September 26, 2026
A Terroir Culture from Ratnagiri that quietly rearranged my week
Chikmagalur
Field Notes
Currently drinking
A Terroir Culture from Ratnagiri that quietly rearranged my week
Blue Tokai's Producer Series pick from Chikmagalur — SLN 9 Arabica grown at 1,300 m, fermented with microbes cultured from the estate's own cherries. Rose in the cup, something fruity I can't quite place on the finish. Brewed hot as a V60 and cold as an Aeropress; it's my daily driver this week.
India
Blue Tokai
SLN 9
V60
Aeropress
87 / 100
Read the full entry →
Featured — from the journal
All entries →
September 12, 2026
A quiet morning at Tim Wendelboe, and what it teaches about restraint
Oslo
Field Notes
August 30, 2026
Standing room only at Sant'Eustachio, sugar and all
Rome
Espresso
Recommendations, ongoing
See all →01
Blue Tokai — Terroir Culture, Ratnagiri
The one I can't stop reaching for. Rose, fruit, and a clean finish; forgiving of a slightly coarser grind on a V60.
Beans
02
Fuglen — Tokyo Tomigaya
A mid-century Oslo bar transplanted to Shibuya, serving Norwegian roasts to a room of jazz records. Sit at the counter, order the pour-over flight.
Café
03
Fellow Opus grinder
The first electric grinder I've owned that made me stop thinking about grinders. I live between setting 5 and 7 on the dial.
Gear
04
Hario Ceramic V60, size 02
Ceramic holds heat better than plastic, and the ribs are more forgiving than the metal version. My default for any light roast.
Gear
05
April Coffee — Copenhagen
The lightest roasts in Scandinavia, brewed with pharmaceutical precision. Ask about the current competition lot.
Café
06
Timemore Black Mirror scale
A pour-over scale that costs a quarter of the Acaia and does 90% of the job. The only piece of gear I take when I travel.
Gear
Atlas of good cups
Full atlas →
Café visited
Origin visited
About the journal
I started keeping tasting notes on a phone the year I moved cities and could no longer remember which café had the flat white I liked. The list grew into a habit, the habit into a route through other people's mornings, and eventually into this journal.
halfasleep.coffee is not a review site and I don't score to a rubric. What you'll find here is a record of coffees that were worth remembering, cafés that treated the craft seriously, and the occasional strong opinion about milk temperature. If something here matches a coffee you've had, I'd like to know.