Matcha ado about shopping
Robinsons Department Store knows how to get you all revved up for a day of shopping. First, they offer all sorts of good deals, with sales, discounts, and freebies. Secondly—as we experienced recently—they treat you to a fun, informative, and hands-on matcha and ube workshop. These are the two coolest flavors on the planet today, so popular that production even needs to step up to meet global demand! Yummy ube, with its vanilla tones, and addictive green matcha are a perfect match for Robinsons’ spot-on lifestyle offerings in fashion, beauty, and home.
Even non-matcha fans (are there many of those?) could not help but be fascinated by the matcha and ube workshop conducted by Dave Dource, the matcha expert behind We The People Coffee and Tea, located at Spatio, Opus Mall, and Admiralty Building in Madrigal Business Park. The workshop was held at the Atrium of Robinsons Department Store Galleria in Ortigas, and for a couple of hours, time stopped for shoppers, media, and content creators as Dave used his knowledge of everything matcha, learned in Kyoto, Japan, to give a practical, easy-to-understand demonstration that had even those few non-matcha fans craving the drink.
First off, what is matcha, and what differentiates it from other teas out there, apart from its vivid green color? The green tea variant Camellia sinensis is grown in the shade in order to produce excess chlorophyll and L-theanine. Twenty to 40 days before harvest, the plants are covered with nets, bamboo mats, or tarps in a process known as tana to block 70 to 99% of sunlight. This results in a tea that is not just vividly green but also packed with nutrients, an intensely umami flavor, and less bitterness.
Next, the tea is briefly steamed, then cooled and air-dried. Slow grinding of the dried leaves in a traditional stone mill prevents a buildup of heat that can affect flavor and its many benefits. Matcha is rich in antioxidants, increases concentration and memory, provides steady energy (unlike the spikes of coffee), reduces stress, and aids digestion by improving healthy microbiota.
Dave explained that the matcha ingredients are carefully weighed and then whisked according to the end use. Vigorous whisking of matcha and water produces a thick foam suitable for cold drinks. Less vigorous whisking produces less foam and is suitable for hot drinks. Dave also demonstrated the process for preparing powdered ube for drinks and had the audience participate in individual, hands-on preparations for the drink of their choice.
The demonstration was so interesting that one can only hope this matcha and ube workshop will be conducted in other Robinsons Department Store branches. Guests enjoyed delicious matcha and ube drinks from We The People, the Batangas-based Dala, Matcha Concepts, and Daily Origin. Dala has no Manila outlet but can be booked for events, offering a delicious ube latte made with Good Shepherd ube jam and an ube and cheese panini, among other things.
Now energized, it was off to shopping around Robinsons Department Store, where remarkable and good-value finds included luggage, makeup, the Grab-A-Fit line with its easy-to-style pieces, and cookware. But what made this shopping spree especially memorable was the matcha lesson, something we intend to put into practice. Even if you’d rather have someone else make your matcha drink for you, just learning about the highly technical process and the benefits of the brew makes your next order that much more special. Kudos to Robinsons Department Store for providing informative and practical workshops like this to enhance the shopping experience!
