Ujin Matcha House sources its matcha directly from Japanese producers. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
There’s a coffee alternative that’s been steadily gaining popularity around Canberra and a new cafe is putting all its cards on it – grassy green matcha.
Matcha has become so popular worldwide that there have been international shortages of this Japanese specialty product.
Ujin Matcha House opened recently in the city, focusing on just one thing: matcha. Region spoke to one of the owners who said the reason was simple: “We love matcha!”
“But what really opened our eyes to the possibilities was a trip to Vietnam: the matcha scene there is huge, with lots of specialty shops. We thought ‘Canberra has nothing like this’.”
One corner of the cafe is decorated as a traditional Japanese tea house. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
Matcha is a traditional Japanese green tea product which dates back over a thousand years. Premium green tea leaves are steamed and dried before being stone milled to a fine powder. This is a time-consuming process, as is the preparation of matcha drinks, which at Ujin are painstakingly made with precision.
“It’s a more involved process to make matcha, it’s never going to be as fast-paced as coffee. Whisking is really important and the matcha needs to be strained, stirred and then whisked to break up the clumps of fine powder and incorporate it into the drink,” the owner explained.
“We experimented with faster methods, but you can taste the difference and this method creates a much better product.”
Staff handwhisk all the drinks using a traditional bamboo – or jushi-sei – whisk in traditional wide bowls.
Ujin has four different blends of matcha powder to taste, which are made from either the first or second harvest of tea leaves from different origins in Japan.
Each blend offers a unique taste profile. Yumei is a blend made from first harvest leaves (highest in quality) from the Shizuoka prefecture, close to Mount Fuji and is described as nutty, smooth and umami. The Hikari house-blend is made from second harvest leaves from Yame on Kyushu island and is described as vibrant, aromatic and bold.
The menu features a range of signature drinks. The coconut matcha foam is a two-layered drink with ice cold coconut water beneath a creamy matcha cloud.
Blending the two together was a refreshing blend of umami matcha and sweet, cool coconut. My favourite drink – and a popular choice on a stinking hot day – was the matcha float: a matcha latte topped with a swirl of ujihisui matcha soft serve. The creamy soft serve tempered the slight bitterness of the matcha.
The cafe is fairly minimalist, with a long counter where you can watch staff prepare the drinks. One corner has been decorated in the Japanese tea house style with a raised platform covered in tatami mats, paper screens, low tables and a stunning bonsai.
Although the Ujin team knew it had something great to offer, it wasn’t prepared for just how popular it was going to be.
“It just blew up! We really didn’t expect it: we had five staff on but we could have used 10! There were queues out the door,” the owner said.
“We’re planning on having some house-made desserts like matcha tiramisu, but for now we’re just focussing on keeping wait times low and training our staff.”
Whether you’re a matcha fanatic, or you don’t know matcha bout it: Ujin Matcha House is the place to quench your thirst.
Ujin Matcha House is at 64 Northbourne Avenue. It is open from 8 am to 4 pm Monday to Thursday, 8 am to 9 pm Friday and Saturday and 8 am to 3 pm on Sunday. Follow Ujin Matcha House on Instagram.
