Filter Notes Japan edition

The Friday Edit

Beans, gear and good finds. Every Friday.

Edition No. 08
11 September 2026

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 Japan Friday Edit: Precision in Small Things

Japanese coffee design often gets serious by getting smaller. This week moves from a five-year-warranty brewer to precise manual tools and two inexpensive finishing pieces.

Spotlight

TWINBIRD · Machines

CM-D457 全自動コーヒーメーカー 3-cup

A three-cup grinder-brewer supervised by Café Bach's Mamoru Taguchi, with two brew temperatures and a domestic five-year warranty.

TWINBIRD's CM-D457 pairs a proper flat-burr grinder with temperature-led batch brewing and an unusually strong five-year official-store warranty.

¥41,800

Official TWINBIRD Japan route checked at ¥41,800 with five-year warranty.

Visit TWINBIRD ↗

02 / Fresh coffee 2 bags to know

Beans for the week

A short regional edit of fresh coffees worth brewing now.

ProcessCarbonic maceration

Ethiopia · carbonic

GLITCH COFFEE · Coffee beans

Ethiopia Halo Hartume

Halo Hartume, Ethiopia · Carbonic maceration · Light filter · chocolate, red wine, blackcurrant, round

GLITCH's Halo Hartume turns carbonic maceration toward red wine, blackcurrant and chocolate rather than simple tropical sweetness.

Acacia Hills SL28 — Tanzania by Light Up Coffee

ProcessWashed

Tanzania · honey

Light Up Coffee · Coffee beans

Acacia Hills SL28 — Tanzania

Acacia Hills, Tanzania · Washed · Filter · cherry, grapefruit, honey, Darjeeling tea

Light Up's Acacia Hills SL28 adds a honey-processed East African counterpoint with a rounder fruit structure.

03 / The objects 5 more to know

The gear edit

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

Grinder

Varia · Grinders

Varia EVO Hybrid Grinder

A USB-C rechargeable grinder that switches between electric and hand operation across 140-plus settings.

Varia's EVO hybrid pairs electric speed with a manual fallback, a rare design that remains useful when portability or power becomes the constraint.

Brewer

HARIO · Manual brewing

HARIO V60 NEO Japan Edition

The Japanese-made high-flow V60 NEO through a domestic specialty-coffee route.

HARIO's V60 NEO changes rib geometry and flow behaviour without abandoning the familiar paper and pouring vocabulary.

Kettle

Kalita · Tools & water

SS Kettle 700

A compact 700ml stainless pouring kettle sold through a Japanese roaster.

Kalita's 700ml stainless kettle puts a compact, direct-pour tool between a pouring jug and a full electric gooseneck.

Paper Filter White — 40 Sheets, 2 Cup by KONO

Small find

KONO · Accessories & oddities

Paper Filter White — 40 Sheets, 2 Cup

KONO's inexpensive dedicated paper for its classic cone brewer.

KONO's white papers are the least glamorous item here and one of the most useful: a cheap route to testing the brewer's distinctive drawdown.

Original Kyoto Series Cup — 3 oz Matte by Kurasu

Small find

Kurasu · Accessories & oddities

Original Kyoto Series Cup — 3 oz Matte

A Kyoto-designed, Arita-made cup balancing café durability with a light drinking rim.

Kurasu's 3oz Kyoto cup closes locally with a tactile matte vessel for espresso, macchiato or small tasting pours.

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

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