Matcha Is in Fashion

BY TAMARA PALMER

New York City’s Cha Cha Matcha opened on Robertson in West Hollywood on December 7, but it already feels like it’s been a neighborhood staple for some time. A visit on the second day was met with a long line filled with patrons wearing lots of high-end designer fashion from Dior, Chanel and Louis Vuitton, probably because Eater LA reported on opening day that Cha Cha Matcha collaborated with Off-White founder and Vuitton artistic director Virgil Abloh to design cups, napkins (pictured above; should I sell some on eBay?), hot drink sleeves and sweatshirts.

Matcha cafes sprouted up throughout San Francisco and Los Angeles this year, and this opening feels like the perfect storm of social media ostentatiousness, but it is packed up with a solid and delicious product (matcha from Uji, Japan).

I tried the lovely Purple Drink, a combination of lavender, plant-based milk (macadamia, in my case), matcha and CBD, and swirled vegan soft serve in peppermint and matcha flavors. It’s probably the 2018 version of the half double decaffeinated half caf with a twist of lemon.

Vegan matcha/peppermint soft serve, Virgil Abloh napkin and Purple Drink (Tamara Palmer)

Cha Cha Matcha, 510 N. Robertson, West Hollywood