Streamer Coffee Company

Overview

Streamer Coffee Company was opened in Shibuya in 2010 by Hiroshi Sawada, the first Asian to win the Free Pour Latte Art Championship — he took the 2008 title at Millrock in New York with what was then a record-breaking score. The flagship roasts a house Streamer Blend on a 40-year-old Probat in small daily batches and serves it across Tokyo at sites including Harajuku, Aoyama, Gohongi and Daikanyama, plus a Chicago West Loop outpost — the latte poured into a soup-bowl-sized mug to give Sawada and his trained baristas a wider canvas.

Known for

• Opened 2010 in Shibuya by Hiroshi Sawada, 2008 Free Pour Latte Art World Champion (first Asian winner)
• Roasts the Streamer Blend on a 40-year-old Probat in small daily batches
• Signature Iced Revolver Latte — six ristretto shots in a branded glass mug
• Signature Military Latte — matcha, espresso, vanilla syrup and cocoa powder layered to resemble camouflage
• Selected for Tabelog Cafe Hyakumeiten (2022) — Japan's top-100 café list

Why it matters

Tokyo's coffee scene has no shortage of meticulous filter rooms, but Streamer was the operation that turned latte art into a brand-defining performance discipline in the country — Sawada is the first Asian Free Pour Latte Art World Champion, his book HIROSHI'S LATTE ART AND BARISTA STYLE ships in Japanese and English, and the Streamer aesthetic — camouflage espresso machines, sticker-covered grinders, SUPREME-clad baristas — pulled in a streetwear and skate audience that sat outside the country's traditional kissaten coffee culture.

Production

destoning

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head roaster

Hiroshi Sawada

color sorting

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roaster machine

40-year-old Probat

filter equipment

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cupping frequency

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roastery location

Tokyo, Japan

espresso equipment

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annual volume tonnes

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Café

1-20-28 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0002

Recognitions

• Hiroshi Sawada — 2008 Free Pour Latte Art World Champion (Millrock NYC), first Asian winner
• Tabelog Cafe Hyakumeiten selection (2022)

Sources

• https://www.timeout.com/tokyo/restaurants/streamer-coffee-company
• https://en.japantravel.com/tokyo/chic-coffee-in-shibuya/938
• https://coffeedrinkersmakebetterlovers.wordpress.com/2013/02/09/tokyo-coffee-trail-3-streamer-coffee-company/
• https://journal.rikumo.com/journal/coffee-culture-streamer-coffee
• https://www.novacircle.com/spots/asia/japan/tokyo/shibuya-municipality/tokyo/streamer-coffee-company-shibuya-e0c279/about
• https://www.timeout.com/tokyo/restaurants/streamer-coffee-company-1