At COTARU, the soup itself is the star of the show in our soup curry. The ingredients and spices are carefully selected to enhance its flavor. We keep the saltiness to a minimum so you can fully appreciate the umami of the soup. The gentle, layered flavors, rather than being overpowering, will slowly soothe away your travel fatigue. By the time you finish, you'll feel warm from the inside out.

We use about 20 different spices, mainly cumin and coriander. Turmeric and fenugreek add depth, while cinnamon and cardamom add lightness to the aroma. We aim for a simple yet never-tiring taste and aroma, where no single scent is overpowering.

COTARU's spiciness comes from a blend of two types of chili peppers: a highly pungent cayenne pepper and a Korean chili pepper known for its sweetness and umami. The spiciness increases as the flavor intensifies. Since many of our customers are trying soup curry for the first time, we make the spiciness slightly milder than typical soup curry.

We use "Nanatsuboshi" rice from Hokkaido. The grains are firm and don't easily fall apart when scooping soup. It doesn't overpower the aroma of spices and is characterized by its light texture and just the right amount of stickiness. This rice is especially popular with our customers during the new rice season. When cooking the rice, we add a small amount of domestically produced rice oil. By thinly coating the surface of the rice, the grains become easier to separate, making it easier to scoop soup. A subtle aroma is added, resulting in a clean and refreshing finish.

Our shop uses Assam CTC tea leaves from India. These tea leaves are ideal for chai because they brew with a rich, full-bodied flavor. Their elegant aroma and taste pair well with sweet milk tea. We use whole spices instead of powder to avoid a powdery texture. The blend is simple: cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, black pepper, and ginger. If you prefer a more traditional chai, order our chai latte. If you like a stronger chai, order our craft chai.