Setsugekka East Village

Very calm, quiet and intimate environment. Really good quality matcha. The woman working there was very nice and knowledgeable about each item. Will be visiting every time I’m in NY. Highly recommend if you’re heavily into matcha

Calm spot for specialized matcha. There are only 5 seats to watch the matcha preparation, but then you have to go with the drink as a takeout item. The quality of the matcha here is quite good. The staff is extremely friendly and kind, and also very knowledgeable about the origin of the matcha they are serving. Strong recommend if you are a big matcha enthusiast.

A very methodical matcha preparation inside a quiet space taken up mostly by a tatami mat floor and some interesting art such as a mill machine. The front desk for seating and paying is much further in. It seems this store prioritizes takeout over sit in. You can watch the staff member take pride in preparing your drink methodically and delicately. Overall a soothing relaxing place place to be in to wait for your order.

We’ve visited this tea house twice, and both times we enjoyed the matcha. It was particularly interesting for us to try this place, as I drink matcha quite often, and my husband is a daily matcha drinker. Upon arrival, we were first seated at the bar, where we watched the tea master prepare the matcha right in front of us. The process—from pouring hot water from the iron pot to whisking—felt special, like a small moment of magic, even though it seemed a bit rushed. Due to the steady flow of guests, we were asked to move to a tatami mat to savor the rest of our tea. Personally, I would have preferred to stay at the bar until the end, as that setting felt more immersive. Overall, it’s a quiet, calming place to slow down and appreciate the art of Japanese tea.

Hidden gem in NYC When you walk in, you are transported to a tea house on the other side of the world. The calm, quiet atmosphere accented by traditional Japanese flute music provides a beautiful respite from chaotic Manhattan. There is a variety of seating, including an intimate table where the owner expertly explains the different matcha grades and takes you through a traditional preparation (ceremony). I can’t praise the owner, Souheki, enough — kind, knowledgeable, and so humble. She told me of her farms visits in Japan, pointing to photographs she took that hung in the shop. She was warm, welcoming, and happy to answer all my questions. For the people here complaining about the price — you missed the point. This isn’t the fad matcha drink from Starbucks. You are getting such a richer, deeper experience. You’re getting hundreds of years of knowledge and culture. You’re getting the highest grade organic matcha hand served to you by the only certified tea shop in New York City. Have some respect. Setsugekka also offers contemporary matcha delicacies including an iced strawberry matcha and a matcha affogato. This place is a must-go.

Setsugekka is a specialty tea house that specializes in bringing over multiple types of Matcha. They prepare it in a traditional style, and have a little tea ceremony for you while you sit in front of them. The staff are friendly and are nice, talking you through the entire process and are quite knowledgeable on the menu and types of matcha, recommending types of pairings. We tried a matcha latte for each type of matcha that was available at the time, Jobetsugi and Senjunomukashi. However, the matcha fell flat when we tried it. The matcha was quite watered down, and it wasn't really strong like other matchas I tried. The strawberry addition we added to the Jobetsugi didn't really do much for it, and overall we were disappointed by the drink.

Beautiful matcha store, matcha is ground in house for you to see amongst an exhibition of photos of their matcha farms. Great selection of tins to buy for home but also fantastic matcha to take away. Lovely person running the shop too, perfect calming atmosphere.