Major convenience stores have coffee machines where you can drink delicious coffee for around 100 to 200 yen.
These coffee machines are designed to brew coffee that is unique to each convenience store.
7-Eleven has been offering self-service coffee on and off since around 1980.
Furthermore, Lawson and Ministop have been offering pre-made coffee since the 2000s.
In 2011, Lawson launched a cafe-like service with an emphasis on customer service, where staff serve freshly brewed coffee, under the concept of a "machi café."

There are two main types of coffee beans: Arabica and Robusta.
Arabica accounts for 60% of the world's coffee, while Robusta accounts for around 40%.
Arabica can be grown in cool climates at altitudes above 1,000 meters, while Robusta can be grown in hot, humid conditions at lower altitudes.
Arabica has a rich acidity, aroma, and sweetness, while Robusta has a strong bitter and astringent taste and can sometimes have an earthy flavor.
Brazil, Colombia, Ethiopia, Kenya, etc. use Arabica, while Vietnam and Indonesia use Robusta.

UCC canned coffee became famous nationwide at the 1970 Osaka Expo and was a huge hit.
The UCC Coffee with Milk from that time is still on sale today and is a symbolic UCC product.
As the name UCC Ueshima Coffee suggests, UCC was founded by Mr. Ueshima, and its origins date back to 1933 when Ueshima Tadao Shoten opened in Kobe.
It seems that it was common in 1933 for a store name to include the president's full name.

Canned coffee is a standard item in drink vending machines.
While the brands stocked vary depending on the vending machine, most brands have canned coffee.
Even if they don't carry cola, canned coffee is often available.

Coffee manufacturers began developing canned coffee commercially in the 1950s. There was likely demand for coffee that could be stored for a long time and enjoyed easily at any time.

Once harvested, coffee is processed.
During the coffee processing process, the beans are removed from the coffee cherries.
It's similar to removing the seeds from cherries.
What we call coffee beans are actually the seeds of a plant.
And coffee cherries are red or purple, just like cherries.
They are just coffee cherries.

We mentioned earlier that coffee powder is more prevalent than beans at supermarkets and large retailers, but drip bag coffee is a more convenient way to enjoy powder coffee.
Drip bags are sold ready-to-drink, with each cup individually packaged in a filter. There's no need to measure out the amount of coffee powder needed; all you need is a cup and hot water.
This makes them highly portable, and you can quickly enjoy coffee with the electric kettle and cups provided at hotels when you travel.

When you go to a coffee shop, you'll most likely find blended coffee on the menu.
Even the regular coffee sold in supermarkets often has the word "blend" in its name.
A blend is coffee made by combining beans from multiple origins and types.
Blending makes it possible to combine acidity, bitterness, richness, and aroma to create a flavor that can't be achieved with a single bean.
By blending beans from Ethiopia, which have a strong acidity, with beans from Brazil, which have a strong bitterness, it is possible to create a well-balanced flavor.

Single origin coffee is not a blend, but rather made using beans from a single country, region, or farm.
It can be referred to by country, such as Brazil or Ethiopia, by region, such as Alta Mogiana in Brazil or Yirgacheffe in Ethiopia, or even by farm, such as Farm Bau in Brazil or Farm Metad in Ethiopia.
In this way, single origin coffee is a style that celebrates the individuality of the place of origin.

Coffee is sold in both whole beans and ground form.

Ground coffee is originally beans that have been ground up.

With beans, you buy them, then grind them into powder and brew them yourself to drink.

Why are some coffees sold as whole beans and others as ground?

Beans stay fresher longer. Ground coffee increases the surface area, oxidizing faster and losing flavor and aroma more quickly.

Whole beans, on the other hand, help preserve flavor and aroma for longer.

Coffee roasting is an important process in determining flavor, and even the same beans can taste different depending on how they're roasted.
When roasting begins in a roaster, the beans first enter the drying stage at 100-160°, which removes the green smell of the raw beans.
The temperature then rises to around 150°, causing sugars and amino acids to combine and release an aroma. This change in state is called the Maillard reaction, and a fragrant aroma is released. The Maillard reaction brings out sweetness and aroma.