Glitch Coffee & Roasters

The Glitch Coffee & Roasters logo from the wall next to the roaster.If you take a look at my coffee map of Tokyo, you’ll see that it’s strongly focused on Shibuya, Omotesandō and Aoyama, where I’ve spent most of my time, usually for work. Today’s Coffee Spot, Glitch Coffee & Roasters, is, in that sense, unusual. A well-established roastery/coffee shop, it’s located in Jimbōchō, just to the north of the Imperial Palace gardens, with a recently-opened second location, Glitch Coffee Brewed, in the Nine Hours capsule hotel in Akasaka.

Like many of Tokyo’s speciality coffee shop/roasters, Glitch Coffee & Roasters is a pretty small affair, with the roaster, a 5kg Probat, in the actual coffee shop on the right-hand side, in full view of the customers. Although a pair of single-origins are available on espresso, the focus is firmly on pour-over, where a further selection of single-origins (typically five or six) are available through the V60. All the beans are, naturally, available in retail bags, with Glitch specialising in light roasts.

Of particular interest to me were the tasting flights, where you can try two or three of the single-origin pour-overs (chosen by Glitch) side-by-side. A recent addition is the Geisha tasting flight, where you can compare two Geishas, again as pour-overs.

You can read more of my thoughts after the gallery, where the photos are from my 2018 visit unless otherwise stated.

  • Glitch Coffee & Roasters, seen from the other side of Chiyoda-dori in Jimbōchō.
  • Glitch, with the roaster off to the right, coffee shop in the middle, and to the left...
  • ... this recessed outdoor seating/smoking area.
  • There's not a great deal of space, but it is sheltered from the elements.
  • Unusually for Tokyo, there's a takeaway window on the left...
  • ... with the menu hanging on the wall.
  • The view in through the window, which looks right into the counter.
  • Stepping inside, and the Glitch logo is on the threshold.
  • The counter, with its row of V60s and coffee beans in jars, is opposite the door.
  • To the left of the door, there's a cocktail table and a pair of stools in the window...
  • ... beyond which is a set of retail shelves, with the menu and till in the right-hand corner.
  • The counter, by the way, extends into the space to the left by the takeaway window...
  • ... and also extends around to the right...
  • ... where you'll find further seating in the shape of more round stools.
  • When I returned in 2019, there were four stools down the side of the counter.
  • To the right of the door is a window-bar, which had two stools in 2018...
  • ... while there's a single bench outside in front of the window.
  • There's more seating in the centre of Glitch, between counter and roaster.
  • There's a bench with two one/two person tables along the back wall (seen here in 2019).
  • The view (in 2019) looking across the communal table to the window-bar beyond.
  • The remainder of the space on the right-hand side is the domain of the roaster...
  • ... although when the roaster's not in use, this table is available as additional seating.
  • The roaster, a 5kg Probat, seen here from the front...
  • ... and seen here from side on, with the green bean store at the back.
  • When I returned last weekend, the roaster was in action, which was nice to see.
  • The Glitch logo is on the wall at the front of the roastery section.
  • Obligatory light-fitting shot: these five lamps hang in the centre of the space.
  • Meanwhile, these are over the counter...
  • ... and I found this one in the bathroom.
  • To business. You order at the counter, at the till in the corner on the left.
  • There's a selection of cakes over here, along with a menu...
  • ... listing the various options, dominated by the tasting flights.
  • The espresso side of the operation is down the right-hand side of the counter.
  • There are a pair of single-origins on espresso: these are from my 2018 visit...
  • ... with a Brazilian on the Mazzer...
  • ... and an Ethiopian on the Mythos 1.
  • However, I was drawn to the filter tasting flights. I had these three on my 2018 visit...
  • ... and these three on my return last weekend, when Glitch had found some bigger trays.
  • I also had a sticky walnut and raisin cinnamon bun on my first visit...
  • ... which was served in a filter paper!
  • Finally, before leaving on my first visit, I swapped a copy of my book for a bag of coffee.
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I learnt of Glitch Coffee & Roasters from a tip-off from Adam Williams, but it was my visit to Lattest during my visit to Tokyo as part of my around the world trip at the end of last year that prompted me to go. Lattest’s manager, Yumi, told me that she roasted Lattest’s coffee on the roaster in Glitch, which piqued my interest (although Lattest now has its own dedicated roastery).

Glitch is on Chiyoda-dori, a main north-south route through Jimbōchō. Standing on a corner on the east side of the street, it’s on the ground floor, occupying a fairly small space, twice as long as it is deep. Facing Chiyoda-dori, the coffee shop is between two thick, concrete pillars, its front all glass, while you can clearly see the Probat roaster through a smaller set of windows to the right of the second pillar.

There’s a sliding door, opening to the left, on the left-hand side, and a large single window on the right, with a long wooden bench outside on the pavement. There’s a small outdoor seating/smoking area to the left, where the side of the building is at 120° to the front, rather than the usual 90°, leaving a small, recessed triangular area with a short bench and stool. In another unusual feature for Japan, Glitch has a takeaway window here, which opens directly onto the counter.

Inside, the counter is at the back on the left, occupying the space directly opposite the door, extending into the additional space to the left. A set of six V60s on beautiful, iron stands, is at the front of the counter, facing the door, while the La Marzocco Linea espresso machine is down the right-hand side.

A cocktail table and two high, round stools occupy the window to the left of the door. Beyond this, a window fills the space along the side of Glitch, housing a set of retail shelves, with the cakes on the top. You order here, at an awkwardly-positioned till on the corner of the counter, then you take a seat.

The majority of the seating is in the middle, between the counter and roaster, starting with a three-person window-bar to the right of the door. Behind that, in the middle of the room, two rectangular tables have been pushed together to form a single, six-person communal table. There are two more one/two-person tables in front of a bench running along the back wall, while if you want to watch the pour-over being made, try to get one of the four stools in front of the espresso machine down the right-hand side of the counter.

The roaster is mostly in action at the weekends, when the right-hand third of the space is off limits (although there’s no physical separation between it and the rest of the coffee shop). However, when it’s not in use, the four-person round table in the window can be used for additional seating.

I visited twice, once in October 2018, when I was in Tokyo at the end of my around the world trip, and again in September 2019, at the end of the first of this year’s two trips to Japan. Both times I indulged in the tasting flights and, for once, I made extensive notes. So, just as I did with Maruyama Single Origin, where I wrote up my coffee experiences in a separate post, I’ve done the same with Glitch.

All I’ll say here was that on both occasions, the coffee was awesome, some of the best I’ve tasted. And I had an excellent sticky (but not too sticky) walnut and raisin cinnamon bun on my first visit.

3-16 KANDA NISHIKICHO • CHIYODA-KU • TOKYO • 101-0054 • JAPAN
http://glitchcoffee.com +81 (0)3-5244-5458
Monday 07:30 – 20:00 Roaster Glitch Coffee (espresso + filter)
Tuesday 07:30 – 20:00 Seating Tables, Counter, Window-bar; Stools (outside)
Wednesday 07:30 – 20:00 Food Cake
Thursday 07:30 – 20:00 Service Order at Counter
Friday 07:30 – 20:00 Payment Cards + Cash
Saturday 09:00 – 19:00 Wifi Free
Sunday 09:00 – 19:00 Power Limited
Chain Local Visits 19th October 2018, 14th September 2019

If you liked this Coffee Spot, then check out the rest of Tokyo’s speciality coffee scene with the Coffee Spot Guide to Tokyo.


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2 thoughts on “Glitch Coffee & Roasters

  1. Pingback: Tasting Flights at Glitch Coffee | Brian's Coffee Spot

  2. Pingback: Glitch Coffee Brewed @ 9h | Brian's Coffee Spot

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