Rei Nakazawa, the owner and roaster of Cafe Claudia, a coffee shop located about a 15-minute walk from Odawara Station, won Geisha category of the 2024 Panama Coffee Roasting Competition (PCRC). Nakazawa, who serves Panama Geisha coffee from CROWD ROASTER in the regional city of Odawara, talked to us about his thoughts on coffee, his approach to it, and his current efforts.

"You can't make new discoveries or grow unless you get out there," says Nakazawa. He says that a major turning point in his 11 years of coffee experience was when he obtained the Q Grader certification, an international coffee appraiser qualification.

"At first, it was a classic coffee shop that mainly served medium-dark and dark roasts. But I felt something was missing and I wanted to learn more. When you're running a shop, you don't have many opportunities to Manabu ."

To improve his skills, he took the international coffee appraiser Q Grader certification, which allowed him to further hone his roasting and cupping techniques and evaluate coffee tastes more objectively.

"Since I became a Q Grader, my respect for coffee makers has increased. I became a 'roasting champion,' but roasting is all about the beans."

We have also obtained the Q grader for Robusta, which is still rare in the coffee industry.

"I felt that studying to become a Q grader was worthwhile, and since someone recommended it to me, I decided to take the Robusta grade after Arabica. I think there may be a lot of interesting coffees coming out of Robusta in the future. When you think about the future of coffee, it has great potential."

He continues to improve Manabu by taking Manabu roasting and sensory training at the Coffee Skills Program (CSP). "There may be some geniuses who can do it on their own, but I'm not one of them," says Nakazawa humbly. That Shin attitude led to his victory at PCRC.

"At CSP, there is a course called sensory, which is mainly focused on cupping, perception, and coffee expression, and there are up to level 3, but to reach that level, you have to be able to Manabu as well. In other words, it's all connected. Even if you have roasting techniques and theories, it's meaningless without cupping skills. I think we won at PCRC because we were able to verify sensory, cupping and roasting. This time it turned out like this, so let's do it a little more... and we repeated the verification and finally came out. I think this part was a strength."

We have been serving Panama Geisha for some time, but after winning the PCRC, we started serving "Frutungo Farm," the coffee used in the competition. This Geisha , with its distinctive floral and fruity aroma, was sold at CROWD ROASTER (now sold out).

Popularizing specialty coffee in Odawara presents challenges, but Nakazawa is confident that "if we can communicate the value, customers will follow."

"Serving coffee for several thousand yen per cup in Odawara is a challenge. But in the end, it's all about whether or not I can convey that value. Getting Q-grader certification and taking part in competitions such as PCRC also help me to be more persuasive. I try to make my products more persuasive and not to sell myself or my products cheaply."

He also values the transparency and story of the coffee. "It's important for specialty coffee to have a clear production history and origin. The essence of specialty coffee is to convey that story to customers. That's why we prepare cards with detailed information about the coffee so that we can explain it properly. In a way, I think of this as an obligation."

As a new challenge as a PCRC champion, Nakazawa is planning to open an online shop specializing in Panamanian Geisha so that more people can enjoy it. "I want to take advantage of this opportunity to become a champion. I want to spread the word about the greatness of specialty coffee and Panamanian Geisha in Odawara as well."

He also has a unique customer service style: when it's his first time at the shop, he sometimes recommends single-origin coffee rather than a blended coffee.

"We get a lot of orders from customers who don't really know what to drink, so a blend is fine. But we want our customers who have taken the time to come to our store to learn about the diverse appeal of specialty coffee. We listen carefully to what the customer likes and suggest the coffee that's best suited to them. In Odawara, the number of customers who come looking for specialty coffee is increasing every year. Since we're here, we'd like to go above and beyond to sell it."

Tasting sets are popular among those who are knowledgeable about specialty coffee.

A variety of set menus are available, including comparing the same brand of beer extracted using different methods, or brands from the same country of origin.

There is also a menu where you can compare five different Ethiopian brands. It seems that the range of menu items aimed at coffee fans is expanding rapidly.

On the other hand, Nakazawa also wants to remain a "relaxed, downtown coffee shop." His words, "I don't intend to be too conscious, but since I'm here, I might as well do it," show his commitment to pursuing new possibilities for coffee while staying close to the community. Nakazawa's challenges will continue into the future.

Cafe Claudia, a home-roasted coffee shop

White Shuttle 102, 1-15-1 Nakamachi, Odawara City, Kanagawa Prefecture

Business hours: 9:00-21:00 (last orders 20:00)

Closed: Every Monday and the third Tuesday of every month

https://cafeclaudia.com/