KAMIN COFFEE ROASTERS from Wakayama is this month’s #KurasuPartnerRoaster.
“If the Council of Wakayama has a Department of Coffee, I’d be a manager there”, the owner and the roaster, Nishida-san, describes his position in his local coffee scene- and it is actually quite accurate. His calm, kind and observant personality backed with knowledge and experience would indeed make him the best person to go to whenever a local “coffee citizen” needs consultation.
Nishida-san started his initial career at a department store, yet his admiration for his local friends in arts and crafts drove him to start a completely new path in the coffee industry at the age of 29. Department stores, which often are the place for the finest items for very special occasions, seems to be sitting at the opposite end of the spectrum to a part of daily routines for many people, which is what coffee often is- but Nishida-san saw the same core value that resonates in both: both are professions that can offer people one wonderful day and place.
Nishida-san roasted Ethiopian natural process light roast (Tirtira Goyo) and his original blend for our subscription. “I roast my coffee with direct fire, and I picked Ethiopian coffee as it is common enough for people to clearly see and enjoy the difference direct fire roasting makes”, Nishida-san says.
KOYA Blend is KAMIN COFFEE ROASTER’s signature blend Nishida-san created to tell the story of Wakayama, with a freeing breeze of Mt. Koya. To make it even more special for the subscription, Nishida-san blended a very special Colombian bourbon, Sidra.
“I don’t think direct fire roasting isn’t very common now outside of Japan, and many of the younger generation in Japan probably aren’t familiar with it either. I wanted to show that direct fire roasting also has so much to offer- you can roast good coffee that’s easy to drink and stays tasty after cooling down. I hope you will all experience that”, Nishida-san explains. Roasting machines that use hot air blast is the mainstream and also considered the way to go. Going against the trend and pursuing to perfect the direct fire roasting must have been quite a journey. I’m still very green and in no position to evaluate his decisions and styles, but I can tell you that you can see the beauty and the essence of a coffee roasted really by hand.
