Kettl Brings Back Chef Series Tea with James Kent, Brooklyn

Kettl, the Japanese tea shop based in Brooklyn, has brought back its Chef Series collaboration with chef James Kent. Kettl Chef Series: James Kent, Uji Genmaimatcha first launched in 2021, and this is its return after five years. The timing ties to It Was All a Dream, a docuseries on Kent's legacy told by mentors, mentees and peers. The first episode is already online, and more are due throughout November.

The tea is an Uji genmaimatcha, a blend of roasted rice and matcha. Kent describes the matcha as adding creaminess and the rice a toasted, nutty note. He says he drank it daily through the early pandemic, and he picked it for the collaboration without tasting any alternatives. The blog post republishes a 2021 conversation between Kettl founder Zach Mangan and Kent, covering his New York upbringing, his career path and the cooking at Crown Shy.

It costs $20 and is sold on Kettl's online shop. Kettl also runs two Greenpoint stores, at 70 Greenpoint Avenue and 38 Norman Avenue. The release is a small, personal tribute to a chef with deep roots in the city's restaurant scene.