Each month, Kurasu Coffee Subscription partners with a different specialty coffee roaster from Japan, sharing their coffee with subscribers in Japan and around the world.
For May 2026, our Kurasu Partner Roaster is ETHICUS Coffee Roasters from Shizuoka.
To introduce this month’s partner roaster more deeply, we visited ETHICUS in Shizuoka and filmed a new episode of How They Brew — a YouTube series where we ask roasters how they brew coffee, what they value in a cup, and how their philosophy appears in the way they make coffee.
In this episode, Yoshiya Yamazaki of ETHICUS shows us a simple recipe using the ETHICUS 58 dripper, and shares how he thinks about brewing coffee for customers to enjoy at home.
Watch the full video below, and if you’d like to discover a new Japanese roaster every month, explore the Kurasu Coffee Subscription.
A roastery with a sharp, warm presence
ETHICUS Coffee Roasters is located near Hiyoshicho Station in Shizuoka. Founded by Yoshiya Yamazaki and Ayumi, ETHICUS began from a café opened in 2015, later evolving into its current form as ETHICUS Coffee Roasters in 2018.
ETHICUS is difficult to describe in just one phrase. It feels sharp, but never cold. It has a clear and highly refined worldview, yet there is warmth in the way everything comes together.
From roasting and brewing to packaging, tools, space, words, and visual identity, every detail at ETHICUS carries intention. Nothing feels accidental. At the same time, the coffee never feels distant or overly conceptual. At its center is something very simple: the desire for people to enjoy coffee.
That balance — precise yet human, minimal yet warm — is what makes ETHICUS so compelling.
Through the Kurasu Coffee Subscription, we are excited to share roasters like ETHICUS with customers around the world.
The ETHICUS 58 dripper
In the video, Yoshiya-san brews using the ETHICUS 58 dripper, a dripper developed together with MAKINAGI, a tin craftsman based in Kakegawa.
The dripper reflects the same philosophy found throughout ETHICUS: careful attention to form, material, and function. Its 58-degree angle, rib structure, and material choice all come together to support a brewing experience that feels considered but not complicated.
What stands out in Yoshiya-san’s approach is how simple the recipe is. As he explains in the video, ETHICUS is, at its heart, a coffee bean shop. For him, the most important thing is that customers can brew the coffee at home and enjoy it.
The recipe
The recipe shared in this video is designed to be approachable and easy to repeat at home.
- Dripper: ETHICUS 58
- Coffee: 15g
- Water: 240g
- Temperature: 89°C
- Grind size: Coarse
- Target yield: Around 200g
- Brew time: Around 2:00–2:30
Simple recipes are often the most difficult to design. They leave little room to hide behind complexity. ETHICUS’ recipe reflects a quiet confidence: good coffee, roasted with intention, should be enjoyable without requiring an overly complicated method.
This month’s Partner Roaster coffees
For May 2026, ETHICUS selected two coffees for Kurasu Coffee Subscription members.
Honduras La Montaña
La Montaña is a washed Pacas variety coffee from Los Andes, Santa Barbara, Honduras, produced by Nery Ronaldo Martinez Alvarado.
ETHICUS selected this coffee because, in a time when many Cup of Excellence-winning lots are Geisha varieties, this Pacas lot stood out as something special — a coffee that represents Santa Barbara with character and clarity.
Flavor notes include plum, blackberry, grape, honey, and green tea.
Peru Carnaval
Carnaval is a washed coffee from Callayuc, Cutervo, Cajamarca, Peru, produced by Juan Santacruz, Carlos Vega, Osbaldo Rojas, and Celso Carrasco.
ETHICUS describes it as bright, lively, and full of dancing fruit — a coffee with a rhythm that reminds them of Latin music.
Flavor notes include green apple, summer orange, honey, and floral notes.
Both coffees reflect ETHICUS’ sensibility: clean, expressive, and quietly exciting.
What is Kurasu Coffee Subscription?
Kurasu Coffee Subscription is our monthly coffee subscription program.
Each month, we partner with a different specialty coffee roaster from Japan and deliver their coffee together with coffee roasted by Kurasu. Through the subscription, we hope to introduce not only delicious coffee, but also the people, places, and stories behind Japan’s coffee culture.
For us, coffee is not just about what is in the cup. It is also about the roaster’s philosophy, the city they work in, the people behind the coffee, and the way each cup connects one place to another.
If you would like to discover a new Japanese roaster every month, you can learn more here: Kurasu Coffee Subscription.
Upcoming Partner Roasters
Our upcoming Partner Roasters include:
- June: aoma coffee / Osaka
- July: MANLY COFFEE / Fukuoka
Each month brings a new roaster, a new city, and a new perspective on coffee.
Explore the subscription and join us on this monthly journey through Japan’s coffee culture: Subscribe to Kurasu Coffee Subscription.
