Workshop no. 18: Matcha Moments at United By Blue

On a crisp Sunday morning in October, we stopped by United by Blue for a series of matcha tastings with some friends. Founded in Philadelphia (just like us!), United by Blue is a coffee shop and outdoors lifestyle store with a purpose. They believe that no matter where we live or who we are, we're all united by the blue of our world's oceans and waterways. For every purchase made in-store or online, United By Blue removes one pound of trash from the earth's oceans. It's a small effort that goes a long way: so far they've removed more than 250,000 pounds of trash. 

We were very excited to host these workshops with an organization that's committed to enacting change beyond inspiration, and we had a great time preparing matcha together the ceremonial way. Over the course of a short hour we dove into the differences between matcha cultivars, the benefits of adding it to your daily diet, and the best way to prepare a perfect cup every time. As for whether we converted coffee addicts into tea drinkers, you'll have to stay tuned- though we hear matcha's high caffeine content brought cheers all around. 

WORDS BY MAGALI ROMAN
PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHRIS SETTY