Bubble tea, known simply as ‘tapioca’ in Japanese, is so popular that you can find all manner of weird and wonderful creations. Like very tall bubble tea, very cheesy tea, very cheap bubble tea... the list goes on. While boba has experienced a massive boom in Japan over the past few years, it’s no secret that the trendy beverage is a Taiwanese import.

But never to be outdone, Japan is a country with a strong tea culture of its own, and bubble tea stand Metcha Matcha have taken all the delights of a Japanese tea time and combined them with the convenience and trendiness of boba.

Metcha Matcha is located inside the ‘Omatcha Salon’, a green tea wonderland that has locations in both Osaka and Tokyo, where you can truly experience the charms of Japanese tea. They offer an incredible range of matcha-filled menu items from savoury items, to desserts, to afternoon tea and beyond.

Metcha Matcha is a boba and dessert stand offering some extravagant treats for takeout utilising all types of Japanese green tea and traditional sweets. They even use tea produced in Uji, an area of Kyoto known for it’s particularly high quality green tea.

In addition to the classic tapioca balls, Metcha Matcha have created some unique additions of their own, such as the distinctly Japanese brown sugar warabi mochi tapioca and Shiratama (white mochi) tapioca which should go especially well with green tea.

Rather than have traditional Japanese sweets as a side with your matcha, Metcha Matcha give you the chance to have your dango on top of the tea.

Mitarashi dango is a specialty of the stand and you can buy bubble tea in various flavours, such as brown sugar matcha or hojicha (roasted green tea), with three dango resting on top of the milk foam which is caramelised with soy flour and Okinawan brown sugar.

If you’re not into bubble tea, you can buy the specialty dango on its own, or opt for one of their range of green tea parfaits.

Previously, the Omatcha Salon and their takeout Metcha Matcha booth could only be found in Osaka, but two branches have recently opened in Tokyo at the Tamagawa Takashimaya and Ikebukuro Parco shopping centre. Check out Omatcha Salon's website for more information on locations and to see the full menu.


By - Jess.