Jenki Matcha

First-harvest matcha, whisked to order

Jenki keeps the description of its matcha short: first-harvest Japanese tea, made in Japan, whisked in London. That is the useful way to read the counter, because everything else follows from it. This is not a coffee bar with a green option bolted on; the format is powder, water, milk, ice and the brief ritual of the whisk.

The house range names Uji matcha, and alongside it Saekari, a single-cultivar tea meant to be drunk with water rather than buried under milk. The preparation is specified rather than improvised: two grams, whisked for one to two minutes, nothing in the tin but matcha. The result is a steady drink rather than an espresso hit, which is the argument the whole bar is making. Naming Uji at all is a statement of intent: it is the region most associated with fine Japanese tea, and it sets the expectation that the base will carry the drink whether it is served long, iced or straight.

A green counter built for the queue

The room works like a modern matcha bar: bright, branded, counter-led and quick. The queue is part of the design rather than a symptom of a bad day. Orders move toward the bar, the drinks are whisked in view, and the finished cup looks more considered than the speed suggests.

It is a routine place rather than a destination one, the sort of counter regulars fold into a walk they were making anyway. Nobody comes for a slow tearoom afternoon; they come for the pull of the whisk and a cold cup to carry down Long Acre. Cakes sit beside the drinks for anyone who wants one, but the cup is the point.

Order the iced matcha latte first

Start with the Matcha Latte (Iced). It is the clearest expression of the bar, ceremonial-grade matcha whisked fresh and served with milk, and iced is the better first order when the queue is moving: it keeps the tea clean, gives the milk some structure, and makes the natural sweetness easier to read.

Come back for the Saekari when the base matters more than the milk. It is a single-cultivar matcha, nuttier and more layered, and it belongs closer to water than to a latte. Between the two, you get the range of what first-harvest matcha can taste like.