Listen to the full podcast: https://bit.ly/SKMPLYLE
Most people drink coffee without thinking. Patrick Lyle thinks about everything: the grind size, the mineral content of the water, the pressure curve of an espresso shot. But this conversation isn’t just about better coffee. It’s about craftsmanship, culture, and why founders should never hide from their customers. We break down espresso “soup,” third-wave elitism, and why most cafés get it wrong, then zoom out into Japanese travel, imposter syndrome, and how service itself can be a spiritual practice. Patrick shares how leaving tech, learning Japanese from scratch, and falling in love with Japan led him to build Kyoko Coffee, a mobile café rooted in car culture, hospitality, and intentional community. This episode is about building something real in a world that rewards shortcuts and why the difference between art and propaganda might just be whether you care enough to stay present.
Follow Patrick:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/patricklearns/
\t\t\t\t https://www.instagram.com/kyoko.coffee/
Website: https://kyokocoffee.com/
00:00 Introduction
00:45 Do the Best Coffee Beans Go to Japan?
02:00 Water Chemistry & Why Reverse Osmosis Ruins Coffee
06:30 Why Grind Size Matters More Than Anything
10:45 The Difference Between Deep Drippers & V60
14:30 Simplifying Pour Over (Stop Overthinking It)
18:45 Cupping Coffee & Why It’s Overrated
23:30 Espresso “Soup” & Coffee Experiments
29:50 Japan, Language Learning & Cultural Identity
35:30 The Origin of Kyoko Coffee
41:45 Coffee Elitism & Fixing Café Culture
47:30 Signature Drinks: Tokyo Banana & Ube
52:40 Building Community Through Service
58:30 Founder Energy & Staying in the Business
01:04:30 Travel in Japan Beyond Tokyo & Kyoto
01:08:00 Yamaguchi: Japan’s Hidden Gem
01:12:30 Coffee, Matcha & Creative Expression
01:16:45 Caffeine & The Renaissance Theory
01:17:19: Listen to the Full Episode in Supercast
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