East of the Bean

Kyoto Koji is the quiet sophisticate of our specialty latte board: hazelnut and amazake folded into a latte. Amazake is Japan’s ancient koji-fermented rice drink — naturally sweet the way malt is sweet, with no sugar added, because the koji has already done the work of turning rice starch into gentle sweetness over centuries of practice.

How we make it

House-toasted hazelnut and amazake are blended into the milk before steaming, so the sweetness is in the texture rather than sitting at the bottom like a syrup slug. The double shot goes in last. The result is nutty, softly sweet, and rounder than any pump syrup could manage.

Why our way is best

Fermentation sweetness is dimensional — it carries umami and grain character along with the sugar, so the drink tastes layered instead of just sweet. Pairing it with hazelnut is the kind of idea you only get by looking past the standard syrup rack. One sip and the vanilla-caramel industrial complex starts looking a little nervous.