By Leah Williams

Instead of waiting for their orders by the pick-up counter, customers of Constance Tea & Matcha often flock to the back of the studio, where three granite stone mills are actively grinding tencha leaves into the fine green powder that will fill their drinks. At most cafes in the U.S., this step is done thousands of miles away, but at Constance, it happens just 20 feet from the register.

When Bill Tiet and his cousin Ryan Tiet opened their doors at the end of May, they became the first and only cafe on the West Coast to use traditional Japanese stone mills, called Ishi Usu, to freshly grind tencha leaves into matcha in-house. Each 50 pound mill must spin at an incredibly slow pace to avoid scorching the delicate leaves, producing only 30 grams of matcha per hour, enough for less than a dozen lattes.

Serving matcha just moments after it is milled is an experience usually only available in Japan. Committed to making their product as fresh as possible, Constance is introducing this tradition to San Francisco.

“Fresh, fresh matcha,” Bill said. “It’s an experience you can’t just get anywhere. We wanted to bring that experience to SF so people don’t have to travel all the way to Japan. We want to pique interest. Make it accessible.”

This dedication to milling comes at the cost of a limited quantity. The rhythm of the studio is like a bakery, Bill says, where pastries are baked fresh and sold out daily. The team spends late nights and early mornings milling the matcha. On some busy weekends, they have resorted to milling by the hour to keep up with demand.

“We take the hard route,” Bill said. “It’s because we take a lot of pride in being more intentional – in bringing something that will bring people together.”

The process certainly demands patience, but the entire concept behind Constance is rooted in the art of slowing down. The period of development and setbacks that went into the business before they opened is what cemented this philosophy. Constance is the product of two and half years worth of testing, sourcing and perfecting the art of matcha, including numerous trips throughout Japan and Taiwan to study the craft and build trust with different farmers. The journey also came with unforeseen challenges when the opening was delayed by a serious family illness. Bill describes this delay as a period of learning, reinforcing the importance of slowing down amidst unpredictability to appreciate what is constant, hence where the name originated.

When Constance Tea & Matcha finally opened, the store drew immediate buzz online and crowds at the studio, with lines stretching down the block. Bill admits that the opening was crazier than expected, but says they were humbled and honored at the turnout.

Despite Constance’s rising profile, Bill notes that competition is not what motivates him.

“We’re really here to serve the community,” Bill said. “It’s not about being the best matcha. We come from an abundance mindset, celebrating matcha from everywhere. It’s great that there’s a lot of matcha shops. We’re here to celebrate our own version of it.”

Constance’s version of matcha starts with premium, first-flush, single-origin tencha sourced from Uji, Japan, a city on the southern edge of Kyoto known for its matcha cultivation. After the fresh milling process, the tea carries a umami-forward taste, as described by Bill, different from the more bitter mass-produced matchas commonly found elsewhere.

They plan to modify their sourcing based on the seasons.

“We work with different farmers throughout Japan,” Bill said. “Right now our tencha is from Uji. We will have new tenchas coming in. New tenchas, new flavor. We’re going to rotate around. It just depends on the different harvests.”

Constance serves another new addition to the Bay Area tea scene with their black matcha. Unlike its green counterpart, black matcha comes from fully oxidized, full sun roasted tea leaves sourced in South Korea, offering intense flavor profiles of caramel and dark cocoa. Additionally, the studio has built a custom tea “espresso machine,” making shots of tea for both pure teas and lattes. They plan to introduce other brewing techniques in the future, such as pour overs.

Still, Bill maintains that the tea itself is not the main focus.

“Tea is the conduit that brings people together,” he said. The drinks may be the surface-level product, but creating connection is what Constance is aiming for. “It’s not how many cups we can sell. It’s how do we have great conversations? How do we bring people in to celebrate tea?”

The space itself is designed to facilitate these goals. The tables lining the wall are small and low-set, better suited for conversation than laptop work. Though the area is small, they are in the process of expanding through a shared parklet with the neighboring Rampant Wine Bar.

Roughly a month in, Bill says the atmosphere is already emerging as intended.

“People are conversing. People are reading books,” he said. “They’re just hanging out. I don’t see a lot of laptops.”

The studio also prioritizes education, guiding customers toward deeper reflections on the behind-the-scenes process of the tea. Displayed throughout the space are traditional Japanese tea tools, texts explaining the different teas and of course, the spinning stone-mills, forming a sort of mini museum within the studio.

Oftentimes, Bill can be found near the mills himself, answering questions, informing customers and giving impromptu tours of the milling area.

“It’s not just serve the drink, and ‘see you later,’” he said. “We want to educate.”

In the future, Constance is looking to implement workshops, hoping to teach people how to whisk matcha so they might recreate the experience at home. In sharing their concept with others, they strive to foster healthy routines and relationships beyond the walls of their studio. For Bill, this traces back to something more personal.

“I would always make matcha in the morning for my wife and I,” Bill said. He fell in love with the ritual of making it as much as the drink itself.

Constance is also looking to offer tea service in the future, further encouraging a slower, more intentional experience, countering the U.S. cafe culture that often prioritizes speed and convenience. It all comes back to that idea for which the studio was named.

“We want to be a constant in people’s lives,” he said. “What’s most important is that you bring your family or friends here. That’s the whole purpose of it. It’s an excuse to go out.”

Constance Tea & Matcha is located at 3512 Balboa St., between 36th and 37th avenues. It is open Friday-Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Find more information @constance.tea on Instagram.