KŌSA, the restaurant inside Ace Hotel Kyoto, will serve a winter-only "KŌSA Afternoon Tea" from December 1, 2026 (Tuesday), created in collaboration with Takesumi Kobo Sandaime Dentoku (竹炭工房 三代目伝徳). It is the second installment of "Craftsman × KŌSA Afternoon Tea," a series that teams up with craftspeople and producers working in food and making in the Kansai region, season by season. The tea incorporates bamboo charcoal carefully made in a house more than 100 years old in Ayabe, Kyoto Prefecture, offering a moment of handcrafted warmth as the cold deepens.
About the "Craftsman × KŌSA Afternoon Tea" Series
Since opening, KŌSA has worked with producers in Kansai, centered on Kyoto, and has used seasonal ingredients grown in each area in its daily cooking. Building on the relationships it has formed, the series presents the land, handiwork, and stories behind each producer in the form of afternoon tea.
The first installment took rice as its theme. It is an autumn-only afternoon tea made generously with rice, glutinous rice, and rice flour from Kobatake Farm (コバタケファーム) in Nantan, Kyoto Prefecture, and is available through November 30 (Monday). KŌSA plans to welcome a different theme and craftsman each season, introducing the food culture and craftsmanship found across Kansai through its own perspective.
The Craftsman Behind the Second Installment
Sandaime Dentoku is a bamboo charcoal kiln in Ayabe, Kyoto Prefecture, with a workshop in a house more than 100 years old. Its third-generation owner, Mr. Iwasaki (岩崎巧), is a craftsman registered under the "Kyoto Prefecture Traditional Skills of Farming, Mountain, and Fishing Villages" (京都府農山漁村伝承技能) as an outstanding traditional artisan in the prefecture.
Using only Kyoto-grown moso bamboo and lighting the kiln on new moon and full moon days, a family of four makes bamboo charcoal in step with the rhythms of nature. Every stage is done with care by hand, from cutting the bamboo, splitting it, and removing the nodes to preparing the material, packing the kiln, firing, and unloading. Behind this lies a commitment to "the warmth of handmade work" and "the breath of people." KŌSA deeply shared this approach, which is how the collaboration came about.
Website: https://www.takesumi-dentoku.com/
Theme: Winter Warmth and Charcoal
The theme of this afternoon tea is "winter warmth and charcoal." The whole tea expresses a moment gathered around a fireplace and the warmth of quietly glowing charcoal fire. Bamboo charcoal and bamboo charcoal powder from Sandaime Dentoku are used in both the sweets and the savories, bringing out the color and aroma of charcoal while reflecting the nature and handwork behind it in each dish. The tea serves up the scene of a winter fire and the warmth born of a maker's hands through KŌSA's own free-spirited ideas.
The tea layers the many faces charcoal shows, starting from Sandaime Dentoku's bamboo charcoal: the "black" that recalls the night sky, the "aroma" of charcoal fire, the quietly glowing "embers," and the "ash" left after burning. Together they form a winter landscape unique to KŌSA.
KŌSA Afternoon Tea Details
- Venue: KŌSA (pronounced "Kōsa"), 3F, Ace Hotel Kyoto (245-2 Kurumayacho, Nakagyo Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture)
- Period: From December 1, 2026 (Tuesday)
- Price: ¥6,000 (tax and service charge included)
- Reservations: https://x.gd/An5sw
Menu
Welcome Drink
Yuzuan
Clarified Japanese pear juice / reduced-pressure distilled hojicha water / grilled Mizuo yuzu / bamboo charcoal powder / kuromoji-scented coconut oil
The black of the bamboo charcoal stands in for the winter night sky, and white coconut oil scented with Kyoto-grown kuromoji depicts falling snow. The clear sweetness of Japanese pear and the warmth of hojicha are layered with the vivid aroma of grilled Mizuo yuzu, for a refreshing taste. The drink contrasts a substantial look with a refreshing flavor. The coconut oil on the surface begins to melt the moment it touches the lips, leaving the woody afterglow of a winter forest.
Savory
Burdock Soup
Seasonal winter burdock simmered slowly in a kelp and mushroom bouillon, accented with bamboo charcoal and black sesame.
Ajiwai Chicken Galantine
A flavorful charcuterie piece with bamboo charcoal powder and the aroma of bamboo charcoal applied to the skin, slowly baked at low temperature together with a mushroom stuffing.
Pork and Yuzu Rillettes With Bamboo Charcoal Petits Choux
Kyoto Pork braised until tender and flavored with the aroma of yuzu to make rillettes, served with bamboo charcoal choux shells.
Charred Cauliflower With Bamboo Charcoal and Yuzu Olive Oil Sauce
A warm salad of cauliflower scented with bamboo charcoal smoked water, roasted in a high-temperature oven until fragrant.
Baked Squid Ink Risotto With Squid Fritter
A baked risotto made with squid ink and bamboo charcoal, served with a fritter of squid (maika) coated in rice flour and fried.
Sweets
Smoked Financier
A financier that takes on the rich smoky aroma of Lapsang souchong, a tea smoked over pine needles, to express the atmosphere of charcoal-fire smoke.
Embers Chocolate
A sweet-tart jelly scented with red wine, cassis, and spices, wrapped in chocolate mousse for a deep flavor. It was inspired by hot wine enjoyed beside a fireplace.
Bamboo Charcoal Tiramisu
A white chocolate-flavored tiramisu with a yuzu Basque cheesecake tucked inside bamboo charcoal meringue and crumble.
Bamboo Charcoal Langue de Chat With Yuzu Butter Sandwich
Langue de chat made with bamboo charcoal, sandwiched with refreshing yuzu-flavored buttercream, for a contrast between look and taste.
Yuzukan
Yuzu combined with Sauternes, a wine with a rich sweetness, to bring out the elegant natural sweetness of the ingredients in a refreshing dessert.
Farmers Market at KŌSA
KŌSA will also hold a "Farmers Market" featuring seasonal ingredients. The previous market was busy with many visitors and well received, with some products selling out soon after it began. This time, the lineup brings together autumn flavors fitting for the harvest season. As before, Higuchi Farm (樋口農園), which has been farming in Takagamine, Kita Ward, for 400 years, and 369 Shoten (369商店), which buys and sells mainly organic items and organic vegetables, will take part.
Visitors can enter KŌSA freely on the day, so those who only want to shop are welcome. A buffet using seasonal ingredients from the vendors at the event is also available, letting guests taste the bounty of Kyoto while learning about the makers' thinking.
- Date and time: Sunday, November 15, 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM
- Reservations: https://x.gd/5qcdr
- Price: ¥6,000 per person (tax and service charge included). Market admission is free.
About KŌSA
KŌSA takes its name from a plant name, and the dining space, full of lively exchange, draws on Ace Hotel Kyoto's concepts of the "crossing (kōsa) of East and West" and the "crossing (kōsa) of people." The main dining room on the hotel's third floor seats 118, including private dining rooms and a bar counter.
Under the concept of a "Modern Kyoto Steakhouse," KŌSA features a selection of wagyu, including Kobe beef and Kyoto beef, and seasonal Kyoto vegetables, with menus that add a light, seasonal sensibility to the appeal of a traditional steakhouse. Alongside meat dishes made with Kobe beef and Kyoto beef, vegetarian dishes that bring out the appeal of Kyoto vegetables are also available. A collaboration program welcoming guest chefs throughout the year is planned as well.
