Rachel Verbrick
Frothy green Usucha Matcha.
Matcha — the namesake of the cozy Macha teahouse— isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. But you are guaranteed to find something you’ll love here.
Matcha, a frothy green drink, is created from a powder made from special shade-grown green tea leaves. It has a long history as the basis for the Chinese and Japanese tea ceremony.
The folks at Macha take the ritual seriously, using a bamboo whisk to froth up the powder with hot water. You can choose between the thinner usucha ($6) or the “thick tea” called koicha ($8). It’s served in a pottery bowl on a wooden tray with a wagashi (a sweet), which you will want to eat to counteract matcha’s bitterness.
Rachel Verbrick
Belly up to the bar.
It’s an acquired taste, and as a beginner, I opted for the ususha. It was a little bitter for me, but I’ll basically drink anything served by Macha’s friendly tea devotees. Like many people who discovered their gallery and teahouse when it was located on Monroe Street, I was heartbroken to learn they were closing. But last January, Macha reopened, in this smaller space on East Johnson. And I’m thrilled to report that its tea-centric mission and gorgeous aesthetic are firmly in place.
The owners, Anthony and Rachel Verbrick, want to keep it simple. They just plain love tea, and Macha is a funky, fun representation of their devotion. The décor (mostly green and brown) is as yummy as the colorful bakery treats in the glass case. It’s hard to choose. I ordered (and devoured) several Thai basil lemon shortbread cookies and a matcha rice crispy treat. And I will go back for a mango vanilla or jasmine cupcake. The in-house baked goods are often like nothing else in town — you might run into a chiffon cake or cheesecake flavored with matcha, or even a matcha red bean cake.
Macha Tea is also a store, with a pretty array of pots, cups and teas, including fancy bricks of tea that are hard to find on this continent. They sell all the implements you’d need to make matcha at home. But I don’t know why you’d want to, when you can come here.
The focus here is on tea. But do watch for Macha’s Friday “pop-up” lunches; it’s pretty delicious food. The menu might be a selection of donburi (rice bowls), an impromptu dal vs. tom kha soup contest, a choice of three sandwiches (chicken curry, roasted veggie or a Middle Eastern turkey burger, as it was one day last month) or whatever inspires the kitchen on a given day. Most recently, I had a festive “Seis de Mayo” salad, which had tomato, roasted corn, avocado and seasoned ground turkey, served with a roasted chicken slider. Lunch is served from noon until the food runs out.
I look forward to stopping in on a hot summer day to try one of Macha’s ice teas. The selections when I visited included herbal Thai rose, black tea with lemon myrtle, four seasons oolong and white strawberry mint.
The shop has a full menu of green and black teas available, and staffers are happy to advise you in your choice. I followed up my matcha with a pot of pu-erh tea, a fermented black tea from China’s Yunnan province. It’s rich and smoky (and highly caffeinated) — totally delicious. After adding a bit of whole milk, I found my cup of tea.
Macha Tea Company 823 E. Johnson St.; 608-238-9286; machateacompany.com; Noon-7 pm Wed.-Fri., 11 am-6 -pm Sat., 11 am-5 pm Sun.; $4-$12
