Roughly translated, the Japanese word “kodawari” means a relentless devotion to practicing an art or a craft, where one is sensitive to even the smallest details. It’s the thing that has most surprised Brandon Bishop, Greenberry’s Coffee Co.’s director of franchise operations, about the employees at the local coffee roaster’s new location in Japan.
Greenberry’s café in Takarazuka City in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan, is set to open October 13 just down the street from the Takarazuka Revue, a popular Japanese all-female musical theater troupe—“think Broadway,” Bishop says. Greenberry’s Japan will carry the shop’s core menu (coffees and espresso drinks) but “with certain flavor adjustments made for Japanese customers’ palates.”
Bishop points out that vending machine coffee has reigned supreme in Japan for many years, but the country is moving towards “kodawari” for the art of brewing a delicious cup of joe. American specialty coffee franchises like Blue Bottle Coffee and Verve Coffee Roasters are popping up all over Tokyo, says Bishop. Greenberry’s Japanese franchise partners “are hoping to bring the new wave of coffee shop experience to Japan, creating an environment of customer education in specialty coffee and the home-away-from-home feeling that Greenberry’s has honed over its 25 years.”
Virginia Distillery Co.’s Commonwealth Collection
Looking for a whiskey to sip by the fire through the colder months? The Virginia Distillery Co.’s got you covered with its new Commonwealth Collection. According to the company’s website, each Commonwealth Collection release will feature a different finish by a local Virginia winery, cidery or brewery. The first release, a cider barrel-matured Virginia Highland Malt Whisky, will be available later this month. It features Virginia Highland Malt Whisky cask-finished in Potter’s Craft Cider barrels, promising notes of vanilla, apple and pear. Enthusiasts can get an early dram at a the distillery on October 21 (tickets are required); beginning October 22, the whisky will be for sale at the visitor’s center in Lovingston, and at “very select stores throughout Virginia and D.C.” by late October.
Bold addition
Bold Rock Hard Cider’s fall/winter seasonal flavor is on its way to a refrigerator case near you. On November 1, the cidery will release Bold Rock Blood Orange, its first unfiltered cider, says brand development manager Traci Mierzwa. It’s made from a blend of blood orange juice and locally harvested Blue Ridge apples “featuring the light and refreshing apple cider finish that Bold Rock devotees have come to expect, coupled with the crisp tartness and tangy citrus brightness of blood orange,” according to a press release.
They got our hopes up…
Last week, an article surfaced on breakfast and brunch website Extra Crispy with the headline “The Best Bagels in the World Are in Charlottesville, Virginia.” We agree. But the article got people talking once again about that onetime April Fool’s joke claiming that Bodo’s plans to turn one of its locations into a 24-hour operation. Bodo’s co-owner John Kokola confirms that Bodo’s is not—we repeat, Bodo’s is NOT—planning a 24-hour operation at any of its locations. (We’re bummed about it, too.)
The last last call
After two and a half years brewing and serving beer on West Main Street, C’Ville-ian brewery has closed. This past Saturday, October 8, bartenders hollered the final last call at the nanobrewery that owner Stephen Gibbs had hoped would be, among other things, a gathering place for local military veterans. While operating the brewery has been a “wonderful experience, it’s time for me to move on to other opportunities,” Gibbs says. “I want to say thank you to everyone for their support; it’s been a pleasure serving you.”
E-mail food and drink news to Erin O’Hare at eatdrink@c-ville.com.