COFFEE LONG SEASON in Osaka is this month’s #KurasuPartnerRoaster. The shop is located in the Nishitanabe area, where a good old downtown vibe attracts people- the owner, Okita-san, converted a closed-down kissaten that served coffee to the locals for over 60 years. He kept the beautifully aged counters and walls to preserve the atmosphere, and styled it up with Nordic vintages and art pieces. The unique decor and the music played on vinyl make the space vibrant yet cozy- named after a legendary piece composed and played by a Japanese band, Fishmans in the 90s, COFFEE LONG SEASON “hopes to take people’s minds to origin trips as they enjoy the coffee, just like ‘LONG SEASON’ took the audience onto a great journey of music,” Okita-san says. As we slowly sipped on a cup of Colombian coffee Okita-san brewed for us, Okita-san shared his story.
Okita-san always loved cafes as a space. He first worked as a barista at an Italian cafe in Osaka, and he loved interacting with customers and how close coffee is to people’s everyday lives. To further his knowledge and skills, he then joined TAKAMURA COFFEE ROASTERS, and worked for 3 years- during which he became a certified Q-grader, visited farms in Guatemala, roasted coffee using Loring and worked in their QC department, served as their core member of the team. Later he met Mori-san from COFFEE COUNTY in Fukuoka, which led him to join the team for 2 years to brush up his skills even further.
During the week, Okita-san managed their Yakuin branch, and on weekends he perfected his coffee roasting at their roastery in Kurume. After leaving the team Okita-san returned to Osaka, and opened COFFEE LONG SEASON a year after.
“It may be that my roots in the Kansai area have influenced me, but my focus is to craft a liquid like dashi (broth, on which the region’s culinary culture heavily focuses)- liquid that has a nourishing umami that soaks right into our bodies,” says Okita-san. This “dashi” seems to be the keyword with Okita-san’s concept of good coffee- at each step of production, Okita-san chooses what resonates with his ideal, dashi-like end product. He’d curate the green beans out of many samples, roast them into juicy and mild coffee with his Probat, and brew them into a round, nourishing cup with Kalita Wave.
Whether you are feeling tired, or happy, it always feels good to drink Okita-san’s coffee- the whole place feels good, the interior, the music…if you ever have a chance, do visit the cafe and feel it yourself.
2024 was a good year for Okita-san: “I felt a sense of achievement through supplying my coffee for many people to share, including TOBI SHOP at Osaka station. On the other hand, it feels COFFEE LONG SEASON still has a long way to go- it’s still small and new after all. We’ll keep on moving, one step at a time, to jump even higher next year,” he smiles. Enjoy this package with us and stay tuned for what the future holds for Nishitanabe!
