Matcha in Seoul: Cafés, Desserts and Tea Culture. Interview with Matcha Maya and Seoul Fashion Student

Interview: Seoul Fashion Student at Match Seoul Cafe

Host: Matcha Maya

Guest: Choi Soo-jin (수진) — A Fashion Design student at Ewha Womans University in Seoul. She is also the co-founder of @matcha_seoul, an Instagram page that shares Seoul's best matcha spots.

Location: Daldalnaseom Matcha is a small café on the third floor that looks over the main street in Hongdae. A wide window is open. Cool spring air comes into the room. Soo-jin gets there early by five minutes, holding two iced matcha lattes.

Meet the Person and Their City

Matcha Maya: Soo-jin, thank you for being here with me. You are the first guest in our Seoul series. Let's begin where every MATCHA MAYA interview starts. Please tell me about yourself, your city, and how you feel about matcha.

Soo-jin: Bows slightly, smiling. Annyeonghaseyo. I am Soo-jin. I am 22. I was born in Busan. I live in Seoul now because I go to school here. I study fashion design at Ewha Womans University. It is in Sinchon, right by Hongdae.

I started an Instagram about matcha places in Seoul two years ago. At first, it was just for me. But now, it has 15,000 followers. Cafés ask me to visit and taste their new menus before anyone else sees them.

Matcha Maya: She is a matcha influencer. She also studies fashion. That is a special mix.

Soo-jin: Laughs. In Seoul, fashion and food go together. Both are about how things look. The same rules work for both — how colors mix, how textures feel, and the space around things. When I take a photo of a matcha latte, I think in the same way as when I draw a dress. I look at how the light falls on it. I see which colors are close to it. I notice the shape of the cup. Matcha is green, so it goes with cream, wood, and warm light. It looks very good in photos.

Matcha Maya: Do you feel that people in Seoul care more about how the matcha looks than its taste?

Soo-jin: Pauses. Ten years ago, yes. But now, people are different. The audience has grown up. My followers did only look at the photo before. Now, they want to know where the matcha comes from, what kind it is, and if it is sweet or not. The Instagram trend got people interested at first. The good quality is what brings them back.

Their First Memory of Matcha

Matcha Maya: Tell me about the first time you had matcha. When was it?

Soo-jin: I was 15 years old. That winter, I was in Busan. My father went with me to a small Japanese dessert café near Haeundae Beach. I wanted a matcha parfait. It had layers of soft serve, red bean paste, mochi, cornflakes, and matcha powder on the top. I can still think about it. It was the best looking thing I ever ate.

Matcha Maya: Was it good?

Soo-jin: Winces. It was really bad matcha. It was very sweet. It had a bright green color because of food coloring. But I did not know that back then. I just thought, "This taste is interesting. I want to know more about it." The funny thing about first memories is that they do not need to be real to feel important. They just need to make you feel curious. It took me five more years to try real matcha for the first time. When I did, I saw that the parfait was not real. But I do not feel bad about it. That was my start.

Matcha Maya: When did you try real matcha for the first time? How did it feel to taste it?

Soo-jin: There was a small tea house in Samcheong-dong, close to Bukchon Hanok Village. I was 19 and in my first year at Ewha. I went by myself. The owner was a Korean woman who had lived in Japan for twenty years. She gave me usucha in a celadon bowl that was made by a potter from Icheon. I took one sip and everything felt different. The sweetness was there, and it tasted so real. It was smooth, even though there was no milk in it. I sat for an hour, drinking just one bowl, slowly. I saw then why people might spend their lives on this. I started @matcha_seoul the next week.

What Local People Drink or Eat with Matcha

Matcha Maya: The food in Seoul is not the same as in Tokyo or Bangkok. The way people eat here is special. What do people in Seoul usually have with matcha?

Soo-jin: These are two different ways of doing things, and they are almost complete opposites.

People often drink matcha with Korean hangwa, which are sweet rice snacks. My favourite matcha snack is yakgwa. These are cookies fried in honey with ginger and cinnamon. The spicy taste in yakgwa and the grass taste in matcha go really well with each other. You will not see this often in places where most tourists go. But you can find it in some older tea houses in Insadong and Samcheong-dong.

The big trend right now — and what you will see a lot in Seoul — is matcha combined with many things. People love matcha bingsu, which is shaved ice with sweet milk and red bean, and matcha croffles that are a mix of croissant and waffle with matcha cream. There are also matcha castella cakes, and matcha injeolmi, which is rice cake covered with soybean powder and some matcha on top. Seoul's dessert culture is bold and likes to try new ideas. We do not ask if matcha will be good with something. Instead, we want to find a way to make matcha work with it.

Matcha Maya: What is the most surprising mix you have seen work?

Soo-jin: Matcha kimchi jeon. A small fusion café in Ikseon-dong makes tasty matcha pancakes with kimchi and scallions. The café puts a bit of matcha in the mix, and it brings out a hint of earthiness that goes well with the sour taste of the kimchi. It seems like it would not work, but it does. This is one of the best foods I have had this year.

Their Favourite Matcha Place

Matcha Maya: You have put so many cafés on your page. Which one is your top pick?

Soo-jin: Right away. Madeleine & Matcha is in Seongsu-dong.

Matcha Maya: No hesitation.

Soo-jin: I have no doubt. Seongsu-dong is Seoul's Brooklyn. It used to be full of factories, but now the place has creative studios, art galleries, and small cafés run by individuals. Madeleine & Matcha is operated by a couple. The woman is Korean, and the man is Japanese from Fukuoka. At this spot, they serve two items. You can get madeleines, which are baked fresh every hour in five different flavors that change each day, and matcha that comes from Uji and is specially whisked when you order.

Matcha Maya: Two things. That's confident.

Soo-jin: Very sure of what they do. And when you try it, you see why they do not need more choices on the menu. The madeleine is served warm, it is crisp around the edges, and soft in the middle. The matcha is made with water at 80°C — not boiling. It is whisked in a handmade bowl. The owner and I are now friends. He told me that matcha should not be hard to make. It just needs people to honor it.

Matcha Maya: Do your followers feel the same way about what you picked?

Soo-jin: Smiles. People are always talking about this in the comments. Some people like the Instagram-style cafés in Hongdae with rose latte art and pink walls. Madeleine & Matcha is small. There is no music and no Wi-Fi. There is just a counter, four seats, and you can hear the sound of whisking. It is not for everyone. But I think it is the best.

A Local Matcha Order to Try

Matcha Maya is in Seoul for the first time. She is traveling alone. She walks into a café and looks at the menu. What should she get?

Soo-jin: I have three orders. There is one for a hot day. One is for a cold day. And there is one more for the brave.

Hot day — Matcha Bingsu with Red Bean and Injeolmi. Go to Seoul Angmusae in Hongdang-dong. They have a big bowl of shaved ice. The ice is soft and light, and it soaks up the matcha syrup. There is red bean paste on the side. Injeolmi rice cakes sit on top, and there is a drizzle of condensed milk. Eat this slow. It is made for two people, but you can finish it by yourself too. I have done this. You do not need to feel any shame.

Cold days call for a Matcha Latte with Yakgwa. Go to Tteuran Tea House in Insadong. Order a hot matcha latte. Ask for it with soy milk. Korean soy milk is more thick and has more nut flavor than what you get in other places. Get a plate of yakgwa on the side. Dip the yakgwa in the foam of the latte before you drink it. This is a tea house trick many people in Korea know.

Fearless day — Matcha Kimchi Jeon and Iced Matcha. Go to Suyeon Sanbang in Ikseon-dong. Get one tasty matcha pancake and one iced matcha. When you eat the hot pancake with the cold tea, sour kimchi, and grassy matcha, you feel all the flavors at once. You will love it or feel confused. Both are okay.

Advice for a Solo Traveller

Matcha Maya: You are a student. You see a lot of solo travelers in Hongdae each day. What advice do you have for someone who comes to Seoul alone?

Soo-jin: First, do not stay in Myeongdong. Myeongdong is good for shopping, but it is not the right place to feel what Seoul is like. It is better to stay in Hongdae, Seongsu-dong, or Ikseon-dong. These are the parts of the city where you can walk out and find a real café, a real gallery, or a real park. Myeongdong is made for tourists. Seoul is a city where people live. Go feel the city.

Second, learn one line in Korean. "Matcha han jan juseyo" — "One matcha, please." Say it with pride. The barista will smile and ask where you picked up Korean. You can say, "I studied before my trip." They will like that. This is how the talk will begin.

Third, visit a café two times. There are a lot of cafés in Seoul, and people always want to try a new one. But the true Seoul experience is not just about finding something new. It is about coming back to the same café. You go in and sit at the same spot. You order the same drink each time. When you come the second time, the person making coffee may remember you. If you visit for the third time, you feel like part of the place. That is the way things go in Seoul. It is a city that moves fast, but if you wait, you get something good from it.

Fourth, walk. You should not take the subway to get everywhere. The city is very easy to walk, especially when you go from one area to the next. You can go from Hongdae to Yeonnam, Ikseon-dong to Jongno, or Seongsu to Seoul Forest. A lot of the best cafés will be in small alleys and not on the busy main streets. If you stay in a taxi, you will not see them.

Matcha Maya's Travel Notes — Seoul, South Korea

Area featured: Hongdae (youth culture, street art, café alleys), Seongsu-dong (creative district, independent cafés, galleries), Insadong (traditional tea houses, craft markets), Ikseon-dong (hidden hanok alleys, fusion cafés), Samcheong-dong (calm streets, traditional buildings, high-end tea houses).

Cost:

• Matcha latte at a regular café — ₩5,000–7,000 ($3.50–5 USD)

• Matcha bingsu (serves 1–2) — ₩13,000–18,000 ($9–13 USD)

• A formal usucha at a usual tea house — ₩10,000–20,000 ($7–14 USD)

• Matcha madeleine + drink set (Madeleine & Matcha) — ₩8,500 ($6 USD)

• Matcha croffle at a Hongdae café — ₩6,500 ($4.50 USD)

Best time to visit: The best time to go is in spring (March to May) or autumn (September to November). In spring, you can see cherry blossoms. The weather is mild. Many cafés open up their windows, and the city seems full of life. In autumn, the air is crisp. It feels good to enjoy hot matcha and take clear photos.

Summer (June to August) is hot and humid. There is also a lot of rain. You can still have a good time, but you will want cold matcha to feel better. Winter (December to February) is cold and dry. The cafés feel quiet, there are shorter lines, and you get a cozy feel.

Safety for solo travellers: Seoul is one of the safest places in the world for people who travel alone, even for women who travel by themselves. The streets are well-lit. There is good public transport that runs until around midnight. The city has low crime. There are 24-hour stores on almost every corner. The subway runs until late at night. After midnight, you can still take a taxi. Taxis in Seoul are safe and do not cost too much. Like any big city, you should still be careful, but Seoul is a place where you will feel safe almost everywhere.

Neighbourhood bonus: From Hongdae, it takes just ten minutes to walk to Yeonnam-dong. There, you will find trendy cafés, old shops, and Gyeongui Line Forest Park. You can also get to Gyeongbokgung Palace in about fifteen minutes by subway. At the palace, you can rent a hanbok, take some photos, and then walk to Samcheong-dong for some tea. A ride on the subway for twenty-five minutes will get you to Seongsu-dong. There, you can enjoy Madeleine & Matcha, see Seoul Forest, and visit small art spaces. You can plan an afternoon like this: have brunch in Hongdae → walk to Yeonnam park → take the subway to Seongsu → have matcha at Madeleine & Matcha → walk at Seoul Forest as the sun sets.

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This interview is part of MATCHA MAYA's Asia series. The team shares one bowl of matcha, and tells one local story, on every continent. The next stop will be in Kyoto.