Guide to Matcha Tea Shops in Connecticut

From Blank Street to Starbucks, matcha is taking the country by storm. But there’s a wide gulf between mass-produced and high-quality matcha. Matcha can get a bad rap, with many people only having tasted the tea from a chain. Luckily, those living in southwest CT have access to several shops brewing up thoughtfully sourced, top-notch matcha. Here are some of our favorite places to get matcha drinks, pastries, and other sweets:

Zen Cha Matcha - Darien, CT

Dan and MJ Grullon, the husband-and-wife team behind Zen Cha, take a holistic approach to matcha, celebrating the flavor, health benefits, and history of the drink.

“I’ve been told a lot that the store feels like you've just been invited into our home,” Dan says.

From cultivation to preparation to service, Zen Cha emphasizes tradition at every step of the process. “It's prepared in the bowl that you actually drink it out of, and it's just straight green tea — no milk, no sweeteners, just everything that the green tea has to offer,” Dan says.

Zen Cha’s matcha is sourced from a small farm in Japan, where the tea leaves are hand-picked and stone-ground.

“No matter what you consume in our shop, whether it's matcha straight up, a matcha latte, or a tiramisu, or a donut, they all carry the highest grade of matcha from our farm,” Dan says.

Alongside the traditional plain matcha, Zen Cha serves drinks like the Blue Zen, flavored with cinnamon and blue spirulina, and pink coconut matcha. One of their most popular beverages is the strawberry matcha latte, which uses house-made organic strawberry syrup.

The space encourages guests to “be tranquil and be in the moment,” offering an escape from the rapid pace of everyday life. The couple are building a second location in Old Greenwich, with an opening slated for early 2026.

Momo Matcha – South Norwalk, CT

At Momo Matcha, everything on the menu — from bubble waffles to soft serve to lattes — contains matcha. Located on the third-floor food court of the SoNo Collection, Momo opened in July.

“It all started with my teens,” says Kat, the founder and owner of Momo. “My teenage girl was dragging me to all the matcha spots in New York City… and my boy wants to get the creamiest ice cream possible.”

But it wasn’t until a trip to Uji, Japan, the birthplace of matcha, that Kat learned the skills necessary to source and brew her own tea. She uses high-quality Japanese matcha powder in all the products Momo sells.

For their soft serve, Kat uses ice cream base without high-fructose corn syrup, infusing it with the same matcha used for teas. Of course, Momo also sells popular beverages like strawberry matcha lattes (with freshly pureed berries) and sparkling beverages.

Kat’s personal favorite item is the Matcha Coconut Cloud, made with coconut water and a thick layer of matcha foam.

Be sure to try the bubble waffles, inspired by Kat’s Hong Kong upbringing but flavored with matcha powder and topped with ice cream.

BLISS: Matcha and Beyond - New Haven, CT

BLISS, which opened in late October, is the newest addition to southern CT’s matcha scene. Their matcha drink menu is vast and varied; for purists, there’s “Pure” matcha drinks, made with water, in addition to milk-based matcha lattes.

BLISS also serves several unique sweets which set them apart, such as matcha frappes and soft serve. But the dessert sure to spark the most buzz is the matcha banana pudding, with green-tinted pastry cream, fresh banana, and wafer cookies.

For those uninterested in matcha, BLISS also serves regular banana pudding and creative non-tea drinks. The Strawberry and Mango Boom, respectively, are made with a fruit slush and crystal boba. Who says you can’t have a slushy in winter?

Matcha Amor – Pop-Up

Pati Dona, the founder and owner of Matcha Amor (@matcha.amor.ct), brews signature drinks for pop-ups and private events across CT. 

Popular drinks include the strawberry matcha latte and the passionfruit limonada matcha, a sparkling drink inspired by Pati’s Chilean heritage. For first-timers, Pati recommends the mango matcha latte, and for true matcha fans, she recommends the classic matcha latte.

“I don't add any sweetener,” she says, “so it's more for the people who are matcha lovers, who want to taste the matcha in it.”

After taking a year-long course with the Japanese Tea Association, Pati learned the proper techniques for sourcing and brewing the tea. She also sells her own premium matcha powder blend sourced from Shizuoka, Japan.

Pati hopes to open a permanent storefront in Fairfield, selling pastries in addition to an expanded matcha menu. For now, information about Matcha Amor’s pop-ups can be found on their Instagram, where Pati regularly posts dates and locations of upcoming events.