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EAT DRINK
By Faiyaz Kara
TERRENCE GROSS
Matcha powder can be enjoyed in many different ways, from tea to chia seed parfaits. Möge Tee (left) uses matcha from Uji, Kyoto, to create its unique libations.
HIGH TEA
A trend no more, matcha is here to stay, and cafés devoted to the drink are cropping up all over town. For the uninitiated, matcha is fashioned from green tea leaves that are destemmed, deveined, and steamed, lending them a brilliant green hue. The leaves are then ground into a fine powder—the finer the grind, the better the sip. The finest, or “ceremonial grade,” matcha is being whisked and whipped into lattes and frappes at such Mills 50 haunts as Matcha Café Maiko, Matcha House Tea & Creamery, Qreate, and Möge Tee. So, what’s all the fuss? For one, matcha is rich in antioxidants and L-theanine, an amino acid known to promote relaxation without the somnolent effects, in addition to having cognition-enhancing, liver-healing, and cancer-repelling qualities. It tastes pretty good, too. It’s often blended into ice creams, cakes, and pastries, but perhaps the purest form of enjoying matcha is in the Japanese tea ceremony known as chadoō- . Traditionally, the post-meal ritual is performed with strict adherence to custom. Like the tea itself, the experience is to be savored.
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TERRENCE GROSS
Meet Your MATCHA
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10/13/21 5:08 PM
