What matcha means to us
We opened the cafe as a way to explore how we wanted matcha to exist in everyday life.
Not just the quality of the tea itself, but the feeling around it — thoughtful preparation, warm hospitality, and a space people genuinely want to spend time in.
While terms like “ceremonial grade” have become common, we focus more on the details that actually shape the experience: freshness, sourcing, storage, texture, and preparation.
The cafe is still evolving, but that’s part of what makes it meaningful to us.
We’ve always loved the name Recess because it represents a pause — a small break from the pace of everyday life. That feeling has shaped the cafe from the beginning: a place for conversation, quiet routines, neighborhood gatherings, and the kinds of experiences people genuinely want to return to. In many ways, that’s also what matcha means to us — a ritual rooted in attention, care, and slowing down for a moment.
The Recess Cafe Program
Part of our mission with Recess is helping more cafes serve fresher, better matcha. We work with cafes and hospitality spaces that care about quality, thoughtful preparation, and creating a better experience around matcha, with a focus on supplying fresh Japanese matcha for everyday service. As more people discover matcha through cafes, we believe there’s an opportunity to raise the standard together through freshness, consistency, and a more intentional approach to how matcha is served.