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Green tea stuff has been around forever, but none of them have really been able to scratch the itch. If you can appreciate the complexity of proper matcha, however, The Matcha Project will satisfy any lover of this delicious green tea.
Tucked away in the corner of the basement at The Sail @ Marina Bay, this small cafe doesn’t look like much. With only six seats available, it’s more of a takeaway place than a cafe where you can sit down for long periods of time to sip at your tea.
What impressed me was the way Wiltian brewed each cup of tea. With different drinks such as matcha shots, matcha americanos and the standard matcha latte, I got to see his technique as well as appreciate different types of matcha.
Starting off with the Premium Matcha Shot ($6.50), I was impressed with how different the tea tasted. Instead of the bitter taste that you get with other matchas, my first thought when the tea hit my tongue was that it tasted more umami than anything else.
The aftertaste was more similar to traditional matcha, a slightly bitter vegetal taste lingering. The tea was smooth and light though, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
The Matcha Americano ($5 hot, $5.50 iced) utilises a different matcha powder, machine picked instead of hand, so it comes with a different taste profile as well. Instead of the same savouriness I tasted in the Premium Matcha Shot, this was more refreshing. It is accompanied with a creamy mouthfeel if you manage to take a sip before most of the foam disappears.
My favourite drinks might be the Matcha Latte ($5.50 hot, $6 iced) and Houjicha Latte ($5.50 hot, $6 iced) though. The Matcha Latte was slightly sweetened, and tasted of both milk and matcha, with the same slight vegetal aftertaste from the Premium Matcha Shot.
The Houjicha Latte was sweeter than the Matcha Latte, with a prominent taste of the roasted green tea. It was still smooth, but had additional depth as compared to the Matcha Latte.
Finally ending off with something on a sweeter note, the Matcha/Vanilla Soft Serve ($5 regular, $6.50 large) was milky and smooth, with none of the icy graininess that ice creams have sometimes. The matcha taste was still there, but more sweet than bitter this time.
The neutral vanilla ice cream also paired well with it, providing a nice contrast against the fresh taste of the matcha.
The Matcha Project might be a little out of the way if you don’t work in the CBD or nearby The Sail @ Marina Bay, but if you’re in the vicinity, you definitely should drop by for a cup of excellent matcha.
Expected damage: $5 – $10 per person
