Matcha – the popular powdered green tea – has made it everywhere from Dubai’s best workout and smoothie spots to Hong Kong’s best rooftop bars. So, it’s no surprise, it has become one of the trendiest drinks to sip in New York City, too, with nearly every coffee shop and café offering it on the menu. But just because it’s listed as ‘matcha’, doesn’t mean it’s top-quality tea.
Now, with the matcha shortage in Japan due to such high demand, finding high-quality matcha around the city is becoming a challenge. Thankfully, there are several matcha cafés that work with specific farmers and purveyors to guarantee you’re getting the best matcha available – and we’ve rounded up where to find it right now.
12 Matcha, NoHo
Best for: unsweetened matcha whisked right in front of you.
This ultra-chic café opened in April, serving matcha made with first-harvest, hand-picked tea leaves from a farm in Uji, Japan. It partners with the 180-year-old Hotta family for their green tea leaves and works with Haruhide Morita (one of Japan’s top tea appraisers). Grab an iced matcha latte with a matcha Basque cheesecake. Heads up: you’ll be encouraged to eschew sweeteners.
12matcha.com
54 Bond St, NY 10012
30 E 18th St, NY 10003
Sorate, Flatiron District
Best for: traditional tea ceremonies led by a tea master.
This traditional matcha shop just opened its second, larger location in Flatiron. Matcha lattes to-go aside, there are four seats for authentic tea ceremonies led by Keiko Kitazawa, a tea master with over 30 years of experience, and Sorate’s long-time mentor and guide. Enjoy ceremonial-grade matcha served hot or iced, traditional or milk-based matcha, sparkling matcha with yuzu, and matcha desserts.
sorate.co
Matchaful
Best for: colourful matcha drinks that are still high-quality.
One of NYC’s first matcha concepts, Matchaful now has eight NYC locations. While pure matcha drinks are available, it’s known for its colourful lattes that combine several flavours – but the matcha used is still high-quality. It has a direct partnership with a fourth-generation tea farm in Shizuoka, Japan, plus a new, reserve matcha, Tsuyuhikari, an organic single-cultivar.
matchaful.com
Various locations
Various locations
Kettl
Best for: authentic Japanese teas of all kinds, including matcha.
Kettl has made a name for itself as one of the top purveyors of Japanese teas in the city, providing tea for Michelin-starred restaurants (like Aquavit and Sushi Noz) and selling it from its Greenpoint shop and café. Owners Zach and Minami Mangan also recently announced the launch of a matcha-only café opening in Brooklyn this fall, which we’re excited about.
kettl.co
PPL, Williamsburg
Best for: Williamsburg cool, Japanese authenticity.
PPL originally started as a clothing brand by Tomo Takasugi, who was born and raised in Japan. It’s now morphed into a café serving high-end coffee, organic matcha from Kagoshima, Japan, and other Japanese teas. The slim space in Williamsburg is filled with plants and vintage décor, along with fashionable creatives looking for lattes and vegan pastries.
pplnyc.com
189 Roebling St, NY 11211
275 Bleecker St, NY 10014
Aoko Matcha, West Village
Best for: matcha ice cream in every shade.
Opened this summer as the city’s first matcha gelato shop, Aoko draws inspiration from Japanese specialty shops offering graded matcha experiences. The gelato comes in five intensities, ranging from 2.9% (gentle and sweet) to 17.9% (bold and ceremonial-grade) matcha concentration. You can also expect matcha lattes with additions like strawberry and chocolate, plus matcha soft serve, parfaits, and cakes.
