Take a breather from the pumpkin spice, peppermint mochas and chai and switch it up with matcha to beat the upcoming winter chill. Matcha has great benefits for us all: natural caffeine, antioxidants and it’s great for the metabolism. Below is a list of all the matcha lattes and desserts I have had in Los Angeles that left a lasting matcha impression on me.
- Cha Cha Matcha
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Located on Robertson Boulevard (along with a location in Venice), serves West Hollywood a trendy, chill vibe of matcha paradise. Decorated in the aesthetic of pink and green palm leaves, you will feel as if you are in a vacation hotel with its decor. Cha Cha Matcha serves hot, iced, soft serve, nitro and even donut forms of matcha. Along with colorful drinks including lavender purple and blue algae with collagen. At specifically the WeHo location, they serve snacks including a vegan waffle, overnight oats, avocado toast, almond butter and jelly and vegan chocolate chip cookie. And yes, they do have oat milk, with a twist of cashew. (Fun Fact: the first time I came here I saw Demi Lovato).
I tried the classic hot matcha latte with macadamia milk, while my friend ordered the vibrant, lavender drink (pictured).
Rate: 10/10 – this was actually the first drink that made me a matcha enthusiast. The blend was soothing, and not too overpowering. The macadamia milk made the latte sweet and creamy enough, that no additional sweetener was needed.
Rate: 8/10 – the lavender drink includes lavender, CBD, almond milk, and matcha for a relaxing, calm boost of energy. Due to the almond milk rather than the oat-cashew, this drink is less heavy in comparison to the latte. The lavender addition made it very sweet and floral. Not to mention, the drink is a beauty.
- Malibu Farms Restaurant & Cafe
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Both the restaurant and cafe at the end of the Malibu Pier is well-known to many for its Instagram-worthy plates. Alongside, the Pacific Coast, you will be able to sip on refreshing matcha, while feeling the ocean breeze and sun. You would not necessarily think of Malibu Farms to carry an impressionable iced matcha latte, but oh they do.
Rate: 9/10 – I ordered the matcha latte with almond milk. This iced matcha latte was the perfect balance of sweet and strong, not losing the original earthy roots. The blend was smooth, light and served in a mason jar with, of course, paper straw.
- Matcha-Cha
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So after your matcha beverages, switch over to the dessert matcha sanction: Matcha-Cha. Located in the heart of Sawtelle is the home of matcha coffee, lattes, but even more exciting, matcha float, matcha milk with red bean and matcha chocolate milk. The store is quite small but decorated with a beautiful floral wall and additional palm leaves print…perfect for a picture. What is great about this hotspot is that you can alter the amount of sweetness in your matcha based on the rankings of 0%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% (default sweetness).
Rate: 10/10 – We got the regular matcha soft serve in a coconut charcoal cone, with powdered matcha on top. The texture was good and was less sweet than most matcha soft serves. Overall, the soft serve was bold with a perfect blend of creaminess. Plus, it didn’t melt fast.
Trust me, these local matcha locations will help you take a breather from stress.