Matcha Restaurant And Ceramics Shop To Open In Jersey City: Peek Inside

JERSEY CITY, NJ — Jane Yang became interested in matcha, the powdery ingredient made from tea leaves, as a student at Rutgers University. She often sipped matcha drinks at Grumpy Bobas in Somerville.

"[I liked] the taste," she said. "And I stopped drinking coffee, and was mostly drinking tea. Matcha has a slower release of caffeine. I like the whole matcha process."

Yang, who grew up in East Brunswick, moved to Jersey City's Heights neighborhood — just west of Hoboken — five years ago. She began perfecting her own matcha drinks, and held pop-ups at The Alps restaurant and the local farmer's market.

Now she's moving into a more permanent spot.

In a few weeks, she'll open a storefront in her neighborhood selling not just varieties of matcha drinks — from honeycomb to strawberry — but also salads, baked goods, sandwiches, vegan items, and many matcha-based delicacies.

Yang held a preview this week, showing off unique items from an egg salad sandwich to tuna and tofu rice corners, to salads with matcha noodles and chai pudding.

Many of the flavors used in her concoctions are grown locally, and she even uses honeycomb candy whose main ingredient comes from a Jersey City-based beekeeper.

Art Too

Besides providing space to sip and chat, her new shop — called, appropriately, Jane's Matcha — also has a sizeable display of local art for sale, including ceramic bowls and sculptures from various artisans.

Annmarie Mercieri Colonna of Big Smile Ceramics was among the potters on hand for the display.

"It felt like the right spot," said Yang, of her decision to move in. The storefront at 93 Franklin St. — up the hill from Hoboken's 100 steps — used to be the Green Pear, another small but unique cafe.

Yang isn't sure which day she'll open, but says she expects to open in a few weeks. You can subscribe to Jersey City Patch's free morning newsletter for word about the opening date, and other local news.

To find out more about Jane's Matcha, click here.

Read about five restaurants that opened in North Jersey last month here.

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