Tasty Coffee and Sandwiches

Our Hitachiota adventure continues!
Last week, I posted about Italian Restaurant Raul and how amazing all the food there was. The pizza was magnificent, and the lasagna was delicious. After we finished our meal at Raul, I wanted coffee. Raul has coffee, but as I stated last week, Raul was closing up, and orders were done. My wife knows how much I love coffee, so she opened Google and researched where the closest coffee place was. She then told me about a place that had just opened up and was nearby. Not only that, the owner was an American guy who knew his coffee. We opened Google Maps and headed to this new cafe called Historica Coffee Company.

Historica Coffee Company

Historica Coffee Company is located in the Kumecho area of Hitachiota. Just like last week's post, I will repeat the same thing I wrote. Please come by car or bike. No train stations, and I didn't really see any bus stops.
When we arrived at Hitorica, I again thought I was driving up to someone's house. We then saw a P sign for parking and the cafe's sign. We drove up a rocky path, past a small shack, and parked our car behind it, which is where the cafe's parking area is. We both walked up to the entrance of the cafe, not sure what we were walking into.

Inside

When I walked inside, I was beyond impressed. Everything in the cafe looked new and personal. There was wood everywhere. Wood floors, wood chairs and tables, and a long wood counter in the middle of the cafe. This place had a very relaxing atmosphere from the moment I walked in. The low lighting and the homey feeling of the cafe gave off a great vibe. My wife especially loved the big Christmas tree towards the back of the cafe.
When we walked in, the friendly owner, Eric, and his wife directed us to the ordering counter and told us to make ourselves at home.

Cranberry Scone

I like scones, but I also dread them. They are delicious and a great companion to have with coffee or tea. However, the scones I usually have are drier than an Arizona summer day. I always have a tall glass of water at the ready when I am going to bite into a scone. Historica's scone was different. It was a bit hard on the outside, which is usual for most scones, but when you bite into it further, you get this soft, moist center that tastes amazing. The cranberries in the scone were a welcome sweet treat to this already fantastic scone. Mrs. Ibaraki Eats was very impressed and was even thinking of taking some scones home.

Homemade Chocolates

Our next sweet was two homemade chocolates with what I believe is powdered sugar on top. I popped one of these chocolates in my mouth, and I was transported to a world of amazing milk chocolate. The sweetness and the bitterness of the chocolate were in complete harmony. My wife really loved the chocolates. She liked them so much that she bought four more to take to her parents' house. What I really loved was how amazingly well these chocolates went with our coffees. Speaking of our coffees.

Nitro Coffee

This was my coffee order at Historica. Nitro Coffee. Some of you might be wondering what nitro coffee is. Nitro coffee is a cold-brewed coffee that is infused with nitrogen gas. The nitrogen creates bubbles in the coffee, making it smooth and easy to drink. For those of you coffee drinkers that do not like strong black coffee, then nitro coffee is for you. It kind of reminds me of a stout beer in some ways.
The owner of Historica brought a glass and a nitrogen can filled with coffee to our table. He then pushed down on the nitrogen can, and I watched him masterfully dispense the coffee into the glass. He filled it up beautifully. Once all the nitro coffee was in the glass, it was cool to see how the bottom bubbles were rushing to the top but would disappear before reaching that delicious-looking foam at the top. It was almost hypnotic to watch. It was an interesting experience.
I took a sip of my nitro coffee and automatically loved it. It was very smooth and easy to drink. The somewhat sweet foam on top was a nice treat to the whole coffee experience. Even though I am a huge fan of strong-tasting coffee, I do like this nitro coffee and would love to have it again.

Cafe Mocha

This was Mrs. Ibaraki Eats' order, the cafe mocha. When my wife's coffee came to our table, it looked fantastic. The owner let us know that the chocolate for the mocha came from a well-known bean-to-bar company in Japan. My wife took a sip of her coffee and was very impressed. She said, "That's some delicious chocolate." She let me have a sip, and I have to agree, this was an excellent cafe mocha. I gave the darker side of the coffee, which I believe is either chocolate shavings or powder, a try. That part of the coffee was even better. I love how this coffee still kept its strong taste of coffee while having a strong taste of chocolate. Neither flavor sacrificed the other, which can be hard to do for a cafe mocha. Usually, you will get one strong flavor and a weak flavor, but this mocha was in perfect balance. This was a very tasty cafe mocha indeed.

After we finished our coffee and sweets, we ended up spending some time with the owners, talking about the cafe. One interesting fact I learned about the cafe was that they were building a small dog park area by the parking lot. So in the future, you can let your dog roam free while enjoying a delicious cup of coffee.

This was our first experience at Historica. Our second experience was filled with more coffee and some amazing sandwiches.

The Menu

The menu is on the order counter in the middle of the cafe. The menu is also in both English and Japanese. There are three parts of the menu: the coffee section, the sweets section, and the sandwich section. The sweets are all in a display case on the ordering counter. There are different flavored scones, homemade chocolates, and cookies.
As for the sandwich menu, you have your choice of a Cuban, BLT, Cowboy BBQ Chicken, and Italian Sausage. Finally, Historica does have a specials menu which has a soup of the day and a special main dish.
The first time the Ibaraki Eats Duo visited Historica, we weren't really hungry and just got some sweets and coffee.
Our second time, that is when we decided to give the sandwich menu a try.

Cowboy BBQ Sandwich

Let's get into Historica's sandwiches!
The second time we visited Historica, we were hungry. We grabbed a nitro coffee and a tea, and we also ordered two sandwiches—one to eat in, and one to go.
The sandwich we had a Historica was their signature Cowboy BBQ sandwich. The sandwich comes with chicken, cheddar cheese, BBQ sauce, and roll bread. The BBQ sauce is homemade right at Historica! When the sandwich came to our table, it looked very appetizing. The sandwich was nice and warm and pressed like a panini. My wife grabbed one half of the sandwich while I grabbed the other half. When I bit into the sandwich, the first sensation I got was the crunch of the pressed, toasted bread. It was an incredible sensation. After that, my taste buds were flooded with delicious BBQ sauce. A bit tangy but amazing nonetheless. The cheddar cheese kept the chicken right in its place so that it didn't slip out of the sandwich when I bit into it. The BBQ sauce hogged the main stage of this sandwich, but it was a fantastic sandwich overall. My wife really liked the sandwich, but she loved the soup of the day even more. It was a cold day when we visited Historica, so that soup helped get the chill out of our bones with its delicious peppery flavor and its fresh vegetables.

Our second visit to Historica was also a winner. I love this place and wish I could come more often. There is one thing I know for sure: if I am in the mood for a sandwich and coffee, there is no mistaking it, the first place I am thinking of is Historica.
I am sure some of you might be thinking, "But wait, Mr. Ibaraki Eats, what about the sandwich you took home?" That sandwich, dear reader, was a master piece.

The Italian Sausage with Focaccia Bread

If you plan to visit Historica, I plead with you, try the Italian Sausage sandwich. My god, this sandwich was excellent. I loved the Cowboy BBQ sandwich, but this sandwich was on a whole other level. The sandwich brings cheese, sausage, bell peppers, tomato sauce, and focaccia bread.
I took a bite of this sandwich at home, and I was in a state of sandwich bliss. The sausage is so meaty and soft that it just melts in your mouth. The bell peppers were a very nice slight spicy addition to the sandwich, while the focaccia bread held everything together and brought an amazing flavor of its own. Everything in this sandwich was incredible. Mrs. Ibaraki Eats bit into her half of the sandwich and made her signature wide-eyed, surprised face. She loved the sandwich and said that we would be having it again next time we visited Historica. I am dreaming of having this sandwich again. My mouth is watering just from typing about it. I do want to try their Cuban sandwich, though. I think next time my wife will get the Italian sausage, and I am going for the Cuban.

Both of our visits to Historica Coffee Company were filled with amazing coffee, delicious sweets and sandwiches, a relaxing atmosphere, and two owners who were a pleasure to meet and talk to. Both times we visited, I thought we would only spend around thirty minutes at Historica, but we were having such a great time drinking our coffee and talking to the owners, we lost track of time. My wife and I still have more menu items that we would like to try at Historica, so we will be back.
Thank you, Historica, for the fantastic coffee, sandwiches, sweets, and a great experience.

So if you are around Hitachiota and are looking for a great sandwich and an excellent cup of coffee, why not give Historica Coffee Company a chance? Who knows? You might see us there. Enjoying some coffee while biting into a delicious sandwich.
Enjoy!

For more information on Historica Coffee Company, check out their Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/historica_coffee_company/