K COFFEE

When someone asks you what your favorite coffee is, how do you respond? You may try to explain it in difficult terms — after all, coffee is a difficult drink to describe since there are as many tastes and flavors as there are different varieties and brewing methods. K COFFEE is a kind of shop that lets you push aside all the pretentiousness and enjoy coffee in a relaxed, peaceful state of mind. We’ve spoken to its manager Kazuya Mori. Coffee-averse youth As you walk a nondescript street in Yamato-koriyama City, western Japan, the retro- and mysterious-looking store suddenly comes into view. Casually dressed, its manager Mori flashes a charming smile as he peeks out of the window of the roastery, a makeover of a former gas station. “Early...