Introducing: And Coffee Roasters

For the next featured #kurasucoffee roaster, we'd like you to meet Yosuke Yamane san, a man whose passion for coffee was ignited in New York City while studying abroad. Inspired by American coffee stands such as Gimme! Coffee and Joe, Yamane san is now the owner and operator of And Coffee Roasters -- our featured roaster of the month – and a devoted member of the third wave coffee movement in Japan.

And Coffee Roasters opened its doors in Uenomura street of Kumamoto Prefecture back in 2013 and has since become a favorite destination within the region. The area of Uenomura street has itself become a fashionable center for stylish boutiques and shops, with Yamane san's specialty coffee shop standing apart for its delightful coffee offerings and character.

We've chosen to feature And Coffee Roasters because of their intense dedication to the quality of their roasts. Yamane san chooses his specialty roasts each day, selecting based on ambient humidity and weather to ensure that the day's conditions will bring out the best characteristics of the coffee. His selections are quite refined, as he carefully purchases only the finest beans from selected farmers.

And also features guest beans from top-quality roasters from around the world, always bringing in the finest examples from places like the US, Scandinavia, and London. To stay ahead of Japan's coffee culture and growing trends, Yamane san invites guest baristas from all over the country, as well as hosting cupping sessions to gather feedback and inspiration from his customers.

Featured Coffee

Ethiopia Sidamo Guji natural
Region: Ethiopia
Method: Natural
Altitude: 1890m
Flavors and characteristics: Berries, strawberry, floral and long after-taste

Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Kebele
Region: Eithiopia
Method: Washed
Altitude: 1800-2000m
Flavors and characteristics: Tea-like, lemon, long after-taste and clean

Q&A WITH YAMANE-SAN 

Q1. When did you start roasting and what was the motive?

Three years ago. I wanted to be part of creating the flavor and deliver well roasted coffee beans that were produced carefully by all sorts of people at the farm. My ultimate motive was to be part of coffee making, and the only way to do that was to be part of the roasting and extracting process after being picked and processed.

Q2. What do you consider as you serve coffee as to purchasing, roasting, and extracting?

It’s commonly used, but it all comes down to the “from the seed to cup” idea. The ultimate premise is to have customers to enjoy the coffee but I think baristas and roasters have to offer the carefully produced coffee beans by roasting and extracting the coffee with the highest quality. I repeat a try-and-error process from purchasing, roasting and extracting to pull out the variety of flavors from the coffee.

 Q3. What are your roasting features?

It is light roast. I keep a roasting data on my PC for reference for future roasting. Although it is lightly roasted, we put weight on the beans to avoid immature flavors and to pull out a fruity flavors and sweetness like caramel. I try to roast for drinkers to be enthused and surprised by the flavors coffee has.

 Q4. What is the recommended extracting method/menu?

I recommend a hand dripping method by using Hario V60. There are merits and demerits depending on what you use but by scaling coffee grounds, measuring the amount and time, anyone can extract a tasty cup of coffee! Recommended recipe is: in 14.5g-15g  out 210g   time  2:35-2:45

 Q5. What is the reason for partnering with kurasu x Good Coffee on their overseas subscription service?

Simply I am curious to the response to our coffee from around the world. I have encountered many people and coffees through coffee, so I am happy to have people around the world and ACR to connect through this subscription service by kurasu x Good Coffee

Q6. Any words for the awaiting overseas customers?

We provided two differently processed coffee from Ethiopia. Please enjoy tasting the flavor differences of the coffee and the surprises!!

Q7. Who is your favorite roaster?

ONIBUS COFFEE (Tokyo)
Fuglen (Tokyo)
Switch Coffee Tokyo (Tokyo)
Marketlane Cafe (Melbourne)
Artificer Specialty Coffee Bar & Roastery (Sydney) 

Q8. Who do you respect as a roaster/barista?

Takashi Sakao坂尾篤史（ONIBUS COFFEE）
Kenji Kojima小島賢治（Fuglen tokyo）
Toshiyuki Ishiwata (Marketlane Cafe )
Shoji Sasa (Artificer Specialty Coffee Bar & Roastery)