It looks like you are accessing from Korea🇰🇷
Do you want to move to Korean page?
It looks like you are accessing from Korea🇰🇷
Do you want to move to Korean page?
In our first international superuser spotlight, we interview Shinichiro Aiko, the founder of Senri Maison Coffee in Osaka, Japan. He shares his coffee shop’s distinct operating model and systematic approach to roasting that balances quality with community considerations. Through detailed insights into his roasting methodology and Firescope, Shinichiro shares his philosophy on creating wholesome flavor profiles.
Our brand name ‘Senri maison Coffee’ comes from the neighborhood where we are located. ‘Senri’ means ‘hilly area’ in Japanese, which perfectly describes our location. Through our brand name, we wanted to emphasize our local roots and capture the area's identity. Our vision was to create more than just a coffee shop – we wanted a space that could tell the story of our community and connect with people.
Yes, there are two main reasons why we operate four days a week. First, it’s our principle to avoid disturbing customers with roasting noise. Sunday is our designated day off, and we dedicate the remaining two days solely to roasting. We believe roasting is crucial for coffee quality and requires adequate time and attention.
Second is that our location is in a residential area, which means we need to be mindful our our neighbors. Roasting can produce both odors and noise, so we are always careful about potential disturbances. We start roasting early and avoid doing it before or after business hours. This schedule represents what we believe is the the best way to balance all these factors.
We are currently using a Easyster and are very satisfied with it. Before choosing it, we extensively tested various machines, particularly comparing hot air (indirect heat only) and semi-hot-air (direct and indirect heat) systems to find the best fit for our needs.
We ultimately chose this model because it features a complete semi-hot-air system with digital controls. It allows us to flexibly handle various roasting levels, from light to dark, meeting diverse customer preferences. The digital interface is intuitive, significantly improving our workflow efficiency.
The machine offers excellent value for money as well. It performs consistently during roasting and allows for precise flavor adjustments. It’s particularly effective for handling various roasting profiles needed for our different wholesale clients.
After trying many machines, we concluded that this model strikes the perfect balance between versatility and consistency, which is exactly what we are looking for.
When designing roasting profiles, I consider the Rate of Rise (RoR) as the most critical factor. Specifically, I focus on achieving a rapid temperature rise to 130°C after initial bean loading. managing the RoR properly at this stage helps prevent excessive acidity while developing complex, balanced flavors.
After reaching 130°C, the key is to carefully control the temperature rise rate and proceed slowly. This approach allows us to fully develop the beans’ complex flavors and aromas. It results in coffee where acidity doesn’t overwhelm other flavor elements, creating a harmonious taste profile.
The difference between fast and slow roasting is distinct. While quick roasting can emphasize acidity and singular flavors, slower roasting brings out the coffee's complex tastes and aromas. I believe the latter better expresses coffee's character and depth.
We typically maintain roasting times of about 8 minutes 30 seconds for light roasts and 12-13 minutes for medium-dark roasts, adjusting profiles around these benchmarks. These detailed considerations help us deliver the most satisfying coffee to our customers.
We strive to create coffee with rich aromas and complex flavor profiles. We believe the initial aroma should linger until the last sip. Since coffee is a beverage that can be enjoyed through both taste and smell, we pay special attention to preserving and enhancing aromas during the roasting process.
I personally don't like coffee with overwhelming acidity. Rather than coffee that only highlights acidity, I prefer coffee that create a complex taste profile with diverse flavors. That's why during roasting, we carefully balance the acidity while preserving each bean's unique characteristics.
This philosophy has actually been recognized in roasting competitions. In these competitions, coffee with complex and deep flavors scored higher than those emphasizing just acidity, and this experience has greatly influenced our current roasting approach. We aim to create coffee that reveals new charms with each sip through its diverse flavors and harmonious balance.
Our coffee QC involves all our team members and systematic evaluation methods. All QC processes are conducted with our staff, and my wife, who has an exceptional palate and sense of smell, plays a crucial role in this process.
Rather than relying solely on sensory judgment, we also use detailed roasting evaluation forms to record and analyze our results. These forms help us objectively assess roasting quality and facilitate effective sharing and coordination of team opinions.
The biggest advantage of Firescope is its efficiency in managing green coffees and roasting profiles. It can store numerous profiles, allowing for systematic recording and comparison of various roasting data. This capability goes beyond simple data storage. It provides a foundation for in-depth roasting study.
The graph visualization feature is particularly impressive. You can overlay multiple roasting graphs to analyze how different roasting approaches affected the final taste. This process is extremely useful for improving coffee quality and reproducing desired results, offering significant learning opportunities.
The fact that it’s easy to operate is another strength. While other programs can be complex, Firescope offers intuitive controls that anyone can use. With its responsive touch panel, work efficiency is greatly enhanced.
I would recommend Firescope to those who want to take their roasting skills to the next level. It's particularly valuable for people who want to study coffee roasting more deeply and thoroughly.
The program offers precise control over graph analysis and settings, allowing users to accurately compare and analyze roasting data. This systematic approach to data utilization helps users significantly improve their roasting results.
