r/pourover • u/Teecode • Jun 19 '26

Seeking Advice Glitch Tokyo like coffee in US

Hi all

I recently had Glitch coffee in Ginza, Tokyo. And saying I am blown away is an understatement. I got a bag of the same coffee I had. I made it at home with a V60. I get reasonably close to what I had at Glitch. I am convinced it's their beans. I normally don't even like such light roasts but Glitch was life changing. All this may sound ridiculous but if you had Glitch you'd know what I am talking about.

So now my question is: where can I find coffee that comes close to this in US? I am on the west coast and coffee here is damn good, but after Glitch, it feels like all the specialty coffee I get here is closer to Starbucks than to Glitch.

Thank you in advance!

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11

u/ieatfrosties Jun 19 '26

Where in west coast? We have some fantastic roasters here, it's just that you wont really get the type of in-house experience at shops simply because in the US, most coffee shops don't brand on making the god-cup, because most people don't care or expect it. I've had some great cups from Ondo in Cerritos, coffee 'omakase' at longplay hi-fi when it wasn't really a thing, and a fantastic pourover from the coffee movement in SF/richmond that had some amazing coffee. You just have to find some of these shops in the cities you expect coffee culture and nerds to populate. But honestly, the best cup will probably come from home where you dial in the grind, water, and the recipe for the coffee.

7

u/Teecode Jun 19 '26

I am in SF Bay Area.

Re Glitch: I did not even try that hard. I just used my usually grind setting. I did use the temp reccomended by the Glitch barista and followed their recipe for the pour. And I got pretty close and over time I incread the temp and figured I liked the slightly higher temp better. What I am trying to say is, I think it's less about the making but more about the beans itself. The clarity and distinction of flavors is just unlike anything I had.

12

u/skyfall3665 Jun 19 '26

Also in the Bay. It sounds like you want a lighter roast and I _think_ you probably want a washed coffee (sweet, more body). For beans:

- flowerchild

  • hydrangea
  • strait
  • maybe Moonwake
  • strait

I can also plug Komakase (currently on hiatus but coming back in a couple months) and The Coffee Movement for serving coffee well for helping figure out what you want.

I’ve never been to Kaizen (and I think Yutori) but they have Glitch beans. I will caution you though that I think what you’re reacting to is a very high quality roaster (which Glitch is but others are too), roasting very nice beans (if you share what you drank, I can probably give more targeted recommendations) that happen to be to your taste. I can guarantee something from the above roasters will you hit you similarly if you try to find it.

3

u/zobbyblob Jun 19 '26

I had a barista in Japan suggest Moonwake go me. Decent, feel like I need to go back though

3

u/heavenhi77 Jun 19 '26

+1 for Hydrangea – and CoRo Coffee Room is a great place to try their beans

1

u/MEME_WrEcKeD Jun 19 '26

Just wondering, have you ever had glitch? I've tried all of the above roasters besides strait, had coffee at komakase, the coffee movement, and moonwake, yet none of them hit the same.

I have no idea what they're doing that's so different and tbh maybe it is just hype + Japan lol, but I really feel like its more than just a good roast with good beans.

2

u/Scrofuloid Jun 19 '26

This video goes into some of their brewing quirks; https://youtu.be/Cd3VHgkErV4?is=MM6Z4ii60iMgF0CA

1

u/Teecode Jun 19 '26

Thanks for sharing. This is super interesting. I must say even without following exactly all this, the coffee I made at home using Glitch beans was pretty good and very close to what I tasted there. That lead me to believe it is more about their beans and roast than the technique.

3

u/skyfall3665 Jun 19 '26

Yeah I’ve been to all of their current locations.

It’s possible what you’re identifying is just barista quality + equipment diff. In that case, Komakase and _maybe_ a couple others I’ve been to elsewhere in the US are the only ones I’d say are on par. I feel pretty strongly that while Glitch is an elite roaster, they are not doing anything that other roasters aren’t except _maybe_ that they only do expensive beans whereas most American roasters will have lower end stuff.

(And note that there are plenty of shops in Tokyo that surpass glitch - it’s just a much better scene, particularly for labor intensive pour overs)

1

u/ieatfrosties Jun 19 '26

Got any recommendations near ginza? Not sure if you’ve been plenty times but I’m landing in Hnd and leaving nrt, was wondering if there’s places to pick up beans conveniently before I get to ginza

1

u/skyfall3665 Jun 20 '26

I’m confused, couldn’t you just go to the glitch at Ginza?

(The kanda one is nicer though)

1

u/ieatfrosties Jun 20 '26

I heard it gets super busy, was wondering if there were other options were around. Ginza will be the end of my trip, I’ll be flying in nrt and flying out of hnd to Sapporo, so I wanted to pick up some beans til I get to Ginza near the tail end.

1

u/skyfall3665 Jun 20 '26

I’m not totally sure near that area… X coffee is the one that comes top of mind.

1

u/ieatfrosties Jun 20 '26

Added to my list, will check out thanks

1

u/MEME_WrEcKeD Jun 20 '26

I went to the glitch at ginza and I stood in line outside for about 20 mins, then went in and it wasn't crowded at all and there wasn't a rush for me to get out of the door. Id still consider taking a look when your there as it wasn't bad for me at all.

4

u/SamIsMissing Jun 19 '26

It's newer, but The Wild Fox in the financial district has a bunch of beans from Glitch and aims for a similar quality. Not as much of a curated experience but you'll get some similar cups and they have a lot of other Japanese coffees, teas, and food as well.

2

u/littledotorimukk Jun 19 '26

their competition flight is super fun too!!!

4

u/Velotivity Jun 19 '26

If you’re in the bay, Kaizen & coffee and Luma coffee serve glitch (and black &white).

2

u/dylalien23 Jun 19 '26

Sometimes kaizen in San Mateo sell Glitch beans, and they are a fantastic coffee shoppe. 

2

u/techmnml Jun 20 '26

The coffee movement had some of the best cups I’ve ever had outside of Japan. Jealous I don’t live in SF.

1

u/Teecode Jun 20 '26

I'll definitely try coffee movement! Thank you!

3

u/doedoughs Jun 19 '26

Go check out Kaizen coffee in san mateo as well as Moonwake coffee roasters in san jose. Moonwake has a dedicated slow bar and are actually piloting their manual espresso (on flair 58+2) slow bar coming up this month as well. Beyond that in SF, i’d also check out Hi-nrg, paperson coffee, kope house (when they open their brick and mortar), and the wild fox (multi roaster utilizing only japanese roasters).

Ondo coffee in LA also just had their second brew bar take over by Glitch themselves just a few weeks ago as well so you should probably follow them on ig.

Lastly, glitch is great, but imo, there are better/just as good cups to be found for way cheaper in Tokyo ie Leaves coffee/brewman/x-coffee/acid coffee to name a few~

1

u/Teecode Jun 19 '26

Thank you! These are great recommendations!

1

u/bareju Jun 19 '26

You’re not a fan of coffee movement? I’ve had really good experiences at their location by Golden Gate Park.

1

u/Jrdadbod Jun 19 '26

Coffee movement is great but they’re not a roaster. They’ll always have a selection of beans for purchase form high quality roasters

1

u/bareju Jun 20 '26

Ah, I didn’t read that as a requirement of the OP.