Hi, I’m Will — UCLA grad going into software engineering, gym-goer, and (maybe one day) a matcha café owner!

So how did I get into this? To be honest, as the child of two Chinese parents, I've always loved green tea. Naturally curious after sneaking a few sips from my mom's leftover jasmine pot, I asked her, ”What other green teas are there?” From that point on, I was dedicated to learning about every type of green tea I could find. Longjing for its nuttiness. Sencha for its grassiness. But matcha, with its different terroirs, cultivars, and preparation methods, was a whole different animal.

Of all the green teas I tried, matcha was the most complex tasting and fun to make! Perfecting recipes and researching brands like Ippodo, by college, I found myself whisking up lattes pretty much every single time a friend was over. Eventually, 3 friends became 10. 10 became 30. Before I knew it, I had started what was essentially a pop-up café in my apartment kitchen.

All the while during this matcha craze, my friends kept asking the same thing:

Now I don't consider myself an actual expert, but the answer depends on a lot: are you sipping usucha, koicha, making fruit lattes, or baking? Do you prefer umami or nutty first matchas? Sweet or grassy?

For a beginner it's overwhelming — dozens of cultivars, grades, and price points.

Take a short taste quiz, and MatchaMatch maps your flavor profile to a curated database so you can skip the trial-and-error. Whether you're a seasoned connoisseur or just getting into things, I hope MatchaMatch helps you find the perfect matcha for your needs!

Want to help the project grow? Submit your favorite matcha →