This month’s #KurasuPartnerRoaster is Yoshihara from Kyoto. Located in a quiet residential neighborhood near Nijo Castle, Yoshihara is a coffee shop nestled into its surroundings. The space has been carefully crafted through the owner Yoshihara-san’s own sensibility and meticulous approach, and the shop name is simply his family name. Choosing a name he would never tire of as the years go by, he aims to build a shop that lasts, following the tradition of long-established businesses in Kyoto.
Yoshihara-san’s encounter with coffee dates back to his university days around 2010, when he worked part-time at the cafe inside Ogaki Shoten bookstore. During his job-hunting period, influenced by people around him who made a living through music and creative work, he began to think, “I want to make a living by creating something with my own hands.” The turning point came when he came across an article about Weekenders Coffee in the fashion magazine Cazi Cazi. The moment he tasted specialty coffee for the first time, he was genuinely moved, thinking, “This is completely different”—a realization that solidified his decision to pursue a career in coffee.
After working for about three years at a real estate sales company to gain experience in the professional world, he visited Fuglen Tokyo and was struck by the sight of people his own age shining while doing what they truly wanted to do. This inspired him to commit to working in the coffee industry. He later joined Ogawa Coffee in Kyoto, where he built his experience as a barista and honed his skills. His interest in roasting was sparked at a cupping event hosted by The Barn from Germany. After winning a Brewers Cup competition organized by Kurasu, he was approached to join the team, and when the timing aligned with the introduction of a roasting machine, he came on board. He went on to oversee roasting at Kurasu for around five years.
Although he initially planned to move to Brazil, that plan did not come to fruition, and instead he decided to open a new shop together with his partner. After leaving his previous position at Kurasu in March, they began searching for a location and opened the shop that December. Rather than deciding on a complete vision from the outset, he describes the shop’s design as the result of carefully selecting and layering each material and element one by one. The logo—an abstracted coffee cup—was intentionally designed to allow for different interpretations depending on the viewer. The green color was inspired by Ryuichi Sakamoto’s More Trees foundation. Throughout the space, Yoshihara-san’s sensibility is reflected in every detail.
When it comes to flavor, what he values most is “coffee that tastes good on the first sip, tastes good on the last sip, and stays delicious throughout.” Believing that “if the roast is properly adjusted, there’s no need to adjust the extraction,” he currently places his greatest focus on roasting. He also rejects the idea that “everyday coffee doesn’t need to be interesting or moving,” saying, “What counts as ‘everyday’ should be decided by the consumer. It’s not something the provider should decide on their behalf.” Even if a coffee is not flashy or bold, he believes there should always be something genuinely moving within it.
Those who have been subscribing to our coffee subscription for many years may have already enjoyed his coffee before. We invite you to experience Yoshihara’s coffee as where they are today.
