CLAMP COFFEE SARASA with Tomonori Kanbara
CLAMP COFFEE SARASA
with Tomonori Kanbara
Coffee in Japan is typically enjoyed as a sit-down activity among friends or colleagues, and not usually a drink to gulp down on your daily commute. As a result, many cafés don’t even open until 10 or 11 in the morning, so you might imagine my pleasant surprise when I spotted a small coffee stand on the sidewalk of a covered side street in Kyoto at only 9:30 in the morning.
I approached the barista in search of more information as he was methodically dialing in beans for the five V60’s before him. He didn’t speak much English, and I unfortunately not much Japanese, but what I gathered was that Clamp Coffee’s shop location opened at 11 am just around the corner and that I should definitely swing by to speak with the owner.
With over an hour to kill, I decided to visit a few nearby temples and castles before making my way back to see the Clamp itself.
Tucked away in what you might refer to as a glorified alley-way, and hidden behind a lovely tangle of lush vines, it took me a few passes to find the front door, but I’m glad I did. Tomonori, owner of Clamp, wasn’t in the shop yet, but the lovely lady behind the counter assured me he’d be in soon and fixed me a wonderful pour-over from 1 of close to 10 origins they had on hand while I waited.
“I was interested in coffee so I started hand roasting. I went to a market to sell beans and pour-overs from my own coffee stand.”
After introductions, Tomonori explained that Sarasa, the local restaurant company, knew that he had his own coffee program going on, called him up one day, and asked him about opening a café. Of course, he was all over it. Sarasa started their first café 30 years ago serving up traditional Japanese-style coffee, and now operates 5 other businesses around Kyoto each with its own theme including set meals, pizzas and pastas, cake baking, and even a café in an old Sento (bath house).
Why “Clamp”?
“I just like Clamps, they’re very functional. And I like the sound of the word.”
How many people work with Clamp?
“We have 5 people working for the shop including the actual coffee stand, and the space here is probably less than 40 square metres.”
Any big future plans and collaborations that you do?
“I’d like to make another coffee stand in Kyoto somewhere, and we plan on doing more market stands to sell beans and coffee including one in Kanagawa in May. Sometimes we also make gift baskets with a flower shop and include a cake made by Sarasa.”
Embodying Kyoto as the cultural capital of Japan, the interior décor consisted of mainly refurbished wood planks, weathered antique items including the clamp itself, and a style of architecture that really puts one in a place to appreciate the history exuded within the city.
FOOTNOTES
Huge thanks to local illustrator Robin Hoshino (pictured left) from Ireland who took the time to meet up and intro me a bit to the rest of the Kyoto coffee scene.