DKC label

 

The Story Behind Our Labels.

When you first see the labels on David Kim Coffee bags, you might wonder what each name stands for. They’re our own creations, designed to express the coffee’s flavour characteristics without using traditional flavour descriptors.

Here’s how the label names created and what they mean.
When I was designing the front label of the retail bags, I had a few things I wanted to express. A retail bag is essentially the face of the brand, it carries our identity in a physical, visual form. In a cafe setting, I can brew coffee for someone, talk them through the story, the origin, and the flavours I experience to guide them. But a bag sitting on a shelf doesn’t have that voice. So, I had to find a way to embed those stories and sensory experiences into the packaging itself.

When we taste coffee, we rely on smell, taste, and texture. These senses directly shape how we perceive flavour. But there are two other senses that also influence our experience visual and sound aspects even if we don’t always realize it. I wanted to bring these missing elements into the experience. That’s why each label name and colour is carefully chosen to reflect the flavour profile of the coffee inside. The visual colours and the auditory feel of the names are meant to give you a sense of what the coffee will taste like before you open the bag.

Label Names and Their Meaning
Roaster’s Choice
KIYALO label. Citrus-like vibrant acidity, delicate florals, and a juicy white-wine or floral tea character with a silky texture.
SEZITA label. Bold cherry, berry, or red wine flavours with high complexity, juicy and jammy texture.
DUVIXE label. Sweet berry and stewed fruit tones, low-tone acidity, rounded sweetness, smooth texture, and heavy body.
BOHUMA label. Stone fruit acidity, cane sugar or roasted nut sweetness, silky texture, and light body.

All-Rounders
WILD label. Represent the flavour comes from Natural process in drying stage. Fruity and sweet but easy-drinking coffee.
PURE label. Showcasing Washed process in drying stage. Well-balanced between nutty sweetness and dried fruit like acidity.

Why the Names Sound the Way They Do
You might notice that the four Roaster’s Choice labels all have three syllables and six letters. That’s intentional. Each name is designed to include an auditory component. Try saying them out loud. The first and second syllables are crafted to give an impression of the flavour:

KI-YA – a plosive, narrow-pitched sound like vibrant acidity and the brightness of pink.
SE-ZI – airy and hissing, with an intense, high-pitched sound—like the flavour of red fruits and the colour red itself.
DU-VI – rounded and deep, with a smooth buzz, evoking the elegance of blue tones and the richness of purple fruits.
BO-HU – soft, mellow, and continuous sound like the gentle flesh of stone fruits, persimmon in colour, calm and silky in texture, low in acidity.

The third syllable was chosen to make the name sound like it could be a real word—or even a person’s name—adding familiarity and memorability without overlaps between each label.

By combining colour and sound with the flavour experience, I wanted each label to give you a full sensory preview without relying on subjective flavour notes that can often mislead or confuse expectations. My hope is that each label “sing to you”, one that stays with you, and helps you remember the coffee not just by text information, but by how it feels to say and see.