KENOCHAKENOCHA

ICHIGO ITTEKI

Ichigo Itteki — one drop, one encounter

Your day, in one cup.

ORIGIN

One encounter, one drop.

"Ichigo ichie" (一期一会) comes from the Japanese tea ceremony. It means: this meeting happens only once in a lifetime, so offer it your whole heart.

Ichigo Itteki (一期一滴) is a play on those words — "one drop" in place of "one meeting". A drop read for that day, that person and that sky. The weather, your mood, the card and the luck never line up the same way twice, so neither does the cup.

HOW IT WORKS

How a cup comes to be

  1. Answer nine questions

    Scan the QR code at the venue and answer on your phone: hot or iced, leaf tea or matcha, strength, favourite flavours, your mood, today's card, what kind of day it is, and a name. It takes a minute or two.

  2. Your cup is read

    The weather, your mood, the card you drew, and luck. From teas drawn by lot out of the tea chest, two or three are chosen and blended, along with how to brew them and which vessel to use.

  3. A few words of fortune

    Your cup gets its own name and a short fortune that reads where you are today.

  4. The owner brews it

    The owner — a certified Japanese tea instructor — brews your cup in front of you.

  5. Seven questions afterwards

    Tell us about small changes in body and mind, on a scale from 0 to 100.

  6. A record to keep

    Your cup stays on your phone, in a list of "teas you have met".

IN NUMBERS

By the numbers

  1. 42teas

    27 cultivars from 7 growing regions. Whatever is in the tea chest that day can be chosen.

  2. 12,341blends

    Choosing just two or three of the 42 teas already gives this many combinations.

  3. 590,000+cups

    Multiply by the 48 pairings of brewing method (10) and vessel (8) that suit the temperature: 592,368. Count the proportions too, and the number stops making sense.

  4. 318,816answers

    That is how many ways there are to answer the questions — not counting your name.

Even with the same answers, the weather, the luck and the draw from the tea chest make a different cup every time.

That is Ichigo Itteki.

THE PARTNER

The owner's partner

Each cup is worked out by the owner's partner: a recipe system built on the owner's experience and knowledge as a certified Japanese tea instructor, and on a deep understanding of the character of every leaf. It composes a cup from your answers and the day's sky.

The partner proposes; the owner checks and brews. Choosing the leaves, the work of the hands and offering the cup remain human work.

On the menu pages we share only the leading cultivar and the notes layered on it — the recipes stay with us. The cup itself is for enjoying on the day.

AFTER THE CUP

Seven questions after the cup

We never ask "Did you like it?" Instead, we ask about small changes in body and mind, on a scale from 0 to 100.

  1. I feel a little more hopeful about tomorrow
  2. It feels as if a new door has opened
  3. I have one more memory I won't forget
  4. Somewhere in my body, something let go
  5. Time flowed more slowly than usual
  6. I want to tell someone about this cup
  7. I like myself a little more today

See past responses

SCHEDULE

Sessions

Ichigo Itteki runs on KENOCHA's opening days, once or twice a month.

Past sessions