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 ¡ª 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.