Editorial Policy

Kissa Lab exists to give US home brewers trustworthy, genuinely useful guidance on Japanese coffee. These are the standards we hold ourselves to.

Independence

Our recommendations are editorially independent. We are reader-supported through affiliate links, but no brand pays for a review, a ranking, or a recommendation. If we ever publish sponsored content, it will be clearly labeled as such.

How we research and test

• We base recommendations on hands-on brewing, manufacturer specifications, and credible primary sources.
• For gear, we consider build quality, brewing results, ease of use, value, and who a product is — and isn't — right for.
• For recipes and technique, we test ratios, grind, and method rather than repeating numbers we can't stand behind.

Accuracy and sources

We fact-check claims about products, history, and brewing before we publish, and we cite reputable sources where it matters. Coffee is full of strong opinions; where experts disagree, we try to say so rather than flatten the nuance.

Cultural respect

We write about Japanese coffee culture with care. Our goal is to share it accurately and respectfully — explaining terms like kissaten and hand drip for readers who are new to them, without resorting to clichés.

Corrections

We get things wrong sometimes. When we do, we fix it and, for anything significant, note the correction. Spotted an error? Please email hello@kissalab.com and we'll review it.