Rasa Caffe opened in 2013 with the idea of bringing the flavors of India and the Asian/African diaspora together with classic specialty coffee standards.

Meaning of RASA ~ / RA·SA / NOUN / ORIGIN SANSKRIT: रस·ESSENCE, FLAVOR

Rasa Caffe started with a simple idea: bring the flavors of India and the Asian/African diaspora together with classic specialty coffee and tea standards.

Founder Rasa Mott was raised in Oakland, California, and spent two formative years living in India (ages 12 and 15), where he had life-changing culinary experiences that shaped everything that followed.

He has worked in kitchens coast-to-coast at award-winning restaurants in NYC and the SF Bay Area, and internationally in Thailand. Rasa holds a Culinary Arts Management degree from the New York Restaurant School/Art Institute (2001), was part of the Slow Food movement in Italy (2002 & 2004), and earned a Master Sensory Flavor & Tasting Certification (CMT) from Chef's Best of San Francisco (2007).

Today, Rasa focuses on what started it all: recipe development, coffee roasting, and Rasa Chai production.

While Rasa Caffe no longer operates its own café, our coffee and chai are proudly served at The Hidden Cafe, a beloved neighborhood spot tucked next to Strawberry Creek Park in Berkeley, CA.