fixedude, that ebisu is some goood sheeeit. i should've brought back a couple of cans.. i should've brought back a LOT of stuff but we won't go there. i did nick a couple of ebisu glasses from an izakaya though! heheh... suntory malts is good too in a similiar vein. how's the winter brew this year? it's too bad japanese beer totally flies under the radar in north america.
about coffee: i dig lavazza, but nothing beats freshly roasted and ground coffee. i've got a bodum and a moka and a buddy of mine in japan who does alot of home roasting suggests tasty results can be yielded from a hot-air popcorn machine. it's a pain in the ass to roast over an element.