Shuhari Matcha Cafe Abbot Kinney Venice

Shuhari Matcha Cafe gives Angelenos a healthier alternative to their leaded coffee by serving authentic Japanese green tea and tasty noshes on Abbot Kinney in Venice.

I'm not a coffee drinker. Shocking, I know. Or not. I don't need, or like, the up and the down of caffeine. Coffee also never tasted that good to me. I like the smell much more than the taste. I do like tea. I became quite the tea drinker when I lived in England. I don't think you can spend any amount of time in England without drinking tea. Then I visited Japan, and witnessed the beauty and ritual of authentic tea ceremonies, and shortly after, I fell in love with matcha. So I was thrilled to hear that Shuhari Cafe was brining Japanese green tea to Abbot Kinney in Venice.

The tea being served at Shuhari does in fact come directly from Japan. Japan produces the highest quality green tea. Much better than that of other countries like China and Brazil. Matcha comes from the leaves of Ten-cha, and is ground into a fine powder. There's no stems and no steeping involved when making green tea. You take the powder and mix it in hot water with a wooden whisk in a very specific and fast motion.

There's many different teas to choose from at Shuhuari. You can buy loose tea to go, as well as beautiful Japanese dishes and accoutrement for your own at-home tea ceremony.

You can also get your matcha, probably in similar ways than you're used to drinking your coffee. There's espresso, latte, cold and hot options, as well as almond or coconut milk additions.

Unlike coffee, you can also get matcha sparklers, which combines sparkling water with different fruit infused matcha options. I'm already thinking I'll be getting one of those to-go to turn it into a fun cocktail.

Green tea has a whole host of health benefits. It's loaded with antioxidants and could help destroy cancer cells. The polyphenol can keep free radicals at bay and the catechins have been shown to be bacteria killers and brain protectors to help brain function. So green tea edges out coffee in the nutrition department, and it has about a third less caffeine, which may or may not be good news for you.

Shuhari also has some interesting noshes like their seaweed wrapped "sliders" with ingredients that include miso walnut pumpkin salad, creamy ume chicken and yuzu miso avocado.

Suhuari Matcha Cafe is a great little spot to stop in for a healthy pick me up while strolling Abbot Kinney. It's a nice, healthier alternative to your typical cup of joe!

Shuhari Matcha Cafe
1522 Abbot Kinney Boulevard, Venice
424.238.8324