This Coffeehouse In Japan Serves Iced Coffee Like You've Never Had Before

Japan's coffee shop culture began in the 1800s and is innovative to say the least. From Japan's unique sparkling coffee (or espresso tonic) to the coffee wars that brew among Japanese convenience stores (or konbini), the Japanese are quite serious when it comes to coffee. And these days, from Kyoto to Kobe, you can experience iced coffee like you've never had before: served in a big block of ice.

The cafe in Kobe that serves this unique coffee is Nishimura Coffee Shop, also known as Kobe Nishimura Kohi-ten (神戸にしむら珈琲店). If you're in Kyoto, you can find the giant ice block coffee in Cafe 33 Hyatt Regency. The cafe in Kobe may be the one you want to visit first, though, as it doesn't require reservations. Plus, it is the originator of this drink, having served its "iced coffee with ice tray" as early as 2016. Nishimura Coffee Shop first opened its doors in 1948 and greets customers with a comfy, retro atmosphere.

Just note that the ice block coffee is usually only available during hot summer months and may take around 20 minutes to make. And you're meant to enjoy the drink slowly. The ice block arrives at your table with coffee. Pour in the milk, then savor the iced coffee. Finally, when the drink is gone, take a spoon to scoop out the resulting coffee slushie from inside the melting ice block. 

If you think serving coffee in a gigantic ice block is meant to be gimmicky and tailored to influencers and content creators who live on trendy food content, think again. Coffee served in an ice block actually tastes amazing. 

One trick for brewing great-tasting iced coffee with a drip maker at home is to add ice into the carafe. This is actually a Japanese trick that results in less bitter-tasting coffee. During the brewing process, hot coffee hits the ice in the carafe and quickly cools down. The longer coffee is hot, the more bitter it tastes, and vice versa. 

With ice block coffee, you get coffee or espresso that rapidly cools down. The ice also doesn't melt as quickly (since it's a giant block of ice rather than small cubes), which means your coffee doesn't become too diluted. Hence, you have iced coffee that tastes amazing and chilled to perfection when served inside a big block of ice. Sometimes, bigger is better.