At Oizumi Kojo in Nishi-Azabu, you can sit back and enjoy a nice cold glass of kombucha, the carbonated, fermented tea that’s made the leap from the organic aisle to cafés around the world.
The folks behind this particular café pride themselves in using premium local ingredients to brew their kombucha (sold under the brand Kombucha Ship), which includes organic Japanese tea as the base. Served fresh from the tap, the drink comes in four basic flavours – original, yuzu, shiso and kuwa (mulberry leaf) – and glasses are ¥800 each.
All the varieties are subtly sweet without an overly fermented taste. The original is soft and reminiscent of white grape, while the yuzu is bright and citrusy. The shiso, made from red shiso leaves, looks like a sparkling rosé and tastes of anise, and the kuwa is bright green and tastes grassy.
The food menu includes plant-based sandwiches (¥400 half, ¥800 whole) and seasonal bowls such as curry and rice (¥1,100), plus a detox soup with naturally leavened bread (¥600). The café also has a small grocery section, selling cold-pressed juices, natural wine, fresh vegetables and condiments, as well as a range of vegan and eco-friendly lifestyle products.
You can also find Oizumi Kojo’s kombucha at the shop’s smaller outlet at Commune in Omotesando.