At Issen Tea Bar, tea asks for time, both literally and figuratively.
Issen is a modern tea salon with a grounded approach that is shaped by Japanese tea master Shinya Sakurai of Souen Sakurai Tea Experience, a tea atelier in Tokyo that blends traditional tea ceremony with contemporary cocktail bar atmosphere. The bar’s tea program and its signature cocktails are curated by Sakurai.
For first-timers, Issen may not be the usual tea or cocktail bar one is accustomed to. You may find yourself slowing down to study the menu of premium tea and signature cocktails, on top of the classics and seasonal offerings. Intentional or not, this moment already serves as a gentle nudge to be unhurried in Issen. In essence, the experience is divided into its considered tea and cocktail offerings. And if time allows, a guided tea-and-cocktail experience is highly recommended.
The single-origin teas themselves are exemplary. Gyokuro from Yame, Fukuoka, is dense with umami, bordering on savoury and broth-like. Organic matcha from Kirishima, Kagoshima, is vivid and velvety, gliding to the back of the tongue before anchoring itself with a satisfying umami bitterness. Bancha from Fujieda, Shizuoka — aged for three years at room temperature — offers a mellow, toasted profile shaped by traditional steaming, kneading, and roasting. Here, time is an ingredient you can taste.
Over at Issen, nothing signals urgency. The room is sparsely decorated, save for a row of Bizen pottery from Okayama prefecture (characterised by its rustic, unglazed finish achieved through long, high-temperature wood firing) displayed on softly lit shelves. Perhaps owing to the intentional nature of the space, calm ambient music and soft diffused lighting, conversations naturally settle to a relaxed chat.
With staff moving quietly behind the bar — brewing tea using an array of Japanese tea ceremony tools, scooping hot water from the kama (a traditional cast-iron kettle) with a hishaku (bamboo ladle), and laying out kyusu, houhin, and shiboridashi teapots for inquisitive drinkers — one feels less inclined to reach for a phone.
Issen shows, with quiet confidence, that tea and alcohol can speak the same language, both anchored in the idea of taking time. In a city accustomed to speed and excess, to partake in Issen feels like a small rebellion.