Sky King's Mental Playground
Autodidact and Entrepreneur on the Art of Being Self-Taught with Patrick Lyle
Listen to the full podcast: https://bit.ly/SKMPLYLE Most people drink coffee without thinking. Patrick Lyle thinks about everything: the grind size, the mineral content of the water, the pressure curve of an espresso shot. But this conversation isn’t just about better coffee. It’s about craftsmanship, culture, and why founders should never hide from their customers. We break down espresso “soup,” third-wave elitism, and why most cafés get it wrong, then zoom out into Japanese travel, imposter syndrome, and how service itself can be a spiritual practice. Patrick shares how leaving tech, learning Japanese from scratch, and falling in love with Japan led him to build Kyoko Coffee, a mobile café rooted in car culture, hospitality, and intentional community. This episode is about building something real in a world that rewards shortcuts and why the difference between art and propaganda might just be whether you care enough to stay present. Follow Patrick: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/patricklearns/ https://www.instagram.com/kyoko.coffee/ Website: https://kyokocoffee.com/ 00:45 Do the Best Coffee Beans Go to Japan? 02:00 Water Chemistry & Why Reverse Osmosis Ruins Coffee 06:30 Why Grind Size Matters More Than Anything 10:45 The Difference Between Deep Drippers & V60 14:30 Simplifying Pour Over (Stop Overthinking It) 18:45 Cupping Coffee & Why It’s Overrated 23:30 Espresso “Soup” & Coffee Experiments 29:50 Japan, Language Learning & Cultural Identity 35:30 The Origin of Kyoko Coffee 41:45 Coffee Elitism & Fixing Café Culture 47:30 Signature Drinks: Tokyo Banana & Ube 52:40 Building Community Through Service 58:30 Founder Energy & Staying in the Business 01:04:30 Travel in Japan Beyond Tokyo & Kyoto 01:08:00 Yamaguchi: Japan’s Hidden Gem 01:12:30 Coffee, Matcha & Creative Expression 01:16:45 Caffeine & The Renaissance Theory Listen to the complete episodes of Sky King's Mental Playground, sign up at skmp.supercast.com Follow Sky on X Subscribe on YouTube Follow Sky on Instagram Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Propaganda, Art, Health, Regenerative Systems, Great Food, Economic Incentives, and building companies in an increasingly digital world.