A 27-year-old woman crowned as Japan's best drip coffee barista is preparing to defend her title against the country's top brew makers.
Yuka Takahashi, who beat all comers at last year's Japan Hand Drip Championship, will participate in a preliminary round of the 2016 tournament in Tokyo on Thursday.
In the competition, contestants select one type of bean and a brewing tool and are given 10 minutes to prepare the coffee.