New Expressions for the Warm Months Ahead | How we build a Seasonal Menu

Our cafes are designed to reflect the same care and attention that shape the teas we source. From the producers we work closely with to the way each tea is prepared and served, we aim to create an experience that feels thoughtful, grounded, and connected to the people behind the work.This approach carries through every part of our menu.

Rotating tasting counter flights and seasonal beverages are developed collaboratively by our team, many of whom bring a deep personal interest in tea and hospitality to the process. Rather than treating tea as a static product, we see it as something expressive and evolving—shaped by seasonality, preparation, and context.

At the center of our cafe program is a team deeply invested in the craft of hospitality and beverage development. Many of the drinks that become part of our seasonal menus begin as personal ideas—shaped through experimentation, conversation, and a shared desire to express tea in ways that feel thoughtful, balanced, and memorable.

Integral to this process is a commitment to ingredient sourcing. Just as we seek out exceptional teas from producers whose work we deeply respect, we apply the same level of consideration to the ingredients that accompany them.

Whenever possible, our team works with whole ingredients—fresh fruit, herbs, spices, and citrus—preparing components in-house rather than relying on pre-made syrups, concentrates, or flavorings. This approach often requires more time and labor, but it allows us to build beverages with greater clarity, depth, and integrity, ensuring that each ingredient contributes something genuine to the final experience. Through careful sourcing and thoughtful preparation, we aim to create drinks that feel vibrant, balanced, and reflective of the same values that guide our tea program.

Jacob Morgan, Director of Retail at Kettl, has played a defining role in shaping this approach. Before joining Kettl, he spent years working in both specialty coffee and bartending, experiences that sharpened his sensitivity to flavor, texture, aroma, and seasonality. The creativity and precision of those worlds continue to inform his work with tea, and over the past several years, he has led the development of our seasonal cafe beverage program. Drawing from both cocktail methodology and the detail-oriented preparation found in specialty coffee, Jacob creates drinks that elevate the nuance of our teas while remaining lively and approachable. Many of the beverages that have become favorites among both guests and staff emerged through his process of refinement and iteration—from the bright, effervescent Shiso + White Peach Matcha Soda to the floral Sakura Matcha Yuzu-ade and the soft, aromatic Almond + Orange Blossom Matcha Latte of our most recent Greenpoint and Los Feliz spring menus. 

He also curated the tasting counter menu at our matcha-specialty cafe, Kettl Matcha Sen Mon Ten, developing creative beverages such as the Matcha Formats flight, which showcases the depth and individuality of the remarkable matcha offerings we are honored to share.

Team member Bui brings another distinct perspective to the program through years spent in the culinary world, including experience within Michelin-starred restaurants such as Eleven Madison Park and Atomix. Their background cultivated an extraordinary attention to detail around flavor pairing, texture, aroma, and the subtle elements that shape a complete sensory experience.

That sensibility has translated naturally into beverage development at Kettl, where Bui has created some of our most memorable and unexpected seasonal offerings.Seasonal cafe offerings such as Kettl Matcha Sen Mon Ten’s newly-released Summer Melon Fizz and Lychee Sudachi reflect an approach that is both imaginative and deeply considered. Rather than novelty for its own sake, these beverages are built around balance and resonance, using familiar flavors in ways that illuminate new dimensions within the tea itself.

This summer's seasonal menu reflects the breadth of perspectives and creative approaches that shape our beverage program. Available at all three cafés, the Lychee + Sudachi Matcha Soda pairs the floral sweetness of lychee, hibiscus, and elderflower with the vivid citrus character of sudachi, finished with the subtle, aromatic lift of sansho peppercorn. At our Greenpoint and Los Feliz cafés, the Osmanthus + Mango Houjicha Tonic utilizes the tropical flavor of mango to accentuate our Kinmokusei Houjicha, pairing the pine resin-like flavor of unripe mango skin while simultaneously lending to the stone fruit-like aroma of osmanthus. At Kettl Matcha Sen Mon Ten, the Summer Melon Fizz celebrates the fleeting sweetness and fragrance of honeydew melon through a refreshing sparkling preparation designed to highlight the season at its peak, finished with a pandan koji cream that lends gentle sweetness, aromatic complexity, and a creamy texture.

Alongside these beverages, we are pleased to introduce the return of our matcha soft serve, now made entirely from scratch in our Greenpoint café. Developed in collaboration with the team at Unnecessary, who will soon open their new shop on Manhattan's Lower East Side, the recipe reflects a shared commitment to craftsmanship, ingredient quality, and thoughtful hospitality.

One of the most rewarding parts of this work is witnessing how our team members come to life as an idea begins to take shape. Behind every seasonal beverage are countless moments of tasting, adjusting, discussing, and refining—small acts of care that reflect the pride and dedication our team brings to creating experiences for our community. 

We value the attention to detail and enthusiasm that go into this process, and we're grateful to provide a space where people can draw on their backgrounds, skills, and creativity to develop offerings we're proud to share.Each offering reflects countless small decisions around balance, preparation, and ingredient selection, as well as a broader commitment shared by our café team: to create experiences that feel considered, seasonal, and grounded in genuine enthusiasm for tea.