BLUE BOTTLE STUDIO - KYOTO -
BLUE BOTTLE STUDIO - KYOTO -
Blue Bottle Studio embodies what we believe to be the ultimate coffee experience today.
Created under the creative direction of our founder, James Freeman,
and developed in collaboration with Benjamin Brewer, Senior Director of Global Coffee Experience,
this project represents a new expression of coffee at Blue Bottle.
The first chapter of this global initiative opened on the second floor of Blue Bottle Coffee Kyoto Cafe Hanare.
Set within a renovated 100-year-old traditional Kyoto machiya townhouse,
the lounge offers an intimate, five-seat, reservation-only setting
where guests can enjoy a thoughtfully curated coffee course.
We invite you to experience the culmination of James’s creative vision—an immersive coffee journey crafted with
meticulous attention to detail—at Blue Bottle Studio - Kyoto -.
Blue Bottle Studio operates seasonally in spring and autumn and is available by reservation only.
The Spring 2026 season will run from Wednesday, April 1 to Monday, May 18.
Reservations for Spring 2026 are now open.
For the Spring 2026 season, Blue Bottle Studio presents a course themed “Future of Coffee.”
Rather than focusing on Arabica—the most widely distributed species in specialty coffee—we turn our attention to lesser-known varieties such as Liberica and Excelsa, exploring their untapped potential and distinctive character.
The course consists of six beverages and three sweets.
Highlights include our original iced drink trio—“Leaf, Flower, Cherry”—crafted using the coffee plant’s leaves, blossoms, and fruit flesh to reveal refreshing and unexpected dimensions of coffee rarely experienced.
Guests will also enjoy a special instant coffee, “Soluble,” as well as a three-coffee flight featuring exceptionally rare single-origin selections sourced from around the world.
Midway through the experience, the course shifts to menus inspired by the Japanese kissaten culture that deeply influenced James.
Reinterpreting coffee’s past and history through a contemporary lens, these offerings express coffee’s enduring charm in new and thoughtful ways.
We also present carefully crafted sweets designed to create harmony and contrast with the coffees.
Served as a palate cleanser midway through the course, “KOHAKU” brings together the gentle sweetness and delicate acidity of pineapple, layered with the refreshing notes of basil and the bright citrus aroma of lime.
Inspired by the tropical character of the coffee’s origin, it invites a deeper appreciation of the flavors that follow.
Within the renovated 100-year-old machiya setting, we invite you to experience unique and exceptional coffees selected with a forward-looking perspective by James Freeman and Benjamin Brewer.
We look forward to welcoming you.
Blue Bottle Studio - Kyoto -
64 Nanzenji Kusakawa-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto
2F, Kyoto Cafe Hanare
Access: Approximately 7 minutes on foot from Keage Station (Tozai Subway Line)
All seats require advance reservation.
Seating: 5 counter seats
Reservations are available for up to five guests per session.