Experience Princeton Business Spotlight on Ooika
The Ooika logo says it all.
A circle inscribed with radiating lines, it depicts furrows cut into the millstones used to grind shade-grown Tencha (unground green tea leaves) into vibrant green Matcha powder. Café customers enjoying a bowl of Matcha tea at Ooika can watch as it accumulates under each rotating stone.
“There is a need for exceptional quality Matcha in this area,” explains co-owner Joann Lui, “and that means sourcing Tencha directly from Japan and grinding it here daily.”
Photos on their website show a collection of nearly identical green tea powders, but the similarity is deceptive. Each is sourced from a famous and historic Japanese terroir including Uji, Yame, Hoshinomura, Shizuoka, Kagoshima, and more. The green color reflects the deep shade under which they were grown, and the flavors reflect each tea farm's microclimate and soil.
Ooika’s Princeton and Lawrenceville cafes are among only a handful of places in the U.S. where Matcha fans can discover these prized heritage teas. Customers can order prepared tea on site, take it home to enjoy, or have fresh ground Matcha shipped.
Co-owner Marc Ooika first encountered Matcha while studying in Japan, and is passionate about providing café guests with an authentic Japanese heritage experience. “Ooika offers Matcha from a wide range of Japanese tea farms, including multiple first place winners of the famed annual Japanese National Tea Competition,” he states. “We celebrate single-cultivar, single-vintage Matcha, rather than blends, letting customers experience each local microclimate from afar.”
You won’t find a better Matcha café or more ardent owners and staff, all ready to help you explore Matcha in both traditional and contemporary ways.
Ooika
300 Witherspoon St., Suite 102B
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Experience Princeton is a volunteer-based, nonprofit organization founded in 2022 that aims to shape, maintain and grow a flourishing Princeton economy by offering exceptional experiences for residents and visitors. For more information Experience Princeton, contact Executive Director Isaac Kremer at Isaac@princetonbusiness.org or call 313-268-4356.
