With light filtering through a thin white curtain onto the stainless steel counter, Ari’s Contemporary Matcha Bar—AKA MTCH—strikes a cool contrast to traditional wood-dominated tea rooms. Run by a pair of matcha enthusiasts who studied the art of green tea and matcha ceremonies for five years prior to launch, the cafe currently serves a carefully curated selection of nine single cultivar matcha varieties from Japan—all of which are prepared to exacting standards in drinks developed to match the teas’ characteristics.

Cool off with the cream soda-like Sparkling Ujihikari (B120), a mix of creamy matcha from Japan’s green tea capital, Uji, and soda, finished with an olfactory garnish of lemon and thyme. The surprisingly harmonious Watermelon MTCH (B130) pairs watermelon juice and Samidori tea to refreshing effect. To get a real flavor of the green stuff, we suggest the intense Asahi MTCH Cold Whisk Latte (B190)—not to be confused with the namesake beer, Asahi here refers to a floral tea from Osaka—which packs double the usual dose of matcha.

The desserts are not to be missed. Try the MTCH Cheesecake (B200), redolent of the rich aroma of smokey Yabukita tea.