Matcha has slowly grown in popularity throughout the states. It’s still pretty rare to find a place in the US that grinds their tencha onsite, so I was intrigued when I first heard of Northeast Tea House. I was lucky enough to pay a visit to this tranquil oasis located in Northeast Minneapolis with my sister. In fact, both my sister and I contributed to the Kickstarter campaign to get the teahouse up and running. They were finally able to start serving up delicious fresh-milled matcha right in the middle of the pandemic. I’m so glad the business is still up and running because we had a fantastic time and I really believe in the business model as well as the atmosphere.
For those not familiar with tea cultivars, there are many under the varietal of Camellia Sinensis. Most cultivars in Japan are offshoots of Camellia Sinensis S. whereas typically in India there are many cultivars under Camellia Sinensis Assamica with some exceptions. At Northeast Teahouse, they have many such Japanese cultivars to choose from! My sister and I each got a single shot of iced Gokou matcha (from the Gokou cultivar tea bush) and a mini matcha cheesecake made fresh by their baker. I was already sold! The matcha was so smooth and vibrant in both drink and cheesecake form.
As for the atmosphere, this is the place to go if you want to get away from all the noise. Delicate music box songs play in the background. An aquarium divides two distinct seating areas, one with low tables and seating cushions in the fashion of a traditional tea house. Every table comes equipped with high-quality sleek electric tea kettles with variable temperature settings. I knew I wanted to test the kettles out and sample their selection of loose teas, so I selected a Duck S*** Dan Cong oolong. No, it’s not called that because there is literal duck poo in it. There are many legends or theories about the name, but one that makes the rounds in tea circles is a tea farmer named it that because it was so good he wanted it all for himself!
The tea was brought out with the full gong fu-style tea set, ready for table-side brewing. I often do gong fu-style tea at home, but this was the first time at a tea house. I’m no expert at it, but my sister and I had a great time sipping and snacking on daifuku mochi. My one regret was not trying the matcha shortbread! They have a rotating selection of delicious baked goods made to pair well with any given tea.
They also have a wide variety of loose teas and matcha types to take home as well. Matcha generally comes with a high price tag, and sadly it’s more expensive than usual at Northeast Teahouse. I get why since fresh milling matcha in a stone mill takes time (rushing the process only results in a burnt and unpleasant flavor to the finished matcha), but it’s one of the only drawbacks I can think of. I still wanted to treat myself to some matcha for later, so I splurged and got the cheapest option which was 20 grams of Samidori. I was in a bit of a shock when I got the cute little tin that ended up costing me $35…I still have it stored in my fridge, yet to try it. Look forward to a review!
Overall, I had a great time despite the high price tag of some items and the snack regrets (I must go back to try the shortbread!). The gorgeous atmosphere and high quality of the teas are plenty to get me to go back. I wish I lived closer, but for now, it’s probably better that my wallet will be safe from the deliciously expensive matcha and loose teas.
Here’s to hopefully getting more teahouses to compete with the coffee shops in the states! Tea should never be an afterthought.
Dina's Tea Notes 