Originally published at: Nishimura Coffee’s unique ice block coffee - Boing Boing
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Looks like a fun gimmick, and at ¥2300 (US$16), almost cheap compared to the absurdly overpriced US$335 espresso! 
If you’re mostly interested in the stylish retro vibe of the Nishimura cafe – which is a chain with several uniquely styled branches (the ice block only is available at the Kitanozaka location) – they also have a regular iced coffee for a more reasonable ¥700 (US$4.85).
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Popkin is busy this morning!
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I know it’s just ice, but it still seems surprisingly wasteful for the Japanese - you end up with a significant block of ice (which represents some electricity and storage costs) that then presumably just gets thrown away, after all…
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This is a good point; the ice block would seem to serve the same purpose if it were smaller. If nothing else, Japan has long been admired for its efficiency. Perhaps a more efficient block wouldn’t attract as much attention as a marketing angle, though. 
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I’d be curious if there’s a standardized size(did not see an entry for “ice” in ISO 16520; am admittedly not enough of a standards wonk to delve too greedily and too deep) or a de-facto standard imposed by what the local block ice supplier happens to offer(those edges look more transported than molded on site; though that’s just a guess) they are working against.
Ice can certainly be formed; but it’s not just a joy to do and the proper options are likely to either be specialty or look like they came from the hardware store because they did; so it wouldn’t be a huge surprise if the block comes in whatever size is closest to right that also suited the needs of Kobe residents back when somebody built that big, old-school, ammonia chiller ice plant in the days before widespread refrigeration when block ice still attracted capital investment.
(edit: ran across a charmingly specific interest group, unfortunately for the wrong country, that reminded me that there might also be some transport industry related size conventions playing in to ice sizes.)
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That’s what writing about coffee does 
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Wouldn’t the obvious way to keep iced coffee cold without getting weaker be to use frozen coffee cubes instead of plain water ice?
Maybe even start with cold brew?
And then stick it all in an insulated tumbler?
So yes, this is still just for the instagram post.
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Indeed; frozen cubes of coffee or tea in a glass — generally with a side of milk or liquid coffee/tea to pour into it — is a fairly common presentation throughout more upscale/trendy coffee shops and restaurants in Southeast Asia. It’s largely an aesthetic choice and looks nice in a photo. In practice, it takes a while to drink and you probably will find yourself jabbing away at the cubes with your straw or silverware to try and get them to melt faster. 
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At least it doesn’t cost $335.
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