With its electric green hue and earthy flavor, matcha has leapt from ancient tea ceremonies to modern-day lattes, smoothies, and even food. Whether stirred with a bamboo whisk or blended into your morning shake, matcha is having a moment — and Miami is drinking it up.
ANCIENT ORIGINS
The history of matcha, a green tea, dates back to ancient Japan where it was used ritualistically in tea ceremonies, temples, and monasteries, and favored by the samurai warrior class who used it for energy and focus for both meditation and battle.
Long before it was trending on TikTok and a favorite of social influencers, matcha was at the center of a rich tradition founded by Zen Buddhist monks and samurai warriors dating back to medieval times (1185 A.D.).
In addition to the mental focus the tea offered, the monks indulged in matcha for increased longevity and stamina, thanks to the amino acid inherent in matcha, L-theanine, which provides the drink’s calming effect, and was believed to have beneficial qualities for mind, body and spirit.
According to legend, the Zen monk Eisai returned to Japan from studying Buddhism in China and brought with him a knowledge of tea culture along with actual tea seeds which he planted in and around Kyoto, still home to many tea plantations.
The monk is also credited with the tradition of using a bamboo whisk to mix the powdered matcha with hot water, a ritual dating back to the Song Dynasty and is still the preferred method today.
HEALTH BENEFITS
The tea is grown in the shade before it is harvested, usually in the spring, which increases the leaves’ amino acids and chlorophyll, giving it its signature emerald green color and umami flavor.
The first spring harvest, known as the first flush, creates the best matcha, when the leaves are sweetest. The leaves are then hand-picked, steamed and dried into tencha, then de-stemmed and de-veined and stone ground into a fine matcha powder.
Now, from lattes and smoothies to donuts and skincare, matcha-mania is on the rise.
Even the National Institutes of Health states that drinking matcha decreases stress and anxiety, improves memory and short- and long-term cognitive function.
Catechins, antioxidants found in green tea, helps lower blood pressure and LDL ("bad") cholesterol. Rutin, a bioflavonoid found in matcha, also contributes to these effects.
It’s now a staple in wellness circles, on TikTok and Instagram feeds and café menus across Miami.
As reported by Forbes, the global matcha market is expected to grow to about $5 billion by 2028, and demand continues to grow, especially among Millennials and Gen Z.
(Courtesy Admari Modern Tea Merchants)
Egyptian Rose Tea at Admari Modern Tea Merchants in Miami
According to Adrienne Etkin, “Miami’s Queen of Tea,” tea ambassador and award-winning tea mixologist, innovator, teacher and owner of Admari, a specialty tea shop in Miami and purveyor of tea culture, when you consume matcha, you are actually eating the tea.
“Matcha is the most healthful form of tea,” Etkin said. “When you are “drinking” matcha, you are eating the tea – consuming actual leaf particles; they don’t dissolve in the water.”
Etkin said the actual tea leaves are suspended in the water, not infused and discarded. This has extra nutritional benefits, as it delivers a higher concentration of antioxidants, L-theanine, and caffeine compared to teas that are steeped.
MEDITATIVE MATCHA
(Courtesy Admari Modern Tea Merchants)
Adrienne Etkin, “Miami’s Queen of Tea,” teaches a match class for Tangerine Montessori School
Etkin, who travels often to China, Vietnam, Korea and Japan, to source her teas, drinks a traditionally made matcha, usually a Usucha thin tea, known for its frothy texture and gentle flavor, each morning to start her day. Admitting to being a bit of a “scatterbrain,” Etkin said she often drinks it when she knows she has a busy day ahead.
“It’s a meditative start to my day before I go about my hectic life,” she said. “It gives me focus and energy and helps me concentrate on my tasks at hand.”
The Japanese chadō, (way of tea) tea ceremony, much like the practice of yoga, is a method of self-cultivation, Etkin said.
“With origins in Eastern philosophy, the custom emphasizes ritual and repetitive motions which teach us to become more harmonious, respectful, pure and tranquil she says. “Tea teaches us these values.”
That sense of ritual resonates with Brooke Grossfeld, 35, a Biscayne Park marriage and family therapist who teaches yoga and mindfulness meditation. A stickler for simplicity, she eschews the sweet and syrupy drinks and prefers her matcha home-made.
“I love matcha the traditional way,” Grossfeld said. “I enjoy seeing the bubbles and the foam when I whisk it. It’s a reflective practice for me.”
Grossfeld said learning the history and process of the tea-making has only enhanced her appreciation for drinking it.
“Even if it’s only for a 30-second meditation, it’s contemplative, warming, and grounding,” she says.
Etkin, whose father was in the coffee business, says she began drinking and appreciating tea at the age of 7 and opened her first tea store in Bergen County, N.J., in 2007 before coming to Miami with her family in 2011.
She sells numerous varieties of teas, including Matcha Genmaicha, Bo Hojicha, Clouds and Mist, Jasmine Dragon Pearls, White Cloud Tea Cakes, White Peony, Highland Passion, Jasmine Silver Needles, Golden Lily, and Orchid Goddess.
(Courtesy Admari Modern Tea Merchants)
Orchid Goddess at Admari Modern Tea Merchants
Once each month, Etkin holds sold-out classes to educate the public on all things tea, including to students from the Tangerine Montessori School in Miami.
Usually a purist, Etkin admitted to occasionally indulging in a ‘Miami chai matcha latte,’ but warns on her website: “True matcha is not fast food,” and that as Americans, “We supersize until we kill the very thing we say we love,” referring to the way people embellish food, adding syrups and flavors, fruit, chocolate, cold foam, sprinkles, caramel, crumbles, whipped cream and other high-calorie accoutrements to drinks.
EMBRACING THE RITUAL
While Etkin honors matcha’s meditative roots and philosophy, younger Miamians are embracing it as a stylish, energizing ritual, often with an American twist.
(Courtesy Ava Praschnik)
DJ and influencer Ava Praschnik is a matcha devotee
Miami social media manager, influencer and weekend DJ, Ava Praschnik, 24, who uses the social media name “yumiami,” began her influencing career posting restaurant reviews online while still in high school. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2024 FSU graduate began posting dessert recipes and pictures of food from her travels.
Last spring she went on an eating adventure to Korea and Japan, a trip that Praschnik called a dream come true. And, although she didn't make it to a tea farm while in Japan, she sampled more than 15 different types of matcha and frequented the ubiquitous matcha shops throughout Kyoto. She was impressed with the variety of matcha products, including matcha donuts, matcha ice cream, and matcha cheesecake.
Back in Miami, Praschnik likes to whisk up her own matcha from high quality matcha powder she purchased in Japan using her matcha kit and hand-made bowl, called a chawan, that she brought from Kyoto.
She measures the powder on a scale and uses a thermometer to monitor the water temperature and the de rigueur bamboo whisk to mix the tea. If she’s in an indulgent mood, she will add a cold foam topping or a flavored syrup and prefers her matcha on ice. She often drinks it à la Japonaise, with a topping of Kuromitsu, a brown sugar syrup.
BEYONG THE LADIES WHO LUNGE
Praschnik noted that here in Miami, the drink has become synonymous with a certain set of Millennial girls who will hang out and drink matcha after a yoga or Pilates session. But while matcha may be a favorite among Miami’s wellness-minded women, its appeal is growing among men, too, especially those who value their health and want a longer-term focus and clarity over the immediate buzz from a Red Bull or Starbucks doppio.
(Courtesy Brooke Grosfeld)
Brooke Grosfeld with her matcha components
“Men like it, too,” Praschnik said. “They’re becoming more open about it.”
Bay Harbor Islands resident, Alexander Galsky, 44, who works in financial services for the real estate industry, is a life-long tea drinker. He was on the search for a tea shop when he moved to Miami in 2010, and was happy to find Etkin’s tea shop.
Despite coming from a coffee-culture in South America, Galsky, the father of three kids, has always preferred tea.
“I like the taste and how it makes me feel,” he said.
For Galsky, matcha isn’t just a drink — it’s a daily practice rooted in intention, taste and an appreciation for tradition. He buys the highest quality ceremonial grade matcha and drinks two cups each day, one in the morning and a second one after lunch. He brews it at home with a bamboo whisk and drinks it while hot.
Galsky enjoys other teas as well, especially rock tea and crafts non-caffeinated herbal teas for his kids, believing that he’s creating life-long healthy habits for them. He says he doesn’t get a jolt of caffeine energy, but more of a sustained energy release.
“It gives me clarity instead of excitement,” said Galsky, who is also a board member for Miami New Drama in Miami Beach.
From the samurai class to the emerging social media class, from Kyoto to Coral Gables, matcha has taken Miami by storm. More than a trend, matcha — the drink, the ritual, the history — is a little green oasis in the middle of the pulsing city, and Miamians are drinking it all in.