First Look: Teddy’s Matcha
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Matcha is the moment when it comes to beverages, but one Canberra couple has taken our addiction to the next level with a pop-up that will leave you coming back for more.
Teddy’s Matcha is all about serving simple matcha that’s thoughtfully made – but you won’t find it in any café. Without a brick-and-mortar home, they’re bringing something completely unique to Canberra, and you won’t find anything else like their matcha menu.
Where some cafés are all about fruity fusions and the trendy layered cloud matcha latte, Teddy’s Matcha is celebrating the traditional flavours that don’t take over the drink but rather elevate it.
Think: Salted Maple, Brown Sugar Cinnamon, and Earl Grey. And yes, they’re as good as they sound.
Falling in love with the process of making matcha after attending a tea ceremony in Kyoto, Japan, last year, Austine Lie says that the concept for Teddy’s Matcha began after she and her partner Tom French noticed a need for something matcha-specific in Canberra.
Inspired by their own love for creating and drinking matcha, they decided to start a side hustle created specifically for both the matcha curious and enthusiasts alike.
“Right now, cafés just have matcha as a line item. That was the first reason I wanted to create Teddy’s Matcha. The second reason is I just love it so much!” says Austine.
“I wanted to bring it to people, so they can enjoy it in a really low-pressure environment.”
Using freshly whisked, premium grade culinary matcha sourced from Uji in Kyoto (otherwise known as the matcha capital of the world), each cup is freshly made to order, with all the syrups handmade by Austine and Tom.
Describing the flavours as ‘classic’, the duo say that when it comes to matcha, Canberrans often forget how good simplicity can taste.
“The fruity flavours such as strawberry, mango and blueberry, that’s all very popular, but what about the original ones like maple syrup, brown sugar and cinnamon? They’re all still beautiful paired with matcha. And people don’t think about it,” says Austine.
“That’s what I wanted to do – reclaim the forgotten flavours.”
Currently popping up at select events, part of the magic of Teddy’s Matcha is that it’s made fresh on the spot, weighed and whisked right in front of you.
According to Tom and Austine, the current best seller is the Brown Sugar Cinnamon (which I can attest tastes like a cinnamon doughnut), and the best way to drink matcha is cold – that way you can truly play with the flavours. But regardless of which flavour you choose, freshness is key.
“You have to make it fresh because you want that flavour,” explains Austine.
“That’s why I was really invested in doing it from scratch and doing it fresh. And it’s like a show for people as well!”
Another hot tip? As matcha specialists, Tom and Austine also want to educate people about a common misconception that you have to use ceremonial grade matcha to have a banger of a latte.
“The matcha shortage comes from the ceremonial types, and a lot of people are using this high-quality, expensive matcha to make their matcha lattes. Ceremonial grade matcha isn’t necessary for lattes; they’re meant to be sipped just with water,” explains Austine.
“We’re trying to navigate the shortage by using high-quality, premium culinary grade.”
When she sipped on a sugary Starbucks matcha in 2014, Austine couldn’t have imagined that she’d be starting a pop-up business dedicated to a premium version of the green tea a decade later. But after getting her partner Tom hooked on the drink, it’s a passion the couple wants to share with Canberra.
Named after their matcha drinking cat (feel free to ask Tom and Austine the story), those keen to try it for themselves can find Teddy’s Matcha on Instagram, where they’ll be sharing their pop-up locations. They’ll also be joining the Old Bus Depot Markets on Sundays, with their first two days locked in for Sunday 3 and Sunday 17 August.
And for those wondering if they will ever open a matcha café in Canberra, the answer is maybe.
But for matcha lovers out there, that maybe is exactly what they’ve been craving.
“A future café to scale into one day would be really, really awesome,” says Tom.
“I don’t see a reason why one day we couldn’t scale this into a café somewhere in Canberra or Australia and keep showing Australians why matcha is incredible.”
“In Canberra, we also wanted to validate if there is an interest in matcha, and the response makes us really confident that we could do this full-time one day,” adds Austine.
Keep an eye on Teddy’s Matcha and follow along at @teddysmatchacbr
