3-Hour Waits For Matcha? Here’s The Tea On Chicago’s Obsession

SOUTH LOOP — On a mild Friday afternoon in late October, a long line stretched around the corner outside of Mikami Izakaya and Ramen in the South Loop. Natalia Perez, 25, was among those waiting to get in to Nichi Matcha , a Friday-only pop-up inside Mikami, 1400 S. Michigan Ave. When Perez finally made it inside after three hours, she ordered three drinks for $8.50 each: Cold Whisk, a matcha-forward latte; From the Moon, made with coconut cream; and Sweet Moonlight, made with ube puree and ube milk. “One for each hour waited,” she said. Nichi ended up staying open two hours past its scheduled closing time to accommodate the crush of customers, co-owners Vicky Mei and Nichkamon Kedphan said. The following Friday, they held the final pop-up of their four-month run. While Nichi is no more, Chicago’s matcha wave shows no signs of waning. Options abound for fans of the trendy tea drink, from established spots like the 7-year-old Gathers Tea Bar in Little Italy to newer cafes like Matcha Theory , which opened in early October in Lincoln Square. What’s The Tea? View this post on Instagram A milled Japanese green tea traditionally whisked with water, matcha has a fresh earthiness, though it tastes bitter to some people. Typically, it has less caffeine than coffee. Matcha has also become a trendy flavor in desserts, from cake and bagels and egg tarts. Its popularity in recent years led to a supply shortage last summer, and Japan’s matcha producers continue to face challenges in meeting demand, according to media reports. This summer, in Chicago, Cafe Mako opened at 2206 N. Clark St. in Lincoln Park while Yu-Yubu brought a ceremonial matcha bar to the Shops at North Bridge, 520 N. Michigan Ave. Noble Fat , which sold matcha at farmers markets, opened a permanent cafe at 2221 N. Lincoln Ave. in Lincoln Park last year. It also attracted its usual long lines this summer at the Logan Square Farmers Market and Green City Market for both its matcha and food. Most recently, Match-A , which opened its first store in West Town in April, expanded in early October to a second location at 73 E. Jackson Blvd. in the Loop. “Our mission is to let the world know that matcha is here to stay,” said Ronald Li, a Chicago native and co-owner of Match-A. “We’re focused on serving the best matcha possible.” Li’s partners in Match-A are his wife Chanisa Pinid, who lived in Japan for eight years; Mutita Kaewkerd, a friend of Pinid since around age 12; and Sarawut Mahnokhueng, who has known Pinid and Kaewkerd since junior high school. When Pinid and Kaewkerd traveled to Japan together, they wanted to bring the good matcha they tasted in that country back to Chicago, they said. Match-A’s matcha powder is sourced from farmers in Japan and hand-whisked in the store. One of its best-selling drinks, Sea Salt Matcha Double Cream, combines ceremonial-grade matcha — made from young tea leaves that are perceived as the highest quality — with milk and double cream on top. On weekends, Match-A’s West Town location, 1857 W. Chicago Ave., sells more than 1,500 cups of matcha per day, Kaewkerd said. The Loop store sells about 600-700 cups on Saturdays. Like other matcha shops, Match-A has attracted attention and a following thanks to social media. But Yossef Mahmoodi discovered the shop through his friends. Soon after the West Town location opened, “my friends all convinced me to go,” said Mahmoodi, who was not a regular matcha drinker. On their first visit, Mahmoodi and his friends tried everything on the menu. There was no wait that day, he said. But when he returned about three weeks later, he was met with a long line. He has since been to Match-A at least 10 times, and it’s the only place where he drinks matcha, he said. The brand hopes to continue expanding in Chicago, Kaewkerd said. The Road To Nichi Nichi Matcha was only intended to be a seasonal endeavor, Mei said. For Mei and Kedphan, both Mikami employees, the pop-up was a shared passion project. View this post on Instagram Not many shops in Chicago are dedicated to ceremonial-grade matcha, Mei said. They wanted Chicagoans to taste the difference. “We just wanted to share the love of matcha to everyone in the neighborhood,” Mei said. “Really simple.” At their debut in June, they sold around 50 cups, mostly to friends who came to support them. But after two Instagram posts took off, more people came — and they kept showing up. Nhi Duong, who came from the suburbs, and Chicago students Angel Gomez and Sara Zelaya all discovered Nichi Matcha through social media, they said. “It looked pretty,” Duong said. She appreciated that the owners hand-whisked the matcha. “It’s really good.” The name “Nichi” echoes part of Kedphan’s first name and means “day” in Japanese. Kedphan and Mei designed the logo themselves. Every week, the two spent the days leading up to Friday preparing for their pop-up and developing a weekly special. For Oct. 23, it was pumpkin spice matcha latte. For Nichi’s final Friday on Oct. 30, they brought back two favorites from earlier this year, blueberry cheesecake matcha and banana pudding matcha, in addition to a Biscoff matcha latte named Sayonara — “goodbye” in Japanese. Kedphan and Mei aren’t sure if they will operate Nichi Matcha again next summer. It’s a mixed feeling of happiness, sorrow and gratitude, they said. “We feel complete because we never thought it would be this busy, this popular,” Mei said. ______________________________________________________________________ Support Local News! 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