The ‘Kyōto Ogawa Coffee’ series at Matcha-ya uses charcoal-roasted coffee and this is the Matcha with Kyōto Iced Coffee. The coffee is a translucent green to brown ombre colour and topped with whipped cream.
Coffee roasted over a charcoal fire gave a subtler more aromatic flavour than coffee roasted over gas, and this is very evident in the very subdued coffee notes when mixed with the bolder matcha flavours. Indeed, it’s near impossible to appreciate the more nuanced notes of the coffee and is comparable to the Starbucks Matcha Espresso Fusion that is also dominated by matcha. That said, the matcha itself is sweetened and gave the drink a sweeter and more viscous mouthfeel. If I were to revisit, I’d skip the whipped cream if not the matcha.
Matcha-ya is located at NW.05, 10 Steam Mill Lane, Haymarket NSW 2000.