Editor's pick
Why we won't scale
The case for staying small. One location, one team, one harvest at a time — and the things you can do at this size that you can't do at any other.
Read the essayNotes from behind the counter
Long-form notes on sourcing, brewing, storage, and the small-business stance. Five years of observation from behind the counter on Lehmweg.
— Editor's pick —
— Sourcing —
Where the tea comes from
Sourcing
The matcha supply crisis
Why finding high-quality Japanese tea is getting harder — and what the €5 of a €7 latte actually pays for.
Sourcing
How supply-chain chaos forced me to become a tea importer overnight
The week the wholesalers stopped delivering, and what it taught me about owning the chain end-to-end.
Sourcing
The hidden factory crisis
Why your matcha now comes in different bags — and why you should care.
Sourcing
The truth about organic matcha
Why the best Japanese matcha sits outside the European organic regime, and what that actually means for what's in your tin.
Sourcing
From New York tea to Hamburg matcha
How a New Yorker ended up importing single-origin matcha to Germany — and what changed once we cut out the middlemen.
Sourcing
What makes a high-grade matcha
Cultivar, harvest, processing, freshness. A buyer's guide to reading a tin before you open it.
— Brewing —
Making the cup
Brewing
Mastering matcha
The home-brewing guide. Water temperature, ratios, whisking technique — the things that actually move the cup.
Brewing
Why whisking matcha fresh matters
What happens to the powder once it's exposed to air — and why a chasen still beats every gadget.
Brewing
Espresso and matcha share more than you think
Two preparations from opposite hemispheres, both built on the same idea: pressure, time, and refusing to compromise on the source.
— Business and craft —
The work behind the counter
Business and craft
Why matcha isn't a trend
Five years behind the counter. The customers who keep coming back are in their sixties — and what that tells you about the difference between a fashion and a habit.
Business and craft
From dishwasher to café owner
Hospitality from the back of house. What washing dishes for a year teaches you that no business school does.
Business and craft
The tyranny of perfect espresso
Why your coffee takes so long, and what we lost when grams and seconds replaced taste as the language behind the bar.
Business and craft
What to order when you have a sweet tooth
For the customer who wants their matcha sweet — what we'll talk you out of, and what we'll happily make instead.
Business and craft
How to implement a professional matcha program
For café owners. The supplier conversations, the equipment, the training, and the price reality of taking matcha seriously behind your bar.