Fukujuen Kyoto Honten ★ 4.2
A six-floor Uji-tea house on Shijo-dori, Kyoto. Tea blending in the basement classroom, a soba-and-matcha lunch on the second, hojicha creme brulee on top.
Signature drink: Single-estate matcha
Kagizen Yoshifusa is a cafe in Gion, Kyoto.
An 18th-century wagashi maker on Shijo-dori with a tatami tea room behind the storefront. Tsukimi rabbit jellies and the most quoted kuzukiri in Kyoto.
Address: Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto 605-0073, Japan
A six-floor Uji-tea house on Shijo-dori, Kyoto. Tea blending in the basement classroom, a soba-and-matcha lunch on the second, hojicha creme brulee on top.
Signature drink: Single-estate matcha
A modern matcha cafe and tasting room on Sanjo-dori, Kyoto. Matcha and hojicha by farm, plus the city's best Kyoto-style cold milk-matcha programme.
Signature drink: Kyoto-style iced matcha latte
Alt. in Nakagyo in Kyoto is a one-woman specialty coffee shop, ex-dietician owner roasting her own beans, daily batch brew and a single counter inside.
Signature drink: Single-origin batch brew
Order: Daily batch brew of the rotating single origin on the chalk board.
Tip: Six seats; the owner roasts and pours. Closed Tuesdays. Cash and IC card only.
A husband-and-wife cafe near Ichijoji in north Kyoto, with a no-laptops policy. Weekenders beans on the pour-over and homemade cakes refreshed daily.
Signature drink: Weekenders blend pour-over
An espresso bar and Smart Car showroom in Okazaki, Kyoto, beside the National Museum of Modern Art. Single O Japan and And Coffee Roasters on rotation.
Signature drink: Single O Japan pour-over
Australian-style espresso steps from Fushimi Inari's main torii gate in Kyoto. Flat whites and a sister cafe by the pond at the foot of Mount Inariyama.
Signature drink: Australian-style flat white