{"id":201476,"date":"2025-10-03T00:59:54","date_gmt":"2025-10-02T22:59:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.comunicaffe.com\/?p=201476"},"modified":"2025-10-03T10:56:13","modified_gmt":"2025-10-03T08:56:13","slug":"position-about-matcha-drink-dritan-alsela","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comunicaffe.com\/position-about-matcha-drink-dritan-alsela\/","title":{"rendered":"Dritan Alsela explains his strong position about Matcha: “I have nothing against it, but for me, coffee houses are about coffee”"},"content":{"rendered":"

DUSSELDORF – The initiative<\/a> that Dritan Alsela<\/strong> – he runs three coffee houses in D\u00fcsseldorf, he owns a roastery, a barista school, and an online shop, employing 80 people – have adopted for his coffee shop, which has gone viral: \u201cbanning\u201d customers from drinking Matcha<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

This is undoubtedly a unique stance,which has been the subject of much debate among the entire community of enthusiasts and professionals. Dritan Alsesa agreed to be interviewed to clarify his position<\/strong> regarding Matcha and coffee culture.<\/p>\n

Dritan Alsela, his own truth<\/h3>\n

Your post in which you decided to exclude matcha from your service caused quite a stir: can you explain your position on this product?<\/h3>\n
\"\"
The message (photo granted)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“I have nothing against Matcha itself<\/strong>, and certainly nothing against people who drink it \u2013 especially where it is part of culture, like in Japan. But here in Europe, it has turned into pure marketing and lifestyle hype. For me, coffee houses are about coffee<\/strong>. Coffee has hundreds of years of history. It built coffee houses \u2013 places where people meet, talk, think, and share ideas. Matcha does not belong in that tradition. That\u2019s why I decided not to offer it in my roastery.”<\/p>\n

Can\u2019t matcha coexist with specialty coffee in a specialized coffee shop like yours?<\/h3>\n

“Of course, I could put it on the menu \u2013 but that goes against my philosophy. A roastery is for coffee, not for every trend that comes along. \u201cCoexistence\u201d sounds nice<\/strong>, but in the end, it waters down the concept. I want to stay clear: this is a coffee roastery, not a trend house.”<\/p>\n

Isn\u2019t it counterproductive to exclude an ingredient like matcha, which is definitely a trend for coffee shops around the world?<\/h3>\n

“If you think only in business terms, yes \u2013 you could make money with it. But my roastery was never built on trends<\/strong>, it was built on honesty, quality, and clarity. I\u2019d rather lose some customers and stay true to myself than sell out for hype. Coffee houses are not supposed to be \u201ceverything houses.\u201d<\/p>\n

Why do consumers insist on asking for matcha, given that it often has a less than optimal flavour?<\/h3>\n

“I think for many people, ordering matcha isn\u2019t only about the flavour \u2013 it\u2019s also about the lifestyle it represents. It\u2019s seen as a healthy, modern, and visually appealing drink, and that makes it attractive. Of course, the taste can be challenging or acquired for some<\/strong>, but the cultural and aesthetic value play a big role in its popularity I think.”<\/p>\n

Matcha also poses a problem in terms of supply: is it also a responsible choice not to buy it in bulk?<\/h3>\n
\"\"
Inside the coffee shop (photo granted)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“Yes. I think we have to be careful not to artificially blow up demand and create industries just to feed hype. Coffee already has a huge responsibility in the supply chain<\/strong> \u2013 farmers, families, entire communities depend on it. I respect that work. Buying Matcha just to tick a \u201ctrend box\u201d would not be authentic, and not responsible.”<\/p>\n

Do you have any alternative products to Matcha to diversify your menu?<\/h3>\n

“Yes \u2013 and the alternative is called coffee. Espresso, cappuccino, latte, macchiato \u2013 the world of coffee already has endless variety. And if someone insists on something \u201cdifferent,\u201d well\u2026 we even offer oat milk. That\u2019s already a big compromise for us<\/strong>, and our version of being flexible.”<\/p>\n

How do you see the future of this market? Is it destined to deflate?<\/h3>\n

“Like every trend: it will rise, it will fade. Maybe it lasts a few years, maybe longer. But coffee stays. Coffee isn\u2019t fashion, coffee is cultur<\/strong>e. That\u2019s why I don\u2019t waste energy on trends that come and go.”<\/p>\n

How closely is matcha linked to the other strong trend in plant-based drinks?<\/h3>\n

“Yes, Matcha is often mixed with oat, soy, or almond milk \u2013 it fits perfectly into the lifestyle image. Plant-based milk I respect:<\/strong> it\u2019s a real consumer choice, and we also offer it in our coffee. But Matcha riding on that wave is just more marketing. And let\u2019s be honest: we already went far enough by putting oat milk on our menu \u2013 that\u2019s our big concession.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

DUSSELDORF – The initiative that Dritan Alsela – he runs three coffee houses in D\u00fcsseldorf, he owns a roastery, a barista school, and an online shop, employing 80 people – have adopted for his coffee shop, which has gone viral: \u201cbanning\u201d customers from drinking Matcha. This is undoubtedly a unique stance,which has been the subject […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1233,"featured_media":201510,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[107628,7037,9,107288,8125],"tags":[108972,26796],"class_list":{"0":"post-201476","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-coffee-chains","8":"category-espresso-based-coffee-beverages","9":"category-exclusive-breaking-news","10":"category-interviews-opinions","11":"category-large-scale-small-scale-coffee-roasters","12":"tag-dritan-alsela","13":"tag-matcha"},"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","yoast_head":"\nDritan Alsela explains his strong position about Matcha<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Dritan Alsela: "Like every trend: it will rise, it will fade. Maybe it lasts a few years, maybe longer. But coffee stays"\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.comunicaffe.com\/position-about-matcha-drink-dritan-alsela\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Dritan Alsela explains his strong position about Matcha: "I have nothing against it, but for me, coffee houses are about coffee"\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Dritan Alsela: "Like every trend: it will rise, it will fade. Maybe it lasts a few years, maybe longer. But coffee stays"\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.comunicaffe.com\/position-about-matcha-drink-dritan-alsela\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Comunicaffe International\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-10-02T22:59:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-10-03T08:56:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.comunicaffe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Dritan-Alsela-photo-granted.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"640\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"960\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"desk2\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"desk2\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.comunicaffe.com\/position-about-matcha-drink-dritan-alsela\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.comunicaffe.com\/position-about-matcha-drink-dritan-alsela\/\",\"name\":\"Dritan Alsela explains his strong position about Matcha\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.comunicaffe.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.comunicaffe.com\/position-about-matcha-drink-dritan-alsela\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.comunicaffe.com\/position-about-matcha-drink-dritan-alsela\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.comunicaffe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Dritan-Alsela-photo-granted.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-10-02T22:59:54+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-10-03T08:56:13+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.comunicaffe.com\/#\/schema\/person\/046742f9a260a386ea8207915c74556f\"},\"description\":\"Dritan Alsela: \\\"Like every trend: it will rise, it will fade. Maybe it lasts a few years, maybe longer. But coffee stays\\\"\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.comunicaffe.com\/position-about-matcha-drink-dritan-alsela\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.comunicaffe.com\/position-about-matcha-drink-dritan-alsela\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.comunicaffe.com\/position-about-matcha-drink-dritan-alsela\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.comunicaffe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Dritan-Alsela-photo-granted.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.comunicaffe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Dritan-Alsela-photo-granted.jpg\",\"width\":640,\"height\":960,\"caption\":\"Dritan Alsela (photo granted)\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.comunicaffe.com\/position-about-matcha-drink-dritan-alsela\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.comunicaffe.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Dritan Alsela explains his strong position about Matcha: “I have nothing against it, but for me, coffee houses are about coffee”\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.comunicaffe.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.comunicaffe.com\/\",\"name\":\"Comunicaffe International\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.comunicaffe.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.comunicaffe.com\/#\/schema\/person\/046742f9a260a386ea8207915c74556f\",\"name\":\"desk2\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.comunicaffe.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/63374e674151e2ded013788be23e9a711189fbad8cd26274bfab0d737c6c16a5?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/63374e674151e2ded013788be23e9a711189fbad8cd26274bfab0d737c6c16a5?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"desk2\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.comunicaffe.com\/author\/mezzapenna\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Dritan Alsela explains his strong position about Matcha","description":"Dritan Alsela: \"Like every trend: it will rise, it will fade. Maybe it lasts a few years, maybe longer. But coffee stays\"","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.comunicaffe.com\/position-about-matcha-drink-dritan-alsela\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Dritan Alsela explains his strong position about Matcha: \"I have nothing against it, but for me, coffee houses are about coffee\"","og_description":"Dritan Alsela: \"Like every trend: it will rise, it will fade. Maybe it lasts a few years, maybe longer. But coffee stays\"","og_url":"https:\/\/www.comunicaffe.com\/position-about-matcha-drink-dritan-alsela\/","og_site_name":"Comunicaffe International","article_published_time":"2025-10-02T22:59:54+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-10-03T08:56:13+00:00","og_image":[{"width":640,"height":960,"url":"https:\/\/www.comunicaffe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Dritan-Alsela-photo-granted.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"desk2","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"desk2","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.comunicaffe.com\/position-about-matcha-drink-dritan-alsela\/","url":"https:\/\/www.comunicaffe.com\/position-about-matcha-drink-dritan-alsela\/","name":"Dritan Alsela explains his strong position about Matcha","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.comunicaffe.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.comunicaffe.com\/position-about-matcha-drink-dritan-alsela\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.comunicaffe.com\/position-about-matcha-drink-dritan-alsela\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.comunicaffe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Dritan-Alsela-photo-granted.jpg","datePublished":"2025-10-02T22:59:54+00:00","dateModified":"2025-10-03T08:56:13+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.comunicaffe.com\/#\/schema\/person\/046742f9a260a386ea8207915c74556f"},"description":"Dritan Alsela: \"Like every trend: it will rise, it will fade. Maybe it lasts a few years, maybe longer. But coffee stays\"","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.comunicaffe.com\/position-about-matcha-drink-dritan-alsela\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.comunicaffe.com\/position-about-matcha-drink-dritan-alsela\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.comunicaffe.com\/position-about-matcha-drink-dritan-alsela\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.comunicaffe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Dritan-Alsela-photo-granted.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.comunicaffe.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Dritan-Alsela-photo-granted.jpg","width":640,"height":960,"caption":"Dritan Alsela (photo granted)"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.comunicaffe.com\/position-about-matcha-drink-dritan-alsela\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.comunicaffe.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Dritan Alsela explains his strong position about Matcha: “I have nothing against it, but for me, coffee houses are about coffee”"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.comunicaffe.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.comunicaffe.com\/","name":"Comunicaffe International","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.comunicaffe.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.comunicaffe.com\/#\/schema\/person\/046742f9a260a386ea8207915c74556f","name":"desk2","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.comunicaffe.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/63374e674151e2ded013788be23e9a711189fbad8cd26274bfab0d737c6c16a5?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/63374e674151e2ded013788be23e9a711189fbad8cd26274bfab0d737c6c16a5?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"desk2"},"url":"https:\/\/www.comunicaffe.com\/author\/mezzapenna\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comunicaffe.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/201476","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comunicaffe.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comunicaffe.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comunicaffe.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1233"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comunicaffe.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=201476"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.comunicaffe.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/201476\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comunicaffe.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/201510"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comunicaffe.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=201476"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comunicaffe.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=201476"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comunicaffe.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=201476"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}