Craftsmanship spun in an area rich in nature.

Gear and roasted beans created by a "roaster who doesn't like coffee”

Hayama Log Cabin Coffee　Toru Yamaguchi

On Instagram, Hayama Log Cabin Coffee posts videos and photos of coffee brewing scenes every day and sells roasted beans and handmade items in its online store. It is run by Toru Yamaguchi, who lives in a log house in the rich nature of Hayama Town, Kanagawa Prefecture.

The videos and photos posted on SNS and the items produced. There is an air of sophistication with a hint of ruggedness, and a hint of playfulness. All of them match perfectly with the atmosphere of the log cabin. Such a world view of Hayama Log Cabin Coffee has many deep-seated fans.

For this interview, we visited the log cabin where Mr. Yamaguchi lives and asked him about his encounter with coffee and his passion for Hayama Log Cabin Coffee.

I didn't like the taste of coffee.

── First of all, please tell us how you started Hayama Log Cabin Coffee.

To tell the truth, I was never much of a coffee drinker to begin with. My favorite beverages are white water and tea ...... I used to work in sales as a company employee, and when I had a meeting with a client, coffee was always served. However, there was never a good time to drink it during the meeting, so I had to finish the cold coffee in one gulp on my way home. That was really a painful experience.

I'm surprised you didn't like coffee. ......!　How did you then get into the coffee world?

Moving to Hayama was a big trigger for me. I used to live in Yokohama and was busy working in sales every day. I felt that the work was worthwhile and the harder I worked, the more money I made, but one day I realized that no matter how much money I made, it was meaningless if I couldn't spend it on things I liked. So I decided to quit the company and am now working freelance helping out with PR work.

In reviewing my way of life and lifestyle in this way, I decided to live in Hayama. You may think of Hayama in terms of the ocean, but I was drawn to its mountain and forest landscapes. I also love cars and drive an old Jeep, so I wanted to live in a log house that would match my world view.

I took up coffee because it seemed to go well with the world of the log house. I wasn't very good at it, but when I bought the proper equipment and beans and tried brewing it, I thought it would be delicious.

──When it came time to brew, how did you like it?

It didn't taste ...... good . When I posted on Instagram that it didn't taste good, I got a message from a guy who runs a café in a log cabin modeled after the one I live in. He was like, "If you say it doesn't taste that good, try our coffee. He let me buy some beans from him, and I tried it, and to my surprise, it was drinkable. I wondered, "If I couldn't drink it before, how come I can drink it here? I was curious, and I wanted to try all kinds of beans. I asked him to let me buy other kinds of beans.

── So you got hooked on the world of coffee from the question, "Why was I able to drink it?" Interesting.

As you try different kinds of drinks, you gradually learn what you like. In my case, I don't like acidity, but I also don't like too much bitterness. Then I learned that I could bypass it and dilute it a little with hot water. Until then, I had thought that there was a "right" way to make and drink coffee, so I was surprised when I realized that I could drink coffee freely according to my own taste. That was when I realized that I could drink coffee freely according to my own tastes, and my world of coffee expanded dramatically.

You can make what you want with your own hands.

── Currently, you sell roasted beans, right?

The coffee shop owner I mentioned earlier said to me, "If you're that into it, why don't you try roasting your own?" I started baking when I was told to do so. I use a small sample roaster, but even so, I can roast about 500 grams of green beans at a time, which is a lot for me to drink by myself. That's how it all started.

Mr. Yamaguchi uses an analog roasting machine called a "sample roaster. It can roast beans in small quantities, and is often used by people who use large roasters to try out new beans. Mr. Yamaguchi uses this roasting machine because he insists on "roasting by hand. He likes the slightly smoky flavor it produces. He says, "If you use a machine, you can roast it numerically, but I think the taste changes depending on my mood. I have a selfish hope ...... that the flavor will come out better if I bake everything by hand. To be honest, it's hard work to bake everything by hand, little by little, and sometimes I get tired of it.

── Do you like coffee now?

But in the end, I am not completely addicted to the "taste. Even now, I sometimes find it hard to drink, and I'm probably not very good at it. But I like the appearance of coffee. I don't know how to say it...... like the color and shape of the beans, and I also like the gear. For example, it is fun to coordinate them, like, "Let's match this server with ORIGAMI's red dripper. It's fun to be able to photograph it and express my favorite view of the world.

── I find it very nice to see Ms. Yamaguchi's unique view of the world expressed when I see her transmission on Instagram.

Thank you very much. So, as I roasted beans, I got into gear. As I thought, "I wish there were more tools that combined these materials," I also began to think about making my own.

── On your site, you also sell tools such as coffee bean tins, dripper stands, and drip paper holders. Are these all handmade by Mr. Yamaguchi?

Yes, I do. I make everything myself. Roasting beans is one thing, but I guess I like using my own hands. As I made the gear I wanted to use myself, I gradually began to sell it.

Mr. Yamaguchi sometimes goes out to the sea on his motorcycle to brew coffee. He wanted a compact canister to carry the right amount of beans, and this product was inspired by a drop can. He gets the cans and paints them with his own hands.

Mr. Yamaguchi also welds the steel. In addition to the coffee gear he sells, many of the furniture in the log house is also handmade. The dripper stand was made to match the ORIGAMI drippers. I thought the black base color would match all three colors of drippers I have: red, navy, and matte gray.

── How would you like to continue your activities in the future?

I have no particular plans to open a physical store, and I hope to continue selling my products online. Thankfully, the number of customers is increasing, but I don't want to do too much, and I want to focus on the range of products I can make with my own hands. Although I am allowed to work as a roaster now, I would also like to focus more on making gear in the future. I would like to make not only tools for making coffee, but also coffee tables and furniture, for example. It would be great if I could freely create items that have the word "coffee" in their name. I would like to continue to shape the fascinating world of coffee as I envision it.

Instagram: @hayama_logcabin_coffee

Interviewer: ORIGAMI JAPAN

Photo: Tomohiro Mazawa

Click here to see ORIGAMI EC's special order dripper stand by Toru Yamaguchi of Hayama Log Cabin Coffee.