Visiting Shirakawa Uji with Koto Tea Space

About this episode

The episode features a conversation about matcha production and business strategies with guests from Koto Tea Space.

Ryan and Zongjun (Sam) in conversation in Kyoto alongside khun Pop and Yusuke-san of Koto Tea Space in Bangkok after visiting Tsuji-san, one of Japan's most decorated matcha producers. The conversation goes deep on fertilization science, soil mineral dynamics, and why Tsuji-san sends individual tea leaves to a lab at enormous cost. His words sum it up well: you cannot make great matcha without science. The second half covers how Koto Tea Space built a Bangkok audience for high-grade matcha by never serving a latte, and how Yusuke-san trains his staff well beyond what they share with customers. A huge thank you to khun Pop and Yusuke-san for the invitation! We are incredibly grateful for the learning opportunity. https://kototeaspace.com/ IG: @kototeaspace https://maps.app.goo.gl/pQLYXNuffxTa8HP98

People in this episode

Hosts: Ryan, Zongjun (Sam)

Guests: khun Pop, Yusuke-san

Topics covered

• matcha production
• fertilization science
• soil mineral dynamics
• tea culture
• business strategy
• training staff

Keywords

• matcha
• fertilization science
• soil dynamics
• Koto Tea Space
• Kyoto
• Bangkok
• Tsuji-san
• high-grade matcha

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Koto Tea Space

Places: Kyoto, Bangkok, Japan

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