LOOK: Japan's The Matcha Tokyo Brings Their Organic Green Tea Drinks to BGC

The Matcha Tokyo 
MITSUKOSHI BGC, 8th Avenue corner 36th Street, Bonifacio Global City
Facebook: www.facebook.com/the.matcha.tokyo.ph
Open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday to Sunday

(SPOT.ph) It's been a good number of years since matcha took off in these parts. Safe to say it won't be going away anytime soon. To this day, Filipinos remain every bit as fond of the traditional Japanese tea for its earthy, grassy taste that shines in drinks and other spinoff confections. Should you happen to be one of them matcha mavens, you're in for a treat when you visit MITSUKOSHI BGC as Japanese brand The Matcha Tokyo has opened a stall at the mall!

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It's all about green-tea everything at The Matcha Tokyo, which now has a matcha cafe in BGC:

The new store goes for a zen, less-is-more look similar to their outposts in Japan and Hong Kong. Think wooden seats and tables, industrial grey walls, and the use of black and white elements that fit right in with the minimalist motif. Far from looking drab, however, what lights up the store (figuratively, too) is the menu displayed on a screen above the counter, showcasing their beverage lineup that's dominated by shades of green.

Of course, matcha—the tea made with specially grown green-tea leaves ground into a powder—is the star at The Matcha Tokyo. They boast a range of drinks and other treats using 100% organic matcha (i.e., with tea leaves that are grown sans pesticides!) for real-deal earthiness. Purists can go for their plain, unadulterated matcha drinks with your green tea variant of choice: the earthy-umami Japan Premium (P190/hot or iced); the more "refreshing" Kyoto Uji (P200/hot or iced); or the more potent Goko (P350/hot or iced) with rare and hand-picked tea leaves.

Prefer a richer sip? The Matcha Tokyo makes their Matcha Latte (P220/hot, P250/iced) on the relatively potent side, with the tea's robustness hugged by the creaminess of milk. The dairy-averse can alternatively go for their Soy (P260/hot, P290/cold), Almond (P260/hot, P290/cold), and Oat (P260/hot, P290/cold) Matcha Latte options. Japanese and Filipino worlds also collide in their Philippine-exclusive Ube Matcha Latte (P210) which comes topped with an ube-cream foam for a subtle, but surprisingly harmonious, dose of nuttiness. (We're told the pairing takes after the two countries' shared love for elements like tubers and beans in our desserts.)

What better pair with your matcha drink than, well, more green-tea nibbles? Workshop's Chef Sonny Mariano's come up with a number of matcha-infused treats for The Matcha Tokyo's Philippine leg, including a plant-based Matcha and Black Sesame Cookie (P175) studded with almonds, dark chocolate chunks, and nutty ol' black sesame. On the go? Consider picking up a piece or two of their Energy Bars (P140) with organic matcha—take your pick from the chocolatey Brain Energy Bar with raw cacao, almonds, cashews, and dates, or the fruity-nutty Beauty Energy Bar with almonds, dates, golden raisins, and dried raspberries and cranberries. Also worth adding to cart are their packaged tea, matcha snacks, and merch; you especially won't want to miss their Vegan Matcha White Chocolate bars (P360), made using local bean-to-bar chocolate brand 1919's dairy-free white chocolate.

The Matcha Tokyo is at MITSUKOSHI BGC, 8th Avenue corner 36th Street, Bonifacio Global City. For more information, check out THE MATCHA TOKYO's Facebook page.

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