The goal is simple; to make the best cup of coffee. But like anything that has true value, attaining this goal takes hard work, dedication, and passion for the craft, which means…don’t cut corners. To make the best coffee, one must have the best techniques and equipment. But what good are tools if the raw materials are subpar? In order to achieve the goal, we have to start at the beginning, the coffee beans themselves.

Not satisfied with what was available to him, Mr. Toshihide Horiguchi, a renowned coffee expert and one of the pioneers of specialty coffees in Japan since 1990, went on his own and sought out the coffee growing regions of the world to find ‘partner growers’ who can adhere to his rigorous quality standards. This not only allows Horiguchi Coffee to secure the very best green coffee beans from the very best coffee growing regions, but also helps to promote and maintain fair and sustainable practices.

Oftentimes, there is a misconception about blended coffees that they are somehow lower quality than their single origin counterparts. Single origin coffees are beautiful expressions of the uniqueness of the ‘terroir’ from which they come from, a sense of place, very much like wine. Specialty coffees have done a fantastic job of helping consumers become aware and more familiar with high quality single origin coffees. However, somewhere along the way, blended coffees have become viewed as a way to mix less quality coffees together to mask their shortcomings. While that may be the case for mass produced coffees, it cannot be further from the truth when it comes to high quality roasters. Horiguchi Coffee’s belief is that you cannot make the best blended coffees without first having access to the very best single origin coffee beans. By roasting and blending these premium single origin beans, a craftsman like Horiguchi Coffee, is able to go one step further and reach a level of balance and complexity that only a blended coffee can bring out.

As if this were not enough, Horiguchi Coffee goes through yet another meticulous process in their never ending pursuit for perfection; their four-step quality control process. After acquiring the best single origin green coffees, they pass the green coffee beans through a state-of-the-art filtration machine that checks for any beans that have chipped or cracked through their long journey and also eliminating any beans that may have been bitten by insects or have subtle mold on them. Next, using their masterful roasting techniques, they manually roast the beans and will adjust the temperature and time based on the blend. Afterwards, they put the roasted beans through yet another state-of-the-art machinery that uses light sensors to detect any beans that may have been under- or over-roasted to achieve a consistent uniform roast for that specific blend. Lastly, the roasted beans will be manually and visually checked by the roasters themselves for a final seal of approval before they are packaged and enjoyed by customers. So much attention, care, and thought have been put into your cup of coffee, which you can definitely taste from the very first sip, and we at Kohee are truly excited and honored to be able to deliver it right to your doorstep.

Lucky you!