee

Raw Sugar Roast · Coffee beans

Ethiopia Tamiru Tadesse Bona Zuria

Bona Zuria, Bensa, Sidama, Ethiopia · 2,280–2,380m · Washed · Light · jasmine, orange, white grape, plum, lemon candy

Tamiru Tadesse's very high-grown washed 74158 shifts the signal from Kenya's savoury fruit to florals, white grape and lemon candy.

03 / The objects 5 more to know

The gear edit

The objects making brewing more precise, more enjoyable or simply better looking.

Gear

BALMUDA · Machines

BALMUDA The Brew

A Japanese automatic brewer that separates bypass water and extraction water to shape strength and temperature.

Its open-drip method and timed temperature control make the machine's pour sequence visible rather than hidden in a box.

Gear

TORCH · Manual brewing

Mountain Dripper

A Japanese porcelain brewer with a beech holder that accepts several common filter geometries.

The revised star-shaped base regulates airflow, turning a beautiful simple object into a practical flow experiment.

Gear

Cafec · Manual brewing

Flower Dripper Deep 27

A narrow deep-cone Japanese brewer designed for small, focused filter servings.

A narrow, deep bed exaggerates the relationship between pour rate and contact time in a useful one-cup format.

Small find

TORCH · Accessories & oddities

Coffee Bean Keyring

A small Japanese coffee-bean keyring sold through Kurasu's domestic route.

A locally designed piece of coffee-company-adjacent swag with more character than another logo sticker.

Small find

Cafec · Accessories & oddities

Deep 27 Abaca+ Filters

The useful replacement part that makes the Deep 27 pick immediately practical rather than aspirational.

The useful replacement part that makes the Deep 27 pick immediately practical rather than aspirational.

Editorially selected, never paid placement. Prices and availability can change; affiliate links are always disclosed.

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