Matcha Love (San Jose, CA)
9:00:00 AM
Much Love for Matcha Love
Vanilla soft serve ice cream has been a staple with me for years. Hello McDonalds! However when Matcha Love made its appearance in the Bay Area, that was a game changer. Tea-based soft serve ice cream is a no brainer in Asia, but in the Bay Area, we were never graced with such a concept until recently.
And my only question is: What took so long?
Located inside the Mitsuwa Supermarket, Matcha Love has opened up a permanent stand in the small food court with the likes of Santouka and Miyabitei. Opened up by the Japanese Tea company, Ito En, it specializes in tea based soft served ice cream. They sell a variety of 3 flavors (four, if you include vanilla that you can only get in the waffle bowl).
Matcha = Green Tea Powder. It tasted very smooth and light in flavor. Also not too sweet.
Hojicha = Roasted Green Tea. It’s pretty delicious. I had a small sample of it, and I think I’ll go for this next time. Because it’s roasted, there's a nice nuttiness that oddly almost reminded me of coffee.
Black Sesame = This was super rich and flavorful. If you like strong bold flavors, go for the black sesame. It’s also the sweetest of the bunch.
They are $3 for a small and $4 for a large, but the small is more than enough for me on a normal day. For the 'Treat yo Self' days, get the large. Also, they sell a variety of tea drinks too. I’ll need to go back one day to try those out. Now while the lines can get really long (it's like a competition between Santouka and Matcha Love to see who has the longer line), they work fairly quickly.
TIP: They only take cash, but there is an ATM in the supermarket if push comes to shove and you really need that ice cream.
Are you a fan of Matcha Love or do you have another favorite when it comes to soft serve? I personally have a soft spot for McDonalds.
Matcha Love
675 Saratoga Ave
San Jose, CA 95129
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