I love gentle, cozy moments.
Matcha supports my daily life in so many ways—right after waking up in the morning, during breaks from work, whenever I want to refresh, or after coming back from a walk.
It creates a break that adds a lovely accent to my day.
The aroma of matcha, the texture on the palate, the vibrant color, and the unhurried time spent carefully preparing it—all of these give me a very special feeling of time.
When I wake up and want to feel crisp and centered, the clean, brisk taste helps me settle into the morning quiet.
And when I feel like having something a little sweet, I make a slightly sweet matcha latte. I really turn to matcha quite often to help shift my feelings.
Sometimes, I almost think of matcha as a friend.
Matcha-san, what is it about you that makes me feel so warm and cozy? I whispered quietly to myself inside.
To me, it feels like that mellow, gentle sensation the moment it touches my lips is what brings this feeling to life.
Just yesterday, something happened that left me feeling a bit unsettled inside.
There is a friend I’ve become very close with lately, and we had been enjoying talking together every single day.
Yet yesterday, they were strangely distant, and it felt as though a shutter had suddenly been pulled down between us.
Did something happen?
They must just be busy, so they seemed a little different than usual.
Like any normal girl, I sat there turning things over in my mind for a while.
Still, when someone you’ve gotten close to suddenly becomes distant, an uneasy feeling naturally bubbles up inside. I couldn’t help thinking about it for a bit.
Even so, I made my drink just like always, went out to the veranda, and sat at the table and chairs out there. As I slowly looked up at the sky and relaxed, none of it really seemed to matter anymore.
Tomorrow will surely be completely different anyway, I thought, and my mind felt so light and refreshed.
Having a moment to reset your feelings is so important. At times like that, my matcha time is always something I truly treasure.
It is a deeply precious time for me. Waking up in the morning, sitting quietly on the tatami, and slowly drinking carefully whisked matcha, almost like a small, quiet ritual.
Of course, I don’t follow strict formal rules like I did when learning tea ceremony back in elementary and middle school. But carefully whisking the matcha with a chasen and taking that first slow sip—that simple ritual brings such a thoughtful rhythm to my morning.
Then at lunchtime, when I want something casual, I make a matcha latte. It only takes me a minute to make. It’s completely simple, but because I’m so used to doing it, it turns out wonderfully delicious.
Like I mentioned earlier, when I sit out on the veranda, I shake up a matcha latte in a container with a lid, sit in the chair, and simply watch the sky.
Matcha goes so well with sweets, too. It pairs beautifully with traditional Japanese sweets, but also with cookies, scones, or tiramisu. It goes with anything. It even goes so well with Chinese pastries.
Knowing that I have matcha waiting at home makes browsing the sweet aisle at the supermarket or shopping mall such a fun part of my day. That is another reason why I love matcha so much.
With all of that, I want to keep cherishing my matcha moments just like this.
Oh, and by the way.
That friend who was so distant yesterday? I went to see them again today, and they spoke to me looking completely happy. I still don’t know why they were so distant yesterday, but that’s completely fine.
We had such a fun time together today.
Living freely, openly, and refreshed, like walking in a gentle breeze—I think that is truly the happiest way to be.
Thinking about it now, that feeling seems so much like matcha. It can be clean and refreshing, yet depending on how you make it, it can become sweet or deeply gentle. It feels just like that.
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