Green is the new black: London gets a matcha makeover

You wait ages for one matcha café, then two come along at once. The traditional Japanese powdered green tea, which can be blended into hot drinks, is having a moment — new bars are painting the town green.

At Ohh Cha Bar’s new pop-up inside the flagship Muji on Tottenham Court Road, Japanese food and drink specialist Oishii Haha is serving eight hand-picked matcha and loose-leaf teas straight from four farms in Japan. The teas will be whisked and frothed to order at the bar, and you can learn how to make your own in a series of matcha tastings and masterclasses held at the store. Every day until Sunday November 25, Oishii Haha will cover regional tea styles and step-by-step workshops on blending the perfect matcha latte at home.

Meanwhile, in Chelsea, the offering is more than just lattes — customers at new permanent café Matcha and Beyond can order any style of coffee in matcha form, from a flat green to a matchachino. This one is potent: just a shot of green topped with hot water.

It makes the perfect alternative to coffee, says founder and natural chef Olivia Nottin, who brought the concept to London after spotting a rise in matcha bars in New York.

“Matcha has a natural sweetness, a slight vegetal overtone and a creamy texture, making it a nice energising drink as a shot on its own, or a comforting drink mixed with milk,” she explains. In-store she’s got a trained “matcharista” making all the drinks and guests can choose between two grades of the Japanese fine tea: a high-grade option for matcha shots and a premium drinking grade for any milk-based drinks.

Both will give you a natural high. Matcha is loaded with antioxidants — crucial for supporting your immune system — and she says the caffeine hit is more balanced. “The combination of theanine and caffeine enhances your energy levels naturally and increases your focus and alertness, without the jitters followed by the crash you usually get with coffee.”

You can eat your greens too: the café is also the first in London to offer a matcha-based food menu. Sprinkle it on your morning porridge with coconut flakes, chia seeds and bee pollen, or try matcha energy balls mid-afternoon.

For cakes and bakes, it’s a match(a) made in heaven. Treats include a matcha and vanilla marble cake and Nottin’s green velvet cake, though this week the star of the show is a Thanksgiving special: pumpkin pie with a matcha crust.