Sunday September 10th was a pretty freaking matchacal day.
I went to a festival and you could say it…whisked me away (Haaa). Or that I…loved it so matcha!
Ok, Ok, I’m done.
San Francisco, on September 10th, held the first-ever Matcha Festival in the nation! It was put on by Jules, creator of the @matcha.sf, @matcha.la, and @matcha.nyc Instagram accounts. She collaborated with SPARK Social SF to host it at. SPARK Social is a food truck park, beer garden, and event space in the Mission Bay area, so it was the perfect location for a foodie fest!
So What Is Matcha Anyway?
For those that aren’t equally obsessed, matcha originated in Japan and is a finely ground powder of green tea leaves. The leaves have been specially grown and processed. Before harvest, the green tea plants are shade-grown for about 3 weeks. The stems and veins of the leaves are then removed and ground into powder. It then gets added to food and drinks to create magic in the human body.
No seriously. It’s kind of like magic for us! Matcha has an insane amount of health benefits! To name a few…
• It provides a small amount of vitamins and minerals
• It has anti-aging powers and reduces blood pressure
• It contains caffeine yet makes you feel calm and relaxed
• It’s rich in certain antioxidants that have been tied to the prevention of cancer and heart disease
About The Matcha Festival
Over 3,500 matchaholics snagged tickets online and attended San Francisco’s Matcha Fest. Adult tickets were $5 and kids 10 and under were free! There were about 37 vendors, all offering various matcha treats, drinks, and products. Some of the products included “matchaholic” tee’s and tanks, a coconut matcha mint scrub, matcha chapstick, and more.
Once you showed your ticket at the front gate and got your hand stamped, you were given a map with all the vendor names and locations. A cute photo booth backdrop was put up near the entrance, complete with hand painted signs saying things like “Stay thirsty” and “But first, matcha”. Lawn games like hula hoops were strewn across the astro-turf for people to play with, too.
An Instagram giveaway was put on before the festival, and I was one of 3 winners that received 3 Fast Passes! The Fast Passes allowed me to skip any 3 lines at the event. There was also a raffle going on at the festival where you could win a matchaeologist matcha brewing kit!
Matcha Treats Available
Welcome to your new matcha bucket list.
There were way too many treats to name everything offered, but here’s a small list of creations I devoured, and ones that I thought were interesting! You might wanna go get a napkin for the drool that’s about to run down your face. I’ll wait.
Matcha Alfajor with Matcha Buttercream
Matcha Rice Krispie Treat
Matcha Cheesecake Cream Puff
Geisha Coffee : ito en ceremonial Matcha with Organic Honey and Milk
Cone-pocalypse : Matcha ice cream and Strawberries n’ cream ice cream in a Matcha Waffle Cone topped with Green Tea Pocky and a Matcha Custard Cake
Matcha Green Tea Toffee
Matcha Kettle Corn
Strawberry Matcha Latte with Boba
Matcha Snickerdoodle Cookie Dough
Matcha Green Tea Latte and Strawberry Matcha Cotton Candy
AND SO MUCH MORE!
If you missed out on America’s first-ever matcha festival, don’t worry!
Jules and the rest of her team are already planning the next one! Keep an eye on the @matcha.sf, @matcha.la, and @matcha.nyc Instagram accounts for updates and news on the next fest.
Are you a matchaholic like me? If so, tell me where you’ve found the best matcha treats!
If not, then why are you reading this what food flavors or trends are YOU obsessing over right now?
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Comments
Not gonna lie.. some of this looks amazing, and some of it looks totally gross. Matcha frostings and cotton candy: Amazing!
Match Rice Krispies? Not so much. They look… almost… healthy!
Right?! I feel like that Dr. Seuss book Green Eggs & Ham just ruined the view of green colored foods hahah. But the matcha rice krispie treat was actually one of my favorite snacks from the festival! It was so good!
Matcha Festival?!? Magic! San Fran always has the best stuff! Thanks for sharing, hopefully someday we’ll get to check it out! Happy Travels!
I’ve been loving all the cool events in San Fran lately! This matcha festival was just the beginning. I also recently visited the color factory (just put up a blog post about this) and the museum of ice cream there too! It sounds like they’re going to keep doing this matcha festival and make it an annual thing, so I hope you get to check the next one out!