Matcha in Port Jefferson: Where to Get a Real Ceremonial-Grade Bowl on the North Shore

If you like matcha and you live east of Smithtown, you already know the problem. There is plenty of coffee on the North Shore. There is almost no matcha. A few cafes keep a tin of sweetened powder behind the counter for the occasional latte order, and that is about it. Nobody is whisking a real bowl.

We do that at Roots. We are at 250 East Main Street in Port Jefferson, and matcha is one of the drinks we take the most care with.

What we serve

We keep it simple. Three ways to order matcha at the bar:

• A plain bowl. Ceremonial-grade powder, hot water, whisked to a foam, served as is. This is the one to order if you actually want to taste the tea.

• A matcha latte. Same powder, whisked first, then poured over steamed milk or oat milk. Sweetened only if you ask.

• Iced matcha. Whisked over a little hot water so it dissolves properly, then shaken over ice. This one moves fast in summer when the harbor crowd comes up the hill.

You can see the full list on our menu. We also do matcha alongside kava, kanna, coffee, herbal teas and mocktails, so if you are here with someone who does not want green tea, they have options.

How we make it

The difference between good matcha and the chalky stuff comes down to two things: the grade of the powder and whether someone bothers to whisk it.

We use ceremonial grade, which means the younger leaves, ground fine, with a naturally sweet finish instead of a bitter one. Then we whisk every bowl by hand with a bamboo chasen. Water that is hot but not boiling, a quick sift so there are no clumps, then a fast back-and-forth whisk until it foams. It takes about a minute. That minute is the whole reason it tastes the way it does.

We do not pre-mix a batch and leave it in a fridge. Each order gets whisked when you order it.

Make an afternoon of it

Port Jefferson is one of the better walking villages on Long Island, and matcha travels well. A lot of people grab an iced matcha from us and walk down Main Street toward the harbor, past the shops, and sit by the water for a while. If you are coming off the Bridgeport ferry, we are a short walk up from the dock.

On a colder day, the plain bowl is the move. Sit in the lounge, take your time with it, and warm up before heading back out.

Evening matcha

This is the part most places cannot offer. Village coffee shops tend to close mid-afternoon. We stay open into the evening, so if you want matcha after dinner or at 9 pm during a game night, we are pouring. Check our site for hours.

We run live music, open mic and game nights through the week, and we have board games and video games on hand any night. A matcha latte at a table with friends during trivia is a normal sight here. Happy Hour runs 4 pm to 7 pm daily and covers the bar.

What to pair it with

We keep vegan snacks behind the counter, and a plain bowl of matcha with something small and sweet is the classic pairing for a reason. The bitterness and the sweet play off each other.

If you are switching over from coffee, matcha is a different kind of drink. It is smoother, it is grassy, and a plain bowl is a slower thing to sit with than an espresso. Give yourself a few minutes with it.

Bringing a group

If you have a book club, a study group or a team that wants somewhere to meet that is not a bar and not a Starbucks, we host groups of up to 40 with no minimum and no deposit. The details are on our private parties and events page. Matcha for a table of ten is not a problem, we just whisk a lot of bowls.

Where we are

Roots Kava Bar, 250 East Main Street, Port Jefferson, NY 11777. Call us at (934) 259-8902 or see our visit page for directions and parking. We are an alcohol-free bar and lounge, so the whole room is set up for exactly this kind of drink.

Come get a real bowl. It is the only one on this side of the North Shore that we know of.