Chaseki

Matcha is the point of Chaseki, and it is treated as a range rather than a single drink: koicha thick and concentrated, usucha lighter, and a clear preparation that shows the leaf without milk. The teahouse has been working in Chiang Mai since 2018.

A matcha list with grades, not just a green latte

Chaseki buys from small and medium Japanese producers and organises its tea by use: ceremonial matcha, everyday matcha, matcha made for milk, and loose-leaf Japanese green tea beside them. That gives the counter a producer-led identity rather than one house powder poured into everything. The named teas cover most of the Japanese repertoire, sencha, gyokuro, hojicha, genmaicha and a green tea latte, with seasonal drinks appearing alongside. Cultivars are part of the conversation: Uji Hikari, served clear, drinks smooth and nutty with a deep umami weight, and Shogyokuen is the stronger, more classical green tea in the range. Staff explain the differences, which is necessary rather than decorative when the choice is between koicha and usucha.

A calm room for a slower order

The setting is simple and Japanese in register: minimalist, warm wooden furniture, small plants, Japanese art on the walls and a wall of teaware and tea for sale. It is quiet enough to read or work in, and arranged in corners rather than one open floor, which suits an order that takes longer to explain than a coffee. The house also publishes brewing guidance and material on what matcha actually is, so the retail side and the counter reinforce each other. Chaseki appears in the Time Out Matcha Guide for 2026, a useful marker for anyone comparing matcha stops in the city.

Start with matcha, then add a sweet

Choose the preparation you want to understand: koicha for intensity, usucha or the clear matcha for a more direct bowl, matcha latte for a gentler way in. Then add one sweet rather than a plate of them. The pairings are Japanese and deliberate, matcha cake, red bean mochi, green tea cheesecake and warabimochi, with a triple cheesecake that people order beside the clear matcha more often than anything else. If leaf tea is your interest instead, gyokuro or hojicha take the same sweets happily, and the shelves will sell you the tea and the whisk to repeat it at home.