Roaster Profile
REC COFFEE
福岡（薬院・天神ほか）
A Fukuoka-born specialty roaster led by Yoshikazu Iwase, multiple-time Japan Barista Champion. Roasts direct-trade, high-grade lots mostly at medium.
Roast
Medium–dark
Online sales
Yes
Origins
5 origins
Tags
Origins carried
Editorial
How to read this roaster
REC COFFEE, headquartered in Yakuin, Fukuoka, is Kyushu’s flagship specialty roaster. Director Yoshikazu Iwase has won the Japan Barista Championship multiple times and placed near the top of the World Barista Championship. The house policy is direct-trade lots roasted mostly at medium — and the shop is rated highly for both espresso and hand drip.
A barista who fought on the world stage
Iwase is one of the baristas who has stood on the WBC stage, and that technique flows back into shop operations. Machine selection, extraction recipes, temperature management — competition-grade precision applied to the everyday cup. Few places let you drink "championship level" as the house standard.
Medium-roast balance, built for milk
The roast style is medium — keeping origin character while staying ready for espresso and lattes. Fukuoka’s café culture has long favored espresso drinks, and REC’s strength is exactly that: medium roasts designed to be delicious with milk.
From Fukuoka to Japan and Asia
REC runs its Yakuin flagship and Yakuin-rokkaku shop in Fukuoka, plus Taipei, Taiwan. It is a leading example of regional specialty spreading outward — from a provincial base to Asia rather than through Tokyo — and one of the high-water marks of Kyushu coffee culture.
Recommended brewing
Paper drip at 92–93°C, 1:15. The espresso blend runs Italian-style — 18–20g in, 36–40ml out, 25–30 seconds — excellent in a 5–7oz latte, or straight as an americano.
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Find REC COFFEE’s beans
Opens the official online shop via Google. Stock and prices on the official site take precedence.
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