Our Story

here's the story...

How a matcha habit became Ireland's first matcha bar.

I'D BEEN DRINKING MATCHA SINCE 2017. MOSTLY AT HOME. BY NECESSITY.

Ordering matcha out in Dublin was a gamble I always lost — too much milk, bitter clumps, matcha as an afterthought on someone else's menu. So I bought the good stuff online and made it myself, because I knew any cafe cup would let me down.

THEN I STARTED SEEING MATCHA-ONLY CAFES EVERYWHERE. EXCEPT HERE.

LA. New York. Paris. Mexico City. Whole cafes built around matcha, done properly. Every trip I took, the same thought: why has nobody done this in Ireland? I sat on the idea for three years.

IN JANUARY 2024, I STOPPED SITTING ON IT.

I opened a TikTok account I didn't know how to use and posted: "Hi, I'm Elaine, and I'm going to try to open Ireland's first matcha cafe." Then I documented everything - testing samples, building the brand, getting the organic licence, hunting for a location.

Four months of samples from European distributors and none of it was right. So I booked a flight to Japan. Three weeks, no real plan - tea farms, factories and suppliers, mostly in Uji. I was sick for half the trip and missed the final farm visit, so the farmer sent samples to my hotel instead. I tried them when I got home to Dublin and knew instantly: that was the matcha.

2 WEEKs LATER, THE PHONE RANG.

Mary from Powerscourt had a space she thought I might like. I saw it and knew straight away. In July 2024, The Matcha Bar opened - Ireland's first matcha destination - with a queue out the door from day one, full of people who'd watched the whole thing happen online.

Now we serve first flush matcha from Uji and Kagoshima, whisked properly, with plant milks and natural sweeteners. No refined sugar, no shortcuts, no afterthoughts. This is what I couldn't find in 2017 - so I built it.

Uji, Japan

Sourced directly from Uji, Japan's most famous matcha region — where matcha has been grown and perfected for over 800 years. We went to the source so you don't have to settle.

First Harvest

We only use first flush matcha — the very first leaves picked in spring. They are the highest quality, youngest, most nutrient-dense leaves of the year, giving a naturally sweeter, smoother taste with low bitterness.

Stone Milled

Our matcha is slowly ground between traditional granite stones. It takes about an hour to produce just 40g, but it protects the flavour, colour and nutrients - no shortcuts.

Shade Grown

For the final weeks before harvest, the tea plants are covered from sunlight. This boosts chlorophyll and L-theanine, giving matcha its vibrant green colour and that calm, focused energy.