The dream is coming true. The well-worn path of derivative Western-minded tea culture is dying. Long live tea. Well, in fact, tea is very much alive and well. I’ve been accused on more than one occasion of being over-optimistic about the development of “modern tea culture,” but I won’t waver. I think we are living in a golden age of access, information, and excitement in terms of tea. For so long, tea shops were boring places. Tea decomposing in jars (blasted by sunlight), the intense scent of blended fruit and flower fragrances, and tired references to the “art” and “zen” of tea. In a lot of ways, tea settled into the two camps of “spiritual” and/or “British”. Now, I don’t want to take anything away from the amazing folks who have been developing quality venues for enjoying tea - my point is that they were in the minority in the grand scheme of things, and the rest left a lot to be desired. If you are reading this, I am sure you know what I am talking about. But I am also sure you remember that “aha” moment that brought you deeper into this world. Something that sent you down the path, never to return. The day you encountered something really different, you realized now that you knew you couldn’t un-know. The day you walked through the door of the church and tea. You became a believer.
My point in talking about this is that from where I stand, the amount of people walking through that very same door into the world of tea is increasing day by day. Due to the work of many, many wonderful folks who are sharing, teaching, and exposing customers to the wide world of tea (I am thinking of Max Falkowitz, Shinya Sakurai, Elena Liao, Peter Luong, Sebastian Beckwith, and countless others), tea is finally coming into its own. Matcha has been a driving force, and there is no denying that it accounts for much of the rise in our business; I also see a massive increase in the interest and knowledge about other types of tea as well. But to me, this isn’t even the most important thing. I see a desire to partake in the act of drinking, sometimes without a deep desire to learn about tea, by many, many more people than just a year ago. Tea has sort of cracked open - and what came out is now being digested by a wider community of people than ever before. And I don’t mean in the TikTok or Instagram sphere - but in the quiet moments of people’s lives. And this, to me, signals the shift; the experience of tea has brought a new dimension to people’s lives - and their enthusiasm, in turn, reaches others to start their journey. And now, when those new tea drinkers set out to experience more - whether its sourcing leaves online, finding a counter to pull up to, or looking for a book to diver deeper, there are finally resources to support them on their journey. So now what? What lies ahead?
I think about this a lot. In the West, tea culture may no longer be in its infancy but it is perhaps still a toddler. As the culture grows and develops, how we craft experiences around it in the months and years to come will have an impact. I often think of wine - what it meant to people in the USA 50 short years ago. And what it has become. It has evolved to include so many people - from the sommelier to the casual drinker. The industry of wine has developed into a world of discovery, and producers and importers worldwide are telling a rich and interesting story. And developing into a robust business as well. Will tea be the same? Do people care? Is tea “interesting enough”? Can people develop a career in tea? Without a doubt, 100% - and I believe it has the chance to enchant a vast new audience. A Pew Research poll found that in America alone, 38% of the population abstains from alcohol. I am certain many of those people are still in search of a daily ritual that provides the depth of experience that wine does, but without the alcohol. I can’t think of any beverage that could serve not as a stand-in for wine, but as a stand-alone experience. But can it…really?
To prove the theory, I started organizing tea-pairing dinners years ago. My first, if I remember correctly, was at the famed Tribeca Kaiseki restaurant Brushstroke - a partnership between David Bouley and Tsuji Cooking School in Osaka - helmed by Chef Isao Yamada. This must have been in 2012. It was absolute madness. Two turns of 30 people (60 in total) with eight teas paired with seven courses. And the kicker - I did the first turn by myself. If you want to understand how to work under pressure, work in a restaurant. And if you want to understand how to excel under pressure, work in a David Bouley restaurant. It was a grueling night with a steep learning curve. I had batched several cold teas and brought along several teapots to brew the hot teas. As guests sat for the first turn, I calmly filled their glasses with a cold brewed Sencha while chatting quietly. The pace was leisurely, and I felt in total control. This was going to be fun. You can guess where this is headed. And you are right. As the courses began coming out - sometimes with a mysterious cadence - things became more stressful. Preparing tea in a cramped kitchen and delivering it to each guest on a tray that was far too small was a rush - and somehow, the guests didn’t seem to notice the chaos ensuing just behind the swinging door to the kitchen. But what they did notice - was just how compelling the combination of Chef Yamada’s cuisine and the selection of teas were when paired together. Seeing them take a bite and then a sip and then ponder what they were experiencing - that somehow “ it worked!” - was particularly special. It was something I had discovered along my journey in tea. Tea provides an almost unlimited canvas for enhancing, contrasting, and complementing food. And when given the correct venue (which is so important), the results can be profound.
Japanese tea encompasses a wide range of flavors and aromas. While most people are familiar with the grassy, umami-rich character of Sencha or the toasted, nutty fragrance of Houjicha - there is actually a wider variety of available combinations than most people believe. Let’s consider:
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Sour - Awabancha, Tokushima prefecture
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Sweet - Amacha, Kagoshima
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Toasted - Bukubukucha, Okinawa
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Meaty - Yame Gyokuro, Fukuoka
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Floral - Kamairicha, Saga
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Malty - Wakoucha black tea, Ibaraki
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Fruity - Green Oolong, Miyazaki
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Salty - Tencha, Nishio
The list goes on. Imagine, this is just tea from one region of the world. When you include the many other origins, the flavor spectrum becomes almost overwhelming in scale and scope.
As the years have progressed, I have made it a point to continue developing opportunities to pair teas and cuisine. One reason is that, of course, it is fun and important work, but it is also critical because it taps into something people already love—eating and socializing together. People are inherently more open to trying something new when they are in a situation where they are comfortable, and their expectations are that what they are going to experience is rooted in quality. That is exactly why partnerships with chefs are so important. Their customer’s trust creates a level of trust with me. Great teas deserve great food, and great food deserves great teas.
In 2024, I wanted to take explore the intersection of tea and cuisine even more - and found a venue to do just that - Kettl Studio . A unique space built around a commercial kitchen in which I could host chefs, explore pairings, and invite guests to experience our approach to contemporary tea culture. It also serves as a gallery space for the unique collection of ceramics my wife Minami makes for each dinner. The service ware is as important an element as any in each pairing that we host. It has been really rewarding to see her creations come alive and our guests interact with them during the meals. For our very first pairing dinner, we were thrilled to have chef Abe Hiroki of the legendary NYC restaurant Kajitsu. Chef Abe brings a thrilling level of technique and creativity - all while cooking without any animal products at all. His menu featured seasonal vegetables, seaweed, herbs, and fresh tofu - all plated with a refined elegance and understated sophistication. We welcomed 24 guests into our space to enjoy the meal over the course of two and a half hours. Seeing the guests contemplate the teas in a new context, was especially rewarding for me.
While New York City has seen the rise of this new tea culture rooted in tea and cuisine, what about other cities? Has tea left the five boroughs and expanded outwards? I am happy to say yes. This, to me, is the single most exciting development and one that energizes me personally. Tea is finding a new audience globally - a testament to its incredible appeal. in May of this year, I was honored to travel to Mexico City to collaborate with a personal hero of mine, Chef Elena Reygadas of Rosetta . For me, there may be no chef working who presents such a clear and personal vision for hospitality as Chef Elena. Every inch of her restaurant is a celebration of her warm personality. The design, the details down to the glassware and napkins, the painted murals, the plants hanging in the skylights - it’s all Elena. And the food - so inviting, soft, and satisfying while always feeling both nostalgic and new. There is no question why she was voted the World 's Best Female Chef by the World’s Best 50. And what has been so wonderful working alongside Chef Elena, is her intense personal interest in tea. She has seen, from the start, the opportunity for tea to enhance a meal and surprise a guest with a new dimension in flavor, texture, and aroma. And she can coax out the dialogue with tea that overcomes regional boundaries. Her cooking, steeped in traditional Mexican techniques, pairs perfectly with Japanese tea, proof that tea can in fact pair with more than to cuisine the teas origin - remember, champagne can pair perfectly with Sichuan cuisine.
So what lies ahead? Will tea menus be dropped alongside wine lists? Will there be courses on tea included in hospitality programs? Will guests utter the names of esteemed tea producers with the same level of respect as the Vigneron of Burgundy? I am putting my money on it.
Want to experience a tea pairing dinner? Tickets are still available for our next dinner with the Chef Neal Harden at our Kettl Studio.
