Coffee jelly desserts & drinks
KOTO JELLY COFFEE
Coffee jelly, through a straw
- Since
- Storefront, December 2024
- In Seattle
- Broadway, Capitol Hill
- From
- Osaka
At the market
Saturday, September 19, 2026 · 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Origins
- Coffee jelly, a fixture of the Japanese kissaten
- Agar, set from seaweed rather than gelatin
- Hojicha, genmaicha, matcha and black tea
New opportunities
- A spoon dessert rebuilt as a drink, light enough to take through a straw
- Agar reintroduced as the plant-based answer Seattle was already looking for
- Product, packaging, photography and store designed as one by the founders
At a glance
KOTO JELLY COFFEE is a dessert beverage brand that brings together Japan's traditional coffee jelly culture and Seattle's renowned coffee scene. Using plant-based agar jelly combined with coffee, matcha, tea, and milk, the brand has reimagined coffee jelly from a dessert eaten with a spoon into a distinctive drinkable experience enjoyed through a straw.
In full
@kotojellycoffeeKOTO JELLY COFFEE was created through a collaboration between two Seattle-based designers and a chef based in Osaka. Rather than simply reproducing the coffee jelly long enjoyed in Japanese cafés, the team has reinterpreted it as a contemporary dessert beverage designed for consumers in Seattle, a city deeply rooted in coffee culture.
At the heart of the brand is a distinctive texture created by combining freshly brewed coffee with agar, a traditional Japanese ingredient derived from seaweed. Unlike the firm chewiness of tapioca pearls or the heaviness of a milkshake, the jelly has a light, delicate texture that gently dissolves in the mouth. Its restrained sweetness allows the flavor of the coffee to remain prominent, while milk, espresso, ice cream, and other additions offer a wide range of flavor combinations.
The use of seaweed-based agar rather than animal-derived gelatin is another defining feature of the brand. It preserves the Japanese origins of the product while naturally aligning with Seattle's strong interest in plant-based and vegan options. In addition to its signature Jelly Coffee, the brand offers varieties made with matcha, black tea, and milk, as well as flavors incorporating hojicha and genmaicha.
The founding members' backgrounds in architecture and interior design also shape the brand's identity. They have developed not only the products, but also the store design, packaging, photography, logo, and overall visual presentation. Rather than introducing Japanese desserts solely as nostalgic cultural items, KOTO JELLY COFFEE presents them as an entirely new category for local customers.
After building a customer following through pop-ups and community events, KOTO JELLY COFFEE opened its first permanent location on Broadway in Seattle in December 2024. By carefully refining its product quality, distinctive texture, and brand environment rather than relying on novelty alone, it has established itself as an emerging dessert brand with a unique point of view rooted in both Japan and Seattle.