First Look: Ujin Matcha House, Canberra’s first Matcha Specialty Store

Posted on 1 January, 2026

Calling all Canberra matcha enthusiasts, you have something to celebrate. Ujin Matcha House is preparing to open its doors as the city’s first dedicated matcha specialty store.

For those who’ve been making do with weak, pale green, sickly sweet matcha (often an afterthought on generic café menus), Ujin represents something different: a considered, respectful approach to a beverage that involves more than a quick stir with a spoon.

The name Ujin itself tells a story. “Uji” references the Kyoto region where matcha originated, while “jin” means people in Japanese. Together: the people of matcha. The Kanji they use for their name is 宇仁 which translates to “House of Virtue”. It’s a fitting name for a venture driven by genuine passion.

The journey to opening Ujin wasn’t an obvious one for the owners. Their initial encounter with matcha was, admittedly, underwhelming.

But everything changed after witnessing matcha being hand-whisked in the traditional Japanese method. It was a moment that sparked a deeper curiosity about the culture and craft behind this vibrant green powder.

“Like all matcha lovers do, they graduate from matcha kindergarten to matcha high school,” the owners explain. “You begin to appreciate the true tradition and respect needed behind making a good matcha.”

The store sources its matcha directly from Japan, working with product from multiple regions including Uji, Yame, and Shizuoka. Customers can choose from at least four different matcha blends for their iced matcha latte, with the selection rotating to showcase the diversity of Japanese tea cultivation.

Each matcha is whisked individually to order, following traditional Japanese methods with a bamboo whisk while incorporating modern precision through digital scales.

Behind the scenes, there’s been extensive experimentation: testing cold methods against hot, comparing resin whisks to bamboo, perfecting ratios down to the gram. The result is a menu that is meticulously crafted.

Ujin will feature a signature drinks menu alongside exciting desserts, including Matcha cheese tart, basque cheesecake and Hokkaido soft serves. In the future, they hope to extend their dessert range to include bingsu (Korean shaved ice) too.

And whilst matcha is a focus, they have an extensive range of other speciality drinks like Hojicha, Thai milk tea, Taro lattes, Cacao lattes, Earl grey lattes, Hot teas and Iced teas.

The drinks are customisable with options to add extras like black sugar syrup, earl grey syrup, pink sea salt, pearls, cream foams, and more.

For those wanting to recreate the experience at home, a small retail shelf will stock matcha tins for purchase.

For Canberra’s matcha lovers – Ujin Matcha House represents what they’ve been waiting for: a dedicated space that treats matcha with the respect and care it deserves.

Because this isn’t coffee. And it shouldn’t be stirred like coffee. It’s time Canberra’s matcha scene graduated to high school.