Friday Firsts: You're Matcha Gonna Believe This...

​I have bright green eyes, my all-time favorite color is green, and I’d like to think that I’m pretty environmentally friendly. Yet for some reason, I’ve been super reluctant to hop on the green train sweeping the nation that is matcha. For those of you like me who didn’t know what matcha was until literally yesterday, my understanding is that it’s essentially green tea in powder form – weird, right? I’m definitely not a tea drinker, but I was more than fine with trying the next most popular matcha phenomenon… froyo. 

Before we get down to the good stuff, I just have to say that the Cha Cha, the matcha café in SoHo I went to was the cutest little place I’ve ever seen. Decorated like a tropical shack, the pink and green hues were beachy, fun and inviting. Everyone was chatting and seemed to be having a great time. I was a little nervous as I approached the counter, especially because I wasn’t able to taste the froyo before ordering it. But since I’m a big girl now, I sucked it up and ordered blindly. One small matcha froyo coming up! 

As you can see below, this was the most photogenic swirl I’ve ever been handed. Okay, things were off to a great start. I took my little pink spoon and prepared to dive in to this adorable green treat on the table in front of me. What I tasted next was nothing like I expected. I expected something bitter, something that would give you a little shiver. But this was pretty sweet, almost nutty, and had an earthy undertone. I took another bite and paid close attention to what I tasted, still a little confused. 

Before I knew what was happening, I found myself actively EATING this matcha froyo. With each bite I tried harder to analyze what the flavor was, and I have to say I’m still not completely sure, but the important thing to note is that I kept dipping my spoon back in for more. I actually really enjoyed the flavor, as it was refreshing and a nice change of pace from my typical order of plain vanilla. I liked that I was switching things up a lil’, and I liked how much I liked it! 
 
So, if I had to rate my overall matcha experience, I would give it a generous 9/10. I really did enjoy the flavor and I loved my little mid day snack. However, I still think there is alottttt of hype about this apparently magical powder and I think that it’s becoming too mainstream. For example, I’ve seen some menus turn seemingly normal foods into weird matcha concoctions. Do I want to try matcha gnocchi? Not really. Matcha chicken tenders? Absolutely not. But would I go back and get another swirl of matcha froyo? Probably. Let’s just keep things simple, people. 

By Hannah

Hannah Jacobs, newfound wellness enthusiast, is spending her summer trying a variety of fitness & wellness firsts. She will return every Friday to share her experiences and insights.