Matcha Mate

Matcha Mate started life in 2023 as a matcha pop-up tucked inside Nimbo, the CBD dessert shop run by Belle Vy and Chian Ting. At the end of 2025 the pair opened this permanent standalone location — branded "Matcha Mate 100" for its street number — at 100 Langridge Street in Collingwood, turning the side project into a dedicated shop that is part cafe, part tasting room.

The draw is depth: seven first-harvest matcha blends and two roasted hojicha varieties, each with its own character. The house signature Hikari leans creamy, malty and umami-rich; Osu, a single-cultivar Okumidori from Kyoto, reads bright and floral; the range runs on through Nanako, Maru, Asa, Kaki and Minami. Loose-leaf tins sell retail from around A$25 for the darker hojicha up to A$52 for the top Uji blend Asa. Everything in the cup is hand-whisked to order — classic tea, ceremonial usucha, hot and iced lattes, plus seasonal builds like strawberry matcha and an apple-crumble matcha, with optional toppings of matcha ice-cream, matcha cream, matcha pudding or house-made dango.

Desserts carry the same obsession: a matcha parfait layered with pudding, red bean, dango, yuzu jelly, rice puffs and matcha ice-cream; hana konyaku, a warabi mochi dressed with edible flowers, kuromitsu and kinako; and baked goods carried over from Nimbo including matcha Basque cheesecake and matcha white-chocolate cookies.

Open Monday to Saturday during daytime hours only, Matcha Mate is entirely alcohol-free — a place to sit, taste and compare rather than a bar, and a natural fit for anyone looking for a considered, social alternative to a drink.