Surveying a row of black containers behind the stone counter of Kuro Mame coffee salon, Emi Fukahori says, “Let's find out what kind of coffee you like.”

She hands me a tin of coffee beans to smell. The aroma is seductive — floral and nutty, almost perfumed. With the precision of someone who has spent years perfecting her craft, Fukahori pours the coffee into a black-and-white cup made from Arita porcelain.

"This one is very special, from a farm in Panama located 2,100 meters above sea level," she explains.