KOKO Kawane, a modern tea and matcha-specialty concept, has now arrived at The Star Vista. The new opening is a collaboration between KOKO, a Japanese-style patisserie concept owned and managed by GAIA Group, and Kawane Matcha, a family-run tea farm in Kawane.
KOKO Kawane brings guests closer to the origins of Japanese tea by serving tea grown in Kawane, alongside handcrafted cakes and pastries created by Head Pastry Chef Mei Kubota using Japanese ingredients and French techniques.
KOKO Kawane at The Star Vista
At KOKO Kawane, tea is approached as a ritual rather than simply a drink.
Each order is prepared with deliberate, controlled movements that invite guests to slow down and observe the transformation from leaf to cup.
Designed as a serene sanctuary, KOKO Kawane pairs soft, warm interior lighting with natural light streaming through floor-to-ceiling windows.
The intimate 15-seat atelier features organic, flowing counter and table curves inspired by the undulating terrain of Kawane’s mountain tea farms.
Guests can watch the tea baristas whisk and mill tea in real time, explore the curated retail shelf, or view handcrafted pastries at the showcase.
An interactive tea station invites visitors to learn more about the process of tea harvesting and view samples of selected tea.
The key feature in the store is a custom 3D landscape model of the Ohashi family home and surrounding tea fields, providing an immersive focal point and photo backdrop for drink placements.
Drinks Menu: Experience Kawane Tea
The drinks menu offers several ways to experience Kawane tea. This include matcha whisked traditionally with water to cold-whisked, milk-based lattes.
There are different cultivars and blends offered across the various preparations, allowing guests to explore how the tea’s flavour and character change depending on how it is served.
Guests choosing a matcha latte can select from three expressions.
The single-origin Okumidori (S$13.50) is made from one tea cultivar and has a full-bodied flavour, pronounced umami and a naturally sweet finish.
The signature Soemon Blend (S$12.50) combines Okumidori, Tsuyuhikari and Yabukita cultivars with other first-flush tea leaves, producing a creamy, silky matcha with notes of dashi, nut butter and cream.
The House Blend (S$8.50) offers a lighter and more refreshing profile that balances umami with gentle bitterness.
A medium-roast Hojicha Latte (S$8) is also available, with warm notes of hazelnut, malt and light cocoa.
All lattes may be served hot or cold with dairy or oat milk, at no additional charge.
The lattes are sweetened with raw cane sugar by default, although guests may request them without sugar.
Raw cane sugar is chosen because it retains some of the natural character of sugar cane and provides a rounded sweetness that complements the floral and umami notes of the tea without overwhelming them.
KOKO Kawane also serves usucha, meaning “thin tea”, in which matcha is whisked directly with water. Guests can choose between Tsuyuhikari, a crisp and refreshing matcha with subtle sweetness, and Okumidori, which has a deeper umami character and smooth finish. Both are priced at S$7 and may be enjoyed hot or cold.
The dine-in Usucha Flight (S$17) presents Tsuyuhikari, Soemon Blend and Okumidori, allowing guests to sample three different types of matcha side by side.
The menu also includes Karigane Hojicha, roasted from premium tea stems, stalks and leaves for a gentle and fragrant cup, and Kasuga Hojicha, a fuller leaf-roasted tea with deeper caramel and nutty notes.
For those who prefer a clear cup, Fukamushi Sencha undergoes a longer steaming process that breaks down the leaves further, producing a fuller-bodied tea with less bitterness and a smooth, rounded mouthfeel.
Pastries Inspired by the Landscape of Kawane
The pastry collection draws its flavours and visual identity from Kawane’s fields, harvests and natural surroundings.
Midoba (S$10) takes the form of a fresh tea leaf and layers almond sponge with matcha crémeux, raspberry jam and matcha crunch. Encased in matcha chocolate and a hazelnut coating, it is finished with matcha and raspberry ganache, with delicate “dew drops” on top reminiscent of the fresh spring harvest. Inspired by the matured autumn tea harvest,
Kohaku (S$10) features hojicha almond sponge, hojicha crémeux, hazelnut praline and passionfruit jam on a hazelnut crunch base, finished with hojicha chocolate and ganache.
Kirizakura (S$12) is shaped as a white cherry blossom in reference to the morning mist that settles over Kawane’s mountain tea fields. Light hojicha mousse surrounds a peach compote centre, set over hojicha almond sponge and black sesame crunch.
Inspired by the colours of twilight over the shaded fields, Akane (S$12) pairs coconut mousse with mango compote, matcha crémeux and matcha sponge.
KOKO Kawane’s signature dessert, Hisui (S$14), combines matcha mousse with hazelnut praline crunch, strawberry jam and matcha sponge.
Guests can also explore traditional tea and confectionery pairings known as ochagashi, in which a small sweet is selected to complement the flavour of the tea. The Tsuyuhikari pairing is served with Akane, while the Okumidori pairing is accompanied by Kohaku. Each pairing is priced at S$15.
KOKO Kawane
Where: #01-02, The Star Vista, 1 Vista Exchange Green, Singapore 138617
Opening Hours: Daily from 10 am to 9 pm, with last orders at 8.30 pm.
Website: www.kokokawane.sg
