The Masters of Coffee, Sapporo Coffee Kan

A master of the art of Sumiyaki coffee, Sapporo Coffee Kan has over 35 years of history and 11 internationally renowned cafes in Hokkaido.  People all over Japan and the world visit its cafes for a taste of its exceptional coffees.  It is also one the most respected and sought-after Sumiyaki coffee providers in Japan, featured in many Japanese TV shows, travel guides and newspapers.

Sapporo Coffee Kan's company president, Jin Ito, traveled the world to find the most superb coffee beans.  The company captured exclusive rights with farms from three countries: Indonesia, Brazil and Colombia.  Its Sumiyaki method also uses only the best charcoal available, known as Binchotan charcoal. This charcoal burns for long hours and very clean and food-grade safe.  The steady, high heat combined with alkalized ashes helps enhance the coffee's taste and aroma.

Last but not least, Sapporo Coffee Kan is part of the top-tier coffee associations in Japan, known as AJCA & JCQA. The Japanese Coffee Quality Association has one of the most rigorous testing processes to ensure that every coffee appraiser meets the standards of expert knowledge and appraisal skills for cultivating the best-quality coffee available.  Many of Sapporo Coffee Kan's staff are coffee instructors at JCQA.  These factors contribute to the exceptional quality and unique taste of Sapporo Coffee Kan's Sumiyaki coffee.

Our commitment to Charcoal roasting

Specialty coffee roaster Sapporo Coffee Kan was Hokkaido's pioneer in charcoal coffee roasting and was the one to establish the original CSR (Charcoal Straight Roasting) method. Hokkaido is abundantly blessed with the gifts of nature, has high-quality air and water, along with a cool, non-humid climate that is highly favorable for roasting and brewing excellent quality coffee.

Having said that, it might be quite common to have this misconception that charcoal grilled coffee = black, bitter coffee. Isn’t that so?

The above misconception is as far as it can be from the truth. Let’s break it down and take a look at why charcoal roasting produces one of the most delicious roasting finishes:

• Compared to other fuels, charcoal has a much lower water content and produces almost no water vapor during combustion. This means that the heat transfer to the core of the beans is exceptionally efficient.
• When charcoal is burnt, Far Infrared rays are emitted. Due to this effect, the beans are baked uniformly throughout the core and the surface, without the risk of creating uneven burn spots on the beans.
• The charcoal ash produced during charcoal roasting is alkaline. This alkalinity seeps into the coffee beans and moderately neutralizes the acidity within the coffee, creating a finely balanced taste, rich aroma, and a full body in the resulting cup.

Overview of Sapporo Coffee Kan as a leading Japanese specialty coffee company

Sapporo coffee Kan originates in Hokkaido, "Hokkaido" – Japan's northernmost prefecture, known for its abundant nature, beautiful water bodies, fresh air, mountain ranges, and active volcanoes. In Hokkaido, the humidity is low throughout the year, and the temperatures are lower than in the rest of the country. With an optimal environment for coffee brewing, this land was the place where Sapporo Coffee Kan was born in the year 1982.

The founding policy behind Sapporo Coffee Kan was our single-minded desire to give as many people as possible the experience of having an absolutely delicious cup of coffee.

Since the establishment of this company, the founder Eiichi Ito has placed great significance on the appreciation of the unique individuality of coffee beans that came from different countries rather than the fact that all the coffee beans were of top quality. The second president, Jin Ito, traveled worldwide to find the best coffee beans. They captured exclusive rights with farms from three countries, including Indonesia, Brazil and Columbia. Even today, the company stays true to this commitment and applies this principle to the fine selection of it's coffee's varieties and grades.

To bring out the best of the individual varieties, they roast each coffee using their original roasting technique, the CSR (Charcoal Straight Roasting) method. In this way, Sapporo Coffee Kan has become Hokkaido’s pioneer charcoal coffee roaster. Their Sumiyaki method also uses only the best charcoal available, known as Binchotan charcoal. It burns for long hours while being very clean and food-grade safe. The steady high heat combined with alkalized ashes helps to enhance the taste and aroma.

Today, Sapporo Coffee Kan is a prestigious coffee company with over 40 years of history and has 11 internationally renowned cafes in Hokkaido. People all over Japan and the world visit the cafes for a taste of their exceptional coffees. They are also one the most respected and sought-after Sumiyaki Coffee providers in Japan and have been featured in many Japanese TV shows, travel guides and newspapers.

Finally, they are part of the top-tier coffee associations in Japan, known as AJCA & JCQA. The Japanese Coffee Quality Association has one of the most rigorous testing processes to ensure that every coffee appraiser meets the standards of expert knowledge and appraisal skills for cultivating the best coffee quality available. In addition, many of Sapporo Coffee Kan's staff are coffee instructors at JCQA. These factors contribute to the exceptional quality and unique taste of Sapporo Coffee Kan's Sumiyaki