Kettl Tea

Pinnacle Grade Matcha Meets Belgian Chocolate

We first discovered Kettl on a trip to New York several years ago. Feeling dazed after an obligatory visit to the legendary Katz’s Delicatessen, we set off on a post-pastrami constitutional, wandering up the Bowery and looking for a pick-me-up. A few short blocks later, we noticed a handful of people queued up near a small window adorned with an intriguingly minimal sign reading simply, “Fine Japanese Tea,” and we couldn’t resist stopping to see what the fuss was about.

What we found was a tiny, 4-seat tea room and takeaway window, recently opened by a Brooklyn-based Japanese tea wholesaler called Kettl. The idea for Kettl took hold after tea-industry vet Zach Mangan decided to take a solo trip through Japan in 2010, where he realized the freshest and most delicious teas generally stay within Japan's domestic market. Driven by the simple desire to deliver these incredible teas to a wider audience, Zach began a years-long process of developing relationships with several of Japan's most notable tea producers, opened an office in Fukuoka, and the rest is history. Working exclusively with small farmers, Zach buys tea weekly, packages it at his facility in Japan, and ships it to Kettl’s headquarters in Brooklyn.

Working exclusively with small farmers, Zach buys tea weekly, packages it at his facility in Japan, and ships it to Kettl’s headquarters in Brooklyn.

They’ve since closed the tea window in Manhattan, focusing their efforts instead on Kettl’s recently-opened flagship in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Alongside packaged teas, the shop offers a range of beautiful vessels for serving, preparing and drinking tea, curated by Zach’s wife Minami, herself an accomplished ceramicist. The shop also houses a proper tea bar, where customers can taste through Kettl’s entire catalog alongside a small menu of bites and housemade chocolates incorporating tea and developed in partnership with various New York chefs Zach knows thanks to Kettl’s wholesale connections (pro tip: the matcha parfait is a must-order).

It’s those sweets, particularly the chocolate bars, that we’ve developed our own obsession with. Handcrafted using Belgian chocolate and the same pinnacle-grade teas found throughout Kettl’s shop, they offer tantalizing aromatics and a creamy, rich mouthfeel. We’re particularly in love with the bar they make using Houjicha, a type of deeply roasted matcha with complex notes of smoke, nuts, and caramel that pairs exceptionally well with not-too-sweet milk chocolate. It is truly mind blowing, a singular treat and now, finally, available beyond the walls of Kettl’s shop in Brooklyn. Pick one up at Wellspent, unless we’ve eaten them all already.