Despite the fact that I am an avid matcha consumer and also a huge fan of Woodstar Café, I hadn’t ever tried their matcha latte before this weekend. It’s a drink shrouded in mystery. In my four years in Northampton, replete with many Woodstar visits, I’ve never heard anyone talk about it. I’ve never seen anyone order it. For some undisclosed reason, it is the only drink that Woodstar only serves in one size, and they also don’t put it over ice.
I just can’t help but feel suspicious about these rules that only apply to matcha and nothing else on the menu. What mortal evil are they trying to contain by regulating the latte’s size and temperature? When I see it up on that colorful chalkboard menu, underneath all of the other drinks that I know are delicious, I can almost feel it whispering out to me, “don’t look at me, trust me, you don’t want this…” I guess the truth is, I’ve always been afraid of Woodstar’s matcha.
This weekend was different though — my mom and grandma came up to visit. With two generations of strong, powerful women by my side, I thought maybe, just maybe, today would finally be the day to bite the bullet and try the enigmatic Woodstar matcha; to look it straight in the face and say, I’m not scared of you.
I took a tentative sip — it tasted sweet, nutty, and most of all, quite subtle. The milk, warm and frothy, was a nice complement to the chilly November weather. However, about three quarters of the way into this matcha latte, I discovered something I knew all too well. A chunk. Then another; then another. This was not the first time a chunky matcha latte and I have crossed paths, and I have a sneaking feeling that it will not be the last.
Because matcha is composed of powdered leaves, it has to be whisked with warm water in a very particular way in its preparation. If you don’t whisk it well enough — for example, if you overdo it on the water or whisk too lightly — there are bound to be chunks. This was probably the barista’s mistake and that makes me feel like a big asshole. So, whoever the barista was, I am sending you love. It was so busy in there. You were probably hungover from Halloween, like we all were. Also, when I used to be a barista I accidentally spilled hot tea all over a very fancily-dressed woman so I have little room to judge your craft.
I will say, at $4.20, it is less than half the price of the Familiars matcha I ordered last month. Quality wise, the matcha powder seemed pretty good. All in all, I won’t be ordering it again but it was not traumatizing. Next time I go to Woodstar, I probably will get their honey lemon ginger tea, which is something that can really be so personal. On the matcha front, many questions still remain, but I feel stronger knowing I ventured into the unknown and came out mostly unscathed. 3.5 out of 5 leaves.
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