Kurasu Singapore - Specialty Coffee Roasted in Kyoto

Tucked into the ground floor of an HDB block on Waterloo Street, Kurasu Singapore is the local flagship of a Kyoto specialty coffee brand whose name means “to live” or “lifestyle” in Japanese.

Beans are roasted in Japan and flown to Singapore weekly, then brewed to order at a central counter where customers can watch each cup being made. The menu carries no food at all — the focus stays entirely on coffee and a short line of Japanese tea-based drinks, prepared with the same single-origin specificity the brand built its reputation on. What follows are the signature drinks worth ordering, alongside the details behind how Kurasu sources and brews them.

Kurasu began as a Japanese homeware store in Australia before founder Yozo Otsuki opened a retail space in his hometown of Kyoto in 2016, building the brand around both Japanese coffee culture and the equipment used to brew it. That origin still shapes the Singapore outlet. Beans are roasted at the company’s Kyoto roastery and shipped over on a weekly express schedule that takes about two days to arrive, so the coffee poured here is only days removed from roasting. Kurasu also roasts in-house on a Giesen W6 and partners with specialty roasters across Japan, which is why the bean list rotates and often features origins and profiles not commonly seen elsewhere in the city.

The heart of the space is a central preparation counter where baristas brew filter coffee to order by hand. Rather than a quick push-button pour, each cup is made as a deliberate process that customers can watch and ask questions about, and staff routinely walk guests through the bean options and tasting notes before recommending one to suit their preference. The minimalist, Japanese-style interior — pale wood, sofa seating, hushed surroundings — is built around this ritual. A one-hour seating limit keeps the small room turning over during busy periods.

Single Origin Hand Drip — from $8

The hand drip is Kurasu’s defining order and the clearest expression of its weekly-shipped beans. Each cup is brewed from a single origin chosen off a rotating list that has included coffees such as the fruit-forward Fuyu Moe, a Yunnan Dehong from China, and at times a Gesha from Thailand, spanning light to dark roasts. The lighter roasts lean delicate and tea-like, with fruit notes that shift as the coffee cools, so the cup tastes different from first sip to last. Tasting notes are listed for each bean, and because the line-up changes with what has arrived from Japan, the drink rarely reads the same way twice.

Single Origin Cold Brew

The cold brew applies the same single-origin approach to a slow, cold-steeped extraction. Served over ice, it is smoother and rounder than the hot filter, with the bean’s fruitier characteristics coming through cleanly and little of the bitterness associated with iced coffee. It is the easiest entry point for anyone new to lighter-roast specialty coffee, and a common choice in Singapore’s heat.

Flat White

For those who prefer milk-based coffee, the flat white is built on an espresso blend rather than the single-origin filter beans. A Brazil-and-Guatemala blend has featured here, pulling a smooth, full-bodied shot with nutty and chocolatey tones. Where milk coffee elsewhere can turn sharp, Kurasu’s version stays balanced, making it the rounder, more familiar counterpoint to the fruit-driven filter cups.

Matcha Latte

Kurasu’s matcha latte is made with Morihan matcha powder from Kyoto, sourced from one of Japan’s long-established green tea houses. The result is smooth, rich and milky, with a clear, grassy matcha character running through it. It is one of the few non-coffee options on the menu and reflects the same insistence on named Japanese sourcing that defines the bean list.

Hojicha Latte

The hojicha latte rounds out the tea offerings, using roasted Japanese green tea for a toastier, gentler profile than the matcha. The roasting gives it a nutty, caramel-like warmth with very little of matcha’s bitterness, making it the mellowest drink on the menu and a good choice for those who find green tea too astringent.

Matcha Latte Espresso (Dirty Matcha)

Often called a “dirty matcha”, this drink layers a shot of espresso into the Morihan matcha latte. The pairing balances the sweet, earthy matcha against the sharpness of the coffee, so neither side dominates. It is a popular order for anyone wanting both the tea and the caffeine of an espresso in a single glass.

For coffee drinkers who treat the cup as the main event, Kurasu Singapore offers something the city has few of: genuinely Kyoto-sourced beans, roasted in Japan and brewed by hand within days of arriving. Between the rotating single-origin filters and the Morihan tea lattes, it is a quiet, focused stop built entirely around the drink in front of you.

Address: 261 Waterloo Street, #01-24, Singapore 180261
Opening Hours: 10am – 6pm (Mon – Sun)
Email: [email protected]
Website: kurasu.kyoto
Instagram: @kurasusg
Facebook: facebook.com/kurasusg