About Ohori’s Coffee Roasters

Ohori’s Coffee Roasters is a pioneering small-batch roastery founded in Santa Fe in 1984 by Susan Ohori, who trained in the tradition of Alfred Peet. 

For over four decades, we’ve roasted by hand in the Sangre de Cristo foothills, becoming New Mexico’s longest-serving specialty coffee roaster. We remain deeply rooted in Santa Fe, devoted to this work and committed to roasting. Dark roasting, done right!.

Who We Are

For more than 40 years, Ohori’s has refined the craft of high-altitude roasting at 7,000 feet above sea level. Our coffees are known for bold, expressive dark roasts and balanced medium roasts, developed with concentration, patience, and care.

We roast more than 30 distinctive coffees: single origins, organic offerings, cultivated blends, and decafs, each selected for character and integrity. Every batch is matched to a roast profile that honors the bean’s natural strengths rather than forcing it into trends.

What defines Ohori’s is not novelty, but consistency. We roast by hand, in small batches, with attention and intention. Not fashion. Not flash. Just coffee, roasted attentively and with purpose. That’s why we’re Santa Fe’s favorite Coffee roaster.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZ4HSpMOIl4

Our team

Sam Brinegar, Co-Owner and Lead Roaster

Since 2017, Sam has served as lead roaster and co-owner alongside Tai. He guides each batch through sight, sound, scent, and temperature, finishing every roast at its peak. Experience leads. Automation does not.

Tai Ayers, Co-Owner and Store Manager

Tai has stewarded Ohori’s since 2001. She ensures the coffee on our shelves, and in your cup, reflects the same care that defines our roasting. Her leadership sustains the culture and community that surround our shops.

Small-Batch, Seasoned

We roast 20–30 pounds at a time in our vintage Probat UG15 drum roaster — the same seasoned machine that has shaped our coffee for decades. No other roaster in Santa Fe can claim a drum with this history.That seasoning matters. It allows our team to craft distinct roast levels across 30+ coffees with precision and repeatability. Each batch is guided by sensory awareness: aroma, color, sound, temperature. Our roasters rely on experience — not automation — to finish every roast at its peak.Coffee by sight. By scent. By ear. By taste.

High-altitude roasting

At 7,000 feet above sea level, lower air pressure alters heat transfer and airflow. Roasting here requires careful attention and control. Our high elevation gives our roasters finer control over each roast, and the result is clarity and structure in the cup, whether fruit-forward brightness or chocolate-rich depth.

Dark roast and medium roast

[H4] Drawing on Alfred Peet’s fully developed roasting tradition, we specialize in dark and medium roasts. Some coffees reach their sweet spot just before second crack, carrying fruit and caramel notes. Others deepen into layers of molasses, cocoa, and toasted sugar. We roast with intention, not to follow fashion, but to reveal character.

Our mission

At Ohori’s, our mission is simple: to roast exceptional coffee with care, serve it with integrity, and remain a meaningful presence to Santa Fe, while sharing our craft beyond the city we call home.

We source high-quality Arabica beans through trusted, longstanding relationships. Integrity, traceability, and partnership guide each of our selections.

Coffee is both a daily ritual and a cultural connector. It deserves attention. It deserves consistency. It deserves respect. And so do the people who drink it.

Sourcing

We source our green coffee through a trusted, family-owned specialty importer with global relationships. Our selections come from the Americas, Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, Indonesia, and the Pacific Rim. We choose all our beans for their integrity and character, and not because of commodity trends.

Our history

Learning from Alfred Peet: 1970s-1983

In the early 1970s, Susan Ohori trained in North Berkeley under Alfred Peet, one of the founders of the American specialty coffee movement. Peet helped define second-wave coffee: small-batch roasting, single origins, and fully developed flavor.

Founding Ohori’s: 1984-2000

In 1984, Susan brought that philosophy to Santa Fe, opening a small drive-through coffee shop near the State Capitol. Freshly roasted beans. Strong black coffee. A creative city ready for something new.

The Ayers and Brinegar Years: 2001-Present

The Ayers family became caretakers in 2001, preserving Ohori’s commitment to ethical sourcing and craft roasting. In 2017, Tai and Sam Brinegar became active owners, continuing the work, protecting what makes Ohori’s distinct while extending its reach with intention.

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