Photograph by Brianna Connock
Little Matcha, a popular pop-up serving matcha, hojicha, and genmaicha lattes, is set to open a permanent spot on Scott Street in Covington on October 4. Although co-owners Cindy Jiang and Derek Ung never planned to be café owners, they’re ready to take the leap. The couple moved from Manhattan to Cincinnati two and a half years ago, and when they arrived, they noticed something was missing in the city’s beverage scene.
“We asked people who live here, is there a nice matcha café we can go to?” Jiang says. “The answer was no.”
Fast forward to 2025, and the two began their pop-up matcha business. They were hoping it would be a fun weekend hobby for them to share, but it quickly exploded in popularity. “The demand for better matcha was very high in this area,” Jiang says.
Photograph by Brianna Connock
She was encouraged by Ung to take the leap and open a physical location after six months of running the pop-up.
What sets Little Matcha apart from other cafés in the city serving matcha? For starters, it has its own matcha label, working directly with a small, family-owned matcha farm in Shizuoka, Japan. “They can give us a consistent quality, consistent shipments, and we’re support a small business,” Jiang explains.
The couple will even be traveling to the farm in December to ensure the matcha supply is in good quality for the next year of business.
The café will also start regularly offering four-person matcha classes, diving into the history of the drink and how it’s made.
“It’s not going to be sitting down, whisking up a latte, and calling it a day,” Jiang notes. “We’re going to show how matcha is before it’s in powder form, put it through the stone mill, grind it, and drink it the traditional way.”
After drinking the traditional matcha, attendees will get to try a matcha latte flight and learn how the café makes its OG matcha latte.
Photograph by Brianna Connock
Jiang is especially excited to educate customers on the beverage she’s been enjoying at home for nearly 10 years. “We didn’t get into matcha because it’s a rising trend,” Jiang says. “It’s always been something that I enjoy making.”
The menu will change every two weeks to feature three new flavors, typically based on what’s in season (like strawberry or pumpkin). In addition to matcha, the menu will have hojicha (a roasted version of matcha with a nutty flavor), and genmaicha (a blend of matcha and brown rice) lattes as well as Vietnamese coffee and drip coffee. It will also sell everything you need to make your own matcha at home: matcha powder, whisks (with charms that are hand sewn by Jiang) and bowls.
On opening day, Little Matcha will be offering buy-one-get-one half-off on all drinks, and the first 200 customers will get a free matcha or hojicha cookie. There will also be giveaways every hour—all you have to do is post and tag @littlematcha.cincy on Instagram to be entered to win.
While they’re just getting started, Jiang and Ung have their sights set on another location on the Cincinnati side of the river that they hope to open next year.
Little Matcha, 332 Scott St., Covington
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