When I travel to Japan, I especially love old-fashioned cafes. I love their dedication, their purity, and how everyone who walks in has only coffee as their purpose. During a recent trip to Japan, I made a special visit to this 70-year-old establishment in Ginza, Tokyo, "Japan's first specialty coffee shop," for a pilgrimage. Opening the cafe door, the dim, warm lighting was like stepping into a time tunnel. The decor, utensils, and even the coffee brewing methods in the shop remain exactly as they were, repeating yesterday into today, preserving Mr. Sekiguchi's dedication to coffee bit by bit. The historical aroma of coffee fills the air, more precious than museum exhibits.
Mr. Ichiro Sekiguchi founded Cafe de L'ambre in 1948. He held a revered status as a national treasure in the Japanese coffee world and passed away in 2018 at the age of 103. Though he is gone, the coffee's warmth remains. The aroma persists, people come and go, chatting casually. One of Cafe de L'ambre's specialties is "aged coffee beans," with some beans in the shop being up to 40 years old. Mr. Sekiguchi once said that aged coffee beans are like aged wine; with time, their flavor becomes more mature and mellow. The signature coffee, "Amber Queen," is made by chilling coffee with sugar and caramel, pouring it into a tall champagne glass, and then slowly adding unsweetened condensed milk. Drink it without stirring to experience the layers of flavor. Watching the barista pour water in circles, my mind follows the center, feeling very relaxed.
