Matcha Box

Please note: this business is now closed; nycgo.com keeps record of many old and closed venues. This temporary Japanese tea shop (open only for the month of June) focuses on matcha, a powdered green tea said to possess potent antioxidants and mood-enhancing amino acids. The woman running the show in the vintage, brick-walled space is Alissa White, an Angeleno eager to call attention to the benefits of this tea. Baristas prepare cold green tea lattes and iced gingerade, while tea masters from NYC's Urasenke Chanoyu Center (based in Mark Rothko's old carriage house studio) ceremoniously whisk and serve matcha in ceramic bowls. Matcha is also an ingredient in the shop's French-style desserts.