The brand has quickly gained the attention of sommeliers, finding itself on the list in 120 Michelin-starred restaurants globally, and now the pair are looking to increase its presence in the world’s best bars.

Drinks International caught up with the founders to hear about how the duo turned a frustration into a product that feels at home in the world of haute cuisine.

DI: What were your motivations for creating Saicho, and how did you go about developing the product?

NC: Saicho grew out of a very personal moment. I have an alcohol intolerance, and in fine dining settings, I was often left with very limited options. On one occasion, while Charlie was guided through a series of wines, each thoughtfully paired with the food, I was offered little more than tap water. That contrast prompted us to question why there was no non-alcoholic option with the same depth, provenance, and role at the table.

I grew up in Hong Kong, where tea is the quiet heart of every meal, so it felt like the natural answer. Tea is one of the most complex ingredients on earth, expressing terroir, seasonality, and craftsmanship in much the same way as wine. The challenge was unlocking that in a form that could hold its own in a Michelin-starred setting.

CWS: We began by sourcing exceptional single origin teas from Darjeeling, Fujian, and Shizuoka, building relationships with growers and understanding the nuances of each origin. From there, the focus turned to extraction. Cold brewing became fundamental, as it allows delicate aromatics to be drawn out while keeping bitterness and astringency in check, resulting in a more refined and balanced profile.

Each tea is cold-brewed for 24 hours, then balanced with grape juice and a touch of acidity before being gently carbonated. The process was highly iterative, involving extensive trials to achieve the right balance, always with the intention of honouring the tea rather than obscuring it.

DI: By beginning with a complex but alcohol-free base ingredient, does that give you more scope for creativity and variety?

NC: Absolutely, and that is exactly the distinction we would draw. Tea is not a reduced or engineered base; it already contains extraordinary natural complexity. It carries terroir, seasonality, and the accumulated knowledge of tea masters. When you begin with an ingredient like that, the role of development is not to construct flavour, but to reveal and refine what is already there.

CWS: Each of our expressions is built around a single origin tea, so the flavour profile is shaped by geography, altitude, harvest timing, and processing, in the same way a great wine reflects its vineyard.

These are not flavours we add; they are intrinsic to the tea itself. That gives us a very different kind of creative scope. Instead of building from scratch, we are curating and expressing the diversity of tea, which continues to expand as we discover new origins and producers that meet the quality we are looking for.

DI: Who is the Saicho drinker? Are your customers generally non-drinkers?

CWS: Not at all, and this is perhaps the most common misconception about us. The majority of people drinking Saicho are not non-drinkers. They are curious, flavour-driven individuals who might enjoy a glass of wine alongside Saicho, or simply choose to drink less on a particular evening without compromising the quality of their experience. Our presence in over 120 Michelin-starred restaurants across 25 countries illustrates this: the guest choosing Saicho is at the same table as everyone else, engaging with food and drink with equal intention.

DI: How have bartenders taken to Saicho, and do you see an opportunity in cocktails?

CWS: Bartenders have been some of our most enthusiastic advocates, which has been a very welcome surprise. Those who truly engage with Saicho understand it as an ingredient: it has genuine tannin structure, acidity, and flavour complexity that behaves intriguingly in a glass. Our Hojicha, for example, has roasted, umami-forward depth that pairs beautifully with whisky in a highball format. The Japanese cultural overlap makes it an almost instinctive pairing, and bartenders working in that space have been immediately receptive.

NC: The champagne cocktail angle is equally compelling. Saicho provides the structure these drinks rely on, effervescence, dryness, and aromatic lift, while introducing entirely new flavour dimensions. For bartenders looking to offer something genuinely different on a menu, rather than simply a non-alcoholic version of an existing drink, Saicho opens up new creative territory. We are increasingly focused on building these bar relationships and see huge potential in the on-trade as bartenders and sommeliers discover what the ingredient can do.