At Matcha Kobo, the drink is treated with extreme reverence. Four Japanese ishi usu (stone mills) sit at the centre of the 90-seat venue. The mills grind tea leaves into matcha powder at a painstakingly slow pace, each mill taking 24 hours to produce one kilogram (enough to make about 300 cups of the drink).

All the matcha used at the cafe is milled on-site, with fresh batches harvested twice daily. It’s strictly ceremonial grade, sourced from tea farms in Uji, Kyoto.

Each cup is made to order using a traditional chawan (ceramic bowl) and chasen (bamboo whisk), and takes two to three minutes to prepare. The drinks menu includes matcha, hojicha and genmaicha, and more creative drinks such as a matcha and yuzu soda.

Desserts lean on French patisserie techniques but use a Japanese flavour profile. The signature is the triple matcha tart. Plus, everything – including the mochi, hojicha spread and red bean paste – is made in-house.