apollon’s gold, tokyo
Apollon's Gold is a contemporary specialty coffee roaster based in Tokyo, Japan, renowned for its terroir-driven approach to coffee. The company emphasizes the unique characteristics of each coffee's origin, aiming to cultivate their essence from seed to cup.
Specializing in ultralight roasted coffees, Apollon's Gold selects premium beans from renowned farmers, such as Pepe Jijon of Finca Soledad. Their roasting philosophy focuses on highlighting the inherent qualities of each region, often opting for classic processing methods over more experimental ones. This approach results in distinctive, clarity-forward cups that showcase the delicate flavors of the coffee.
Due to the ultralight roasting process, their coffees require a longer degassing period to fully develop their flavors. It's recommended to rest the beans for at least 35-45 days after the roast date, with optimal taste achieved around 60 days post-roast. The complexities of the coffee may start to diminish after 90 days, though proper storage can extend their freshness.
If you find yourself in Tokyo, be sure to visit their flagship brew bar, named "Kitanomaru" or "Northern Fortress," located at 1-14-13 Kudankita, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0073.
FROM THE ROASTERS
Our name originally takes inspiration from the symbolism of the sun, resonating with Japan’s endonym Nihon, meaning "Land of the Rising Sun," which underscores its cultural ties to renewal and vitality. This poetic name echoes across languages, emphasizing Japan's historical reverence for the sun and its enduring symbolic significance. Our logo, crafted in the shape of a sun, embodies this cultural motif.
And grounded in Greek mythology, Apollo, a figure of light and warmth, together with Japan, united as symbols of radiance and renewal, reflect the essence of coffee—like gold nurtured by the sun's strength, coffee shines brightest when crafted with passion and precision.
Our journey began in Tokyo as a small artisanal coffee roaster, and since then we've grown through local support and meaningful partnerships, evolving to meet the demands of the modern coffee landscape.
Today, we strive to create unique coffee experiences that blend tradition with innovation, ensuring every cup reflects our dedication to quality and craftsmanship.
THE APPROACH
The core of our mission is fostering meaningful relationships with coffee producers. We're committed to ensuring that every cup of coffee supports sustainable practices and showcases the rich traditions of coffee cultivation. We take pride in sourcing terroir-driven, peak harvest, and classic process coffees, while employing a roasting style that delivers an exciting and flavorful experience, showcasing their unique, natural complexities.
HOW WE ROAST
Our dedication to specialty coffee is reflected in our omni-roasting style, taking and enhancing the distinct characteristics of each coffee's terroir, no matter how it's brewed. Whether you're pourover-only, an espresso aficionado, AeroPress addict, or French-press lover, you won't have to worry about choosing the wrong coffee.
IN-HOUSE OPERATIONS
Our operations in Tokyo are fully integrated, encompassing everything from hand-selecting green beans to cupping, roasting, and maintaining rigorous quality control. This hands-on approach guarantees that each bag of coffee meets our high standards and represents us and our partners accurately.
THE GRINDERS
At our roastery and our brew bar, we are using multiple grinders to match and achieve the global standard of the specialty coffee industry. These include an EK43S with SSP High Uniformity burrs, a Bentwood V63, and a TIMEMORE 078. This mix of grinders gives us a wide variety of styles to choose from and play around with, ensuring we're always offering you the best coffee that we possibly can.
THE WATER
As water is a majority of what coffee is, we need good water to make good coffee. We use Aquacode mineral packs for all of our water, at the roastery and the Tokyo brew bar. It is our key to offering consistent quality in our roasts and our green bean assessment.
CUPPING PROTOCOL
We conduct rigorous cupping sessions with strict methods. Each cupping session is 50-70 minutes long, sometimes even longer, so that we can accurately portray our coffees to you. If a coffee doesn't meet our standards, we try again until it does, or we don't sell it. We only sell coffees which are still enjoyable at the 50-minute mark. Every team member knows the cupping process and how to conduct a thorough cupping session.
