Brewing With Tetsu Kasuya
The 2016 World Brewers Cup champion shows us how to make a damn fine cup of coffee
I just want to find something interesting to do that makes me feel good about myself and smile. This is the most important thing for me, to feel fulfilled and, you know, cool.
Thoughts on Life
Whenever times are tough … well, I always try to think that times are tough; it allows me to try that much harder in all things to achieve my goals. I always remember what a previous boss once told me: ‘tough times happen during periods of personal growth.’ I believe this, and so when I do face difficulties, I actually start feeling good and it’s fun. I’ve been told that I’m a stoic man, perhaps because I like doing what I do thoroughly. And when I have options as to which path to take, what helps me choose is to think ‘which one is sounds coolest?’ The choice is usually obvious; the choice becomes difficult if the option you want to take is also difficult. Excuses start popping up, which means, probably, it’s the option you need to choose in the end.
Thoughts on Coffee
The philosophy I hold dearest is that anyone should be able to brew good coffee. I think this comes from my educational and professional experience. I studied finance and worked as an IT consultant, which trained me in logical thinking and ways to consider reproducibility.
When I got into coffee, there was such a focus on the skills and talent of the individual baristas, which left little room for the focus to be on teaching customers to brew good coffee at home. I actually felt bad when customers told me that my coffee was better than the stuff they brewed at home. I know it was a compliment, but I couldn’t fully accept that. When I started competing, my presentation was all about how anyone can learn to brew coffee like I do.
Ever since becoming a barista, I’ve set my goals high. Goals make it easier for me to focus. I wanted to become the Japanese champion, and in making the goal so simple, I could focus and work day by day to achieve it.
The Recipe
HARIO V60 Size 02 is used.
This method of brewing coffee is called the Four-Six Method.
Step 1
Grind 20g of coffee beans coarsely (similar to a French Press). By grinding coarsely, the final cup will be clean and have lingering sweetness.
Step 2
Prepare 300g of hot water at 93C (we’ll be brewing at a 1:15 ratio).
Step 3
Pour 50g of hot water.
For each pour in the Four Six Method, the water should finish drifting down into the decanter in around 45 seconds. Adjust your grind size if the water is dripping faster or slower than 45 seconds for each pour.
Step 4
Pour 70g of hot water.
In steps 3 and 4, 40 per cent of the total amount of water (120g) is used. This affects the acidity and sweetness of the final cup. When the amount of water for the first pour is greater than for the second pour, the final cup has more acidity; the other way around, it has more sweetness.
Step 5
Pour 180g of hot water in three pours of 60g each.
This makes up 60 per cent of the total amount of hot water and decides the strength of the final cup.
Again, it’s important to make sure all water drifts down into the decanter before beginning the next pour. This, together with pouring from sightly higher up and in three pours, agitates the coffee more, ending in a stronger final cup.
Step 6
At 3:30, remove your dripper and serve your delicious coffee.
For video of Tetsu’s performance at the 2016 World Brewers Cup, check this out!
This article first appeared in the original Japanese in Standart Japan Issue 1. Standart is releasing the first ever Standart Japan in mid-march during the Tokyo Coffee Festival. Quarterly published, with the same philospohy, the same identity, the same great articles and design, all composed by the Standart team in-house. Website launching soon!
