MIDORI

 

MIDORI hudson - Japanese Matcha & Tea Bar is not only the first "real" Matcha cafe in Hudson, NY, but also a place where people can discover and enjoy other Japanese teas, sweets, and light snacks. 

Conceptualized by the Japanese owner, whose legal Japanese first name is Midori (meaning "green"), both the place and what we serve will be authentically Japanese. The staff might not be Japanese, but everyone is trained to serve with true Japanese hospitality. We don’t aim to be trendy or go viral, but to be a welcoming “Yasumidokoro” - a place where locals and visitors can rest, chat, and learn. 

Our seating space in the back, which we call “Library”, is a quiet oasis with books on Japanese culture and art shared from the owner’s collection. We ask visitors to be respectful of others when spending time there. 

The backbone of our matcha practice is Chanoyu, the traditional tea ceremony. Will we serve ceremonial grade matcha? Of course, but “ceremonial grade” is a marketing term coined by North American matcha companies, not a traditional Japanese standard.

Until matcha took over the world by storm, it was rarely consumed daily in Japan. Higher-grade matcha was used only for traditional tea ceremonies, Chanoyu, and was served at a limited number of traditional cafes. Lower-quality culinary grades of matcha were used to make sweets.

And you would be surprised to know that foamy matcha is not a better matcha. The Omotesenke Chanoyu School, which our founder practices, doesn't lather it too much; it aims to leave a thin, crescent-shaped layer of foam covering about half to one-third of the surface.

Just like coffee or wine, there are so many different kinds of matcha, vastly different in notes. And we know that everyone has different tastes. Coveted single-origin matcha is not necessarily better. Some blends offer balanced flavors and umami. And even the same single-origin matcha can taste different depending on the year it was harvested. So, keep trying, be confident in what you like, and enjoy it. And please feel free to share what you think. 

Just as CoCollaborations that we are housed in, we don’t plan to produce and market under our own label, but will work with several suppliers as teams and promote their brands. And we want to continue our matcha & tea journey with our customers.

We will announce the matcha we are serving that week, as well as seasonal and limited-time sweets, on Instagram, so make sure to follow us @midori.hudson.

We hope to see you soon!