Cha Cha Matcha

Cha Cha Matcha sells itself as your daily source of good energy, and it turned matcha into a whole aesthetic on the way, pink walls and green tile and all. Matthew Morton and Conrad Sandelman opened the first one on Broome Street in New York in 2016. The two met at NYU studying business management and hospitality, graduated in 2015 and went travelling, which is how they wound up in Uji, Japan. They came home wanting something that sat outside both artisanal coffee culture and the energy drink aisle. The ceremonial grade still comes straight from Uji, and the retail line has grown into its own thing: a Signature Blend, a single-origin Asahi, a hojicha, and a limited Single Cultivar Trio that sells out. There are four LA cafes now. It photographs as well as everyone says, and we can report the matcha underneath the styling is the real thing.