Field notes from a matcha obsessive — tracking the best cups from the Six to the world.
Rooted in Toronto’s multicultural landscape, where Japanese tea culture meets a new generation of cafés and hidden gems. From refined tea houses to understated spots across the city, exceptional matcha is closer than most realize. Matcha in the Six is a personal curation project — no sponsorships, no algorithms. Just honest ratings and thoughtful notes from someone exploring the city one cup at a time.
A zen tea house in the Shops at Don Mills that slows you down when everything around it doesn't. Order the ube matcha.
Pickering · ReviewA proper café inside the Porsche Experience Centre in Pickering. Earthy matcha, a solid food menu, and 911's in the showroom. Worth the drive east.
Toronto · ReviewA kind of place you only find if someone tells you, and once you do, you'll understand why they kept it to themselves.
Toronto · ReviewLate hours, cool packaging, and a matcha that is decent without being exceptional. The format is the draw more than the cup.
Toronto · ReviewFresh baked daily, multiple croissant varieties, and a clean iced matcha latte. The shokunin approach applies to everything on the counter.
Vaughan · ReviewA hidden café inside Aritzia with latte art, pistachio matcha, and enough seating to make waiting for your shopping partner genuinely pleasant.
Scarborough · ReviewTucked into Scarborough, this spot doesn't need to shout. The matcha is vibrant, well-sourced, and prepared with care. The kind of cup that earns a return visit.
Markham · ReviewA full café in the best sense. Has an extensive baked goods selection, a solid drinks menu, and plenty of reasons to linger. But come for the croissants, stay for the matcha. Clean, slightly grassy, balanced with milk that doesn't drown it. A genuinely solid cup in an unexpected place.
Richmond Hill · ReviewA café that gets most things right, and one thing slightly wrong. The matcha base is genuine, the colour is there, but it arrives sweeter than it needs to be. Worth a visit, and worth asking for less syrup.
Markham · ReviewGrab-and-go only. A quick bar, no seats, no patio. But the matcha latte earns the detour anyway. Earthy, creamy, not oversweetened. The kind of cup you sip on the walk back to your car and immediately think about ordering again. A reliable go-to in the north end.
Markham · ReviewA charming Markham café stocked with beautiful baked goods that are just as hard to walk past as the drinks menu. On the pricier side, but the matcha latte justifies it. Smooth, not too sweet, with a flavour that lingers past the last sip.
Toronto · Café CrawlSpent three weekends hitting every matcha spot in the Greater Toronto Area. Here's what I found and what I'd skip.
New York · Deep DiveTwo of NYC's most Instagrammed matcha brands, tested back-to-back. Spoiler: one is style, the other is substance.