Fuel Up On Caffeine

Hello my fellow Ibarakians!
It is time to write about another food truck-to-restaurant story. Except this time, instead of a food truck becoming a restaurant, it is actually a coffee van becoming a café! Not only that, this café is located in an old gas station that was transformed into a café by the owner of the coffee van.
I have been enjoying coffee from this coffee van for years, and I am ecstatic that the owner was finally able to realize his dream and open his own café. I had the privilege of helping (very little) make this café come true. I was invited to the pre-opening and was very impressed with the finished café.
I can’t wait for you to check this café out and enjoy it as much as I have. I am proud to introduce Tsukuba’s newest café, Coffee Bar Stove Mt. Tsukuba Station.

Coffee Bar Stove Mt. Tsukuba Station

Coffee Bar Stove Mt. Tsukuba Station is located in the Kunimatsu area of Tsukuba. If you are traveling by car or bicycle, it is on the road leading toward Mt. Tsukuba. Once you pass through Hojo Town and Wan Wan Land (the dog park), continue for about five minutes and you will see a gas station on your left. If you turn right at that intersection, that road will take you up to Mt. Tsukuba. Turn into the gas station, and you have found yourself at Stove!
As I mentioned before, I have been drinking Coffee Bar Stove’s amazing coffee for a few years now. The owner, Yuto, started out by parking his amazing-looking coffee van at events such as Village Market Tsukuba, Ibafornia, Aozora Craft, and many other events not only around Ibaraki, but throughout Kanto and Tohoku. He also parked his van at Mujirushi in the Namiki area of Tsukuba.
I would always stop by his van, have his famous Stove Latte, and hang out, talking with the owner and other customers for hours. Since yesterday, which was the grand opening, Stove now has a new home, and the location looks incredible.

Inside

Walking inside Stove, you wouldn’t think this place used to be a gas station. It feels more like you’ve walked into an Italian espresso bar. When I opened the door, I was greeted by a beautiful, long wooden counter. At the far right is the cash register, where the staff takes your order. You can choose to have your coffee at the standing bar if you’d like, or you can move into the next room of the café. This room has a table with chairs, a nice antique sofa chair, and even a church pew to sit on.
I’m more of a standing guy when I have an espresso, so I’ll take my coffee at the standing bar. But if the weather is nice, I might decide to sit at one of the tables outside so I can enjoy a good view of Mt. Tsukuba.
Everything inside the café feels both new and antique at the same time, which I think is exactly what the owner was going for. He has a lot of vintage items throughout the café, including a window that used to belong to a French steam train. The music playing inside the café is always soothing and relaxing, which adds to the cozy atmosphere.

The Menu

There are three major sections of the menu, all written on a blackboard by the wonderful artist Yuki, who is the owner’s wife. The three sections are coffee, food, and gelato. The coffee and gelato sections are written in both English and Japanese. The food section is only in Japanese for now, but don’t worry, I’ll help translate it for you.
The first part of the food menu is the focaccia sandwich list. It includes a French cured ham and cheese focaccia sandwich with seasonal vegetables, anchovies and herbs sandwich, and spiced carrots and cheese sandwich.
Under the focaccia sandwiches is another type of sandwich called a cascroute, which comes with Camembert cheese and ham. I have had this sandwich before, and it is excellent.
Under that is not the food menu, but the beer menu.
The beers available are Tsukuba Lager and Gold Hime IPA. Both from Tsukuba Brewery I believe.
Below the beer menu is the cocktail section. The owner used to work at a bar, so he has a lot of knowledge and experience when it comes to cocktails.
After checking out the menu, I ordered a coffee, a sandwich, and some gelato.

Stove Latte

This is the café’s signature drink, the Stove Latte. It is a specially made latte with a double shot of espresso. I have been drinking Stove Lattes for quite a while now, back when the owner was serving them from his coffee van, and it has always been the delicious pick-me-up I need. It is a strong coffee, which I like, and it has plenty of great espresso and milk flavor.
It had been a while since I had a Stove Latte, so it was nice to take that first sip and get that nostalgic feeling of drinking one while talking to the owner at the back of his coffee van. Except this time, I wasn’t standing at the back of his coffee van. I was enjoying a Stove Latte at his brand-new café while leaning against the newly made counter.
It was relaxing, nostalgic, and delicious.

Spiced Carrots and Cheese Focaccia Sandwich

I am a huge fan of focaccia bread, so when the owner told me he was going to have focaccia sandwiches at his café, I was beyond excited. Not only that, but the café makes its own focaccia bread, thanks in part to the bakery Petirin in Ishioka for teaching them how to make it.
During the grand opening, I really wanted to try the ham and cheese focaccia sandwich, but it was very popular and had already sold out. So instead, I went with the spiced carrots and cheese focaccia sandwich.
When I bit into the sandwich, the first thing I tasted was the fresh focaccia bread mixed with the spiced carrots. Then, behind those flavors, came the cheese, which I think was Parmesan. It was a great sandwich and surprisingly light. If you are looking for a light and healthy snack, this is a good choice.
The sandwich was a nice little treat to enjoy with my Stove Latte. I hope I get the chance to try all of the sandwiches on Stove’s menu!

Pistachio Gelato

After I finished my sandwich and latte, it was time for dessert. I decided to try the pistachio gelato. I had tried the milk flavor (which is actually vanilla) before and really liked it, but this time I wanted to try the pistachio.
After receiving my gelato in the cool glass cup that Stove uses, I grabbed a spoonful and gave it a try. It blew me away. It was creamy, cold, and packed with pistachio flavor. It was such a great gelato that I couldn’t stop eating it. Every spoonful of this pistachio gelato was incredible.
I almost went back to the counter and ordered another one! I do plan on trying all of the gelato flavors on the menu, but I really want to have the pistachio gelato again.

Great View of Mt. Tsukuba

After finishing my gelato, I decided to have a flat white, which was fantastic. Sadly, though, it was finally time to head home. I took one last look around the new café and was extremely impressed by how far the owner had come.
I remember seeing this old gas station before construction had even started, and now that same run-down gas station had been transformed into an amazing Italian-style espresso bar. It is quite an accomplishment, and I am glad that I was able to help, even if it was just a little.
Mrs. Ibaraki Eats could not join me for the grand opening, but she has been to the café before and even helped with the construction a little. She was able to try a café latte and some gelato, but she has yet to try the full menu. I hope we can both visit Coffee Bar Stove Mt. Tsukuba Station soon, enjoy some coffee while talking with the friendly owner and customers, and take in the fantastic view of Mt. Tsukuba.

So, if you are planning on heading to Mt. Tsukuba and are looking for a great cup of coffee and a tasty snack, why not give Coffee Bar Stove Mt. Tsukuba Station a chance? Who knows? You will most likely see me there, enjoying a Stove Latte and trying the ham and cheese focaccia sandwich!
Enjoy!

For more information on Coffee Bar Stove, check out their Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/coffee_bar_stove/?hl=en

For the older blog posts, check out the WIX Ibaraki Eats.

https://regaladom24.wixsite.com/website