May 18, 2023 - Food and Drink
Food Fight: Matcha matchup
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Matcha mousse in the case at JinJu Patisserie. Photo: Courtesy of Collin Oldham
In the last edition of Food Fight, we tackled burritos. This time: matcha.
Emily's pick: My first real matcha thrill was years ago: an amazing shaved ice in Japan. (Also my first exposure to matcha Oreos.)
- Can you tell I have a sweet tooth?
Now I've sampled a handful of matcha treats around town and can offer you a top choice, plus a runner-up.
- Top choice: The matcha mousse from JinJu Patisserie. Perfect creamy fluff set off by the sour of the bright green yuzu (a citrus fruit) wrapper. Better at room temperature than chilly out of the case.
- Runner-up: Shaved ice with sweet adzuki beans and tofu mochi from Soen, a pop-up inside Courier Coffee near the downtown Powell's. There's something about watching blossoms drift by while chilling my insides and my soul. The small is big enough for two.
Meira's pick: As an avid enjoyer of all things matcha, I'd like to consider myself a connoisseur. If there's a matcha flavor of anything around this town, you bet I've tried it.
- Top choice: You can't go wrong with matcha milk tea, especially when the weather is warm. My favorite is from Tea Bar on SE Division. The earthy notes of matcha are complemented by creamy oat milk and chewy boba. It's the perfect, sweet counterpart to another favorite of mine — the tofu bibim box from Kim Jong Grillin', just a short walk down the street.
- Runner-up: Every coffee shop in PDX has matcha, but few do it well. I'm a big fan of Never Coffee's matcha and mint latte, as well as Stumptown's iced black sesame matcha. Both are seasonal, so keep an eye out for the next time it's on the menu.
What's your favorite matcha treat? Let us know!