A little job request
changed my life dramatically.

• Nakatsuka

  Congratulations for you to achieve the two crowns! To the best of my recollection, it is the first in history so it is become a topic in our coffee world.

• Hatakeyama

  To be honest, besides the JHDC and JBrC, I also attended the JCTC (Japan Cup Tasters Championship). I really wanted to achieve the three crowns but cannot…

• Nakatsuka

  First of all, please let me know how you met with coffee?

• Hatakeyama

  I used to work as a company employee, but for some reason I quitted my job once and intentionally made time to do nothing; I spent almost all my time in home. One day, I was asked to go to one coffee shop to buy coffee where my parents love to go, at that time I never dreamed this opportunity became the beginning for me to meet a real coffee!
  I became more and more interested in coffee itself while visiting the roaster many times and having talks with them. Though I was still a layman about coffee, but I felt the taste and the quality of the coffee served by them was clearly different from normal coffee on the market. I really like delicious food and beverage so I thought I already knew what the deliciousness is, but the taste was very shocking to me. Then I knew first that coffee is really profound. After that I started to brew hand-drip coffee by myself, then I become to like coffee more and more.
  On one occasion, the café owner told me about their new shop and invited me to join them. This was my first chance to enter in this coffee world.

• Nakatsuka

  I was not so interested in coffee either when I was a student, so what I always ordered at café was a mixed juice, hahaha...
  But since about ten years ago, a higher quality coffee named Specialty coffee has become popular in Japan. Though I was already in the coffee world at that time, but I knew the real coffee first after meeting with the Specialty coffee.

• Hatakeyama

  At the start, I thought just to have a look-in but deeper I engaged in coffee, the more I came to pursue a better taste. Even now, I cannot forget the amazing taste when I first tried one top-level coffee.
  Around that time, I was also crazy about shoe polishing… If you buy top-level shoes, it may need hundreds of thousands of yen. However, in case of coffee, even if it is the best grade coffee, you can buy it with tens of thousands of yen per 100g. In view of pricing also, coffee has a power to attract me.
  Like this, I got absorbed more and more in coffee and continue to pursue my best coffee.

• Nakatsuka

  Since got my present job, I always think “with what kind of coffee equipment everyone can enjoy coffee at home easily?”, and at last I got it! We launched our own brand “CAFEC” three years ago. The CAFEC is the crown of my dream.
  By the way, you do not have your own shop. You have any special reason for that?

• Hatakeyama

  I am selling my roasted beans to consumers on net, and also wholesale to companies only when required. I do not brew coffee at any shop. To continue one thing is foreign to my nature, so I prefer to roast beans as a freelance roaster rather than staying in a shop whole day. It is my way to take part in coffee without any pressure.

• Nakatsuka

  How you spend a day usually?

• Hatakeyama

  I am always thinking about coffee only, hahaha…
  Get up in the morning, I brew my coffee first of all. My breakfast is coffee only. I use different beans every time; my own roasted beans or other beans … for my study, sometimes I buy roasted beans from other roasters.
  I enjoy coffee all day according to my feeling, such as, light roasted coffee in the morning, and medium-dark roasted coffee in the evening.

Seized glory
after fighting for three years.

• Nakatsuka

  It was the brilliant feat to win the two cups both at JBrC and JHDC! The JHDC is the competition of paper brewing and the JBrC is the one that each player competes his/her brewing skill by using self-selected dripper. Why you thought to attend both competitions?

• Hatakeyama

  It may not be good to say so, but I thought I might get a chance if I attend many competitions… First, I thought that, attended all the competitions that I could try.

• Nakatsuka

  You also got the 3rd award at JCTC too.

• Hatakeyama

  Tasting skill is also needed for brewing; I think all skill is for one cup of delicious coffee. As I told you, my goal is to make my best coffee by myself, in order to achieve it, I think I need to be almighty. This was the reason I decided to attend all competitions, and as a result I was lucky to win awards of all skill.

• Nakatsuka

  It cannot be “by happen” to be Japan champions.

• Hatakeyama

  To tell the truth, I attended the three competitions two years ago. At that time, I won the second award at JCTC, the third award at JBrC and the eighth award at JHDC. I cleared all preliminary though I could not be champions. In 2018, I might lose my sharpness, maybe? I failed all competitions! This year, in order to be champions, I well prepared to go into the competitions.

• Nakatsuka

  The competitions have many rules such as limited time and failure points, so you cannot be a higher-ranking winner if you do not practice over and over according to the rules. No one can be a champion without any effort.How you did training for the competitions?

• Hatakeyama

  Not only to put the rules and timing of deduction and adding points into my mind, I think only who succeed to understand well the answer to “Why the rules are needed for the competitions?” can be a champion so I thought it is most important to understand well the real nature of the rules. After knowing it, I just practiced over and over to brew out my best coffee within the limited time.

• Nakatsuka

  At the competitions, though almost all players use a single-origin coffee bean but you used the blended coffee. Why you selected the blended coffee?

• Hatakeyama

  The purification process of coffee beans is roughly divided into “Natural” and “Washed”. The coffee beans processed by natural have a characteristic flavor, but I prefer washed better than natural. Though I looked for a washed bean but it has no characteristic and complicated smell because it does not pass the fermentation process; that is, concerning to the point where to say strongness and complex, it may not win against a natural bean. Some judges may evaluate the taste negatively as “Frat” for washed beans. I did try and error to find out an answer then I thought of one good idea to make well-balanced washed coffee beans by mixing two different character’s beans. The single origin beans have the taste of the bean itself, but the taste of my original blended-coffee can be made only by me; it might be one of the obvious merits for me because I have thought if I could make the only one taste, so I decided to use blended beans. However, honestly speaking, I was scared because very little players have used a blended coffee so far.

• Nakatsuka

  I see. By the way, I really appreciate you used our CAFEC paper filter and dripper at JHDC and CAFEC paper filter at JBrC. How you think about our products?

• Hatakeyama

  Because the material and the shape of CAFEC products are very good to me, and I could brew out my best taste with the CAFEC products, so I decided to use them this time. But after talking with you, Mr. Nakatsuka, I know well your passion and strong preference to coffee then I became to be more deeply attracted to the CAFEC products; I feel “I knew it!”

• Nakatsuka

  You knew what?

• Hatakeyama

  In fact, I think there is little equipment which is made with deep thought. But the CAFEC equipment is well-made on ribs’ shape and length, paper material etc. It is really easy to use for me. First, I just thought “it might be made with some thoughts” but after using them many times I found they are really easy to use. Why they are so user-friendly? I studied the details and found some different parts from other products. Then I believe firmly that the CAFEC products are made fussing over details, and more, after knowing the background of CAFEC and Mr. Nakatsuka, I understand well as “I knew it!”.

• Nakatsuka

  Thank you so much. I guess you have used various kinds of coffee equipment. You think the taste of coffee may be different depends on what equipment you use?

• Hatakeyama

  The taste of coffee changes also by brewing way. As for the CAFEC equipment, it is very easy for me to control brewing.

• Nakatsuka

  We have pursued for “an equipment with which everyone can brew good taste of coffee easily” for long time, so I have unwavering confidence that our products have outstanding features on usability. Since the launch of CAFEC three years ago, our products have become popular little by little and have sponsored equipment for the competitions, but you are the first man who won the cups with our CAFEC products. It added my happiness!How did you feel when you won the two cups?

• Hatakeyama

  From now on, I need to behave as a champion and I think my influence of remark will become bigger than before. And more, I have to contribute to diffusion of coffee culture and industry. What big thing for me is to challenge to World Brewers Cup. As you know, only one Japan champion can attend the competition, so I feel much pressure to attend it as Japanese representative.

• Nakatsuka

  You have to do presentation in English at the World Brewers Cup; to explain all things how the goodness of beans, of equipment, of taste in English. Unless to say, you must study English hard, but what other things you are preparing for?

• Hatakeyama

  The Brewers Cup has two kinds of competitions; one using same coffee bean which is provided at that day, and another one doing presentation with the coffee bean carried in by me. To know how utilize the provided bean to maximum, what I can do is to practice only. But as for my selected beans, I want to select best bean by consulting with coffee farmers.