Dublin has a brand new addition, welcome to the stage The Matcha Bar. Owner Elle was frustrated by a lack of decent matcha offerings in the city, so she took matters into her own hands. Months of blood, sweat, and tears have led Elle to the immaculate surroundings of the Powerscourt Townhouse Centre, the perfect home for The Matcha Bar’s chic, clean girl aesthetic and holistic vibe.

A lot of matcha on offer around these parts isn’t quite serving authenticity, but that’s not the case here. Elle put in the work, sourcing only the finest ceremonial-grade matcha, which comes from their supplier in Uji, Japan. And they whip up the creations using a traditional tools like the chasen, a small bamboo whisk and a little spoon called a chashaku. The Matcha Bar also doesn’t use any refined sugar, which helps keep your drinks as tasty and as healthy as possible. Plus, the vibrant colours that make these such fun aesthetic lil drinkies are all natural and plant-based too. And the milk is oat by default, so that’s a win for the lactose-free girlies.

This isn’t a permanent residency just yet, with the pop-up scheduled to run for 6 weeks. Still, plenty of time to check it out if you’re a matcha lover, or if it’s your first taste of the green stuff. Matcha is definitely having a moment in Ireland, both because of its health benefits and its delicious flavour. Yes, it may be an acquired taste for some, but with the fun variety of flavours on offer, there’s something for everyone, even those hesitant to try it.

We opted for the iced strawberry latte, the iced blue vanilla, and the lavender which we ordered hot just for a bit of variety. Each one of the drinks was delicious, but the standout was the strawberry, made with fresh berries. None of that artificial, overly sweet stuff that would usually put me off strawberry flavours. The sweetness from the strawberry was just the right amount of balance to the bitterness of the matcha without taking away from the deep earthy flavour, and it made it super refreshing too. I’ve spent a ton of time in Japan and I even did a tea ceremony module in university while I was studying over there. Sure that doesn’t make me an expert but watching them make the matcha really brought me back. I’d rate this very highly in terms of flavour too. Certainly one of the best matcha experiences I’ve had outside of Japan.

If you can, try their matcha cookies and pies on offer, we were too slow and they had sold out. Hey-ho, all the more reason for us to go back and try them out along with some of the other interesting matcha variations on offer here.