Over the past few years, matcha has become a kind of unavoidable phenomenon in cities like New York and LA. The finely ground green tea powder is everywhere, from coffee shops to bodegas to standalone stores. And it’s about to make its way to your startup/co-working space kitchen.
At CES tonight, World Match Inc. took the wraps off of Cuzen Matcha. It’s a drink maker that essentially has one job: making matcha-espressos. If nothing else, it’s a potentially fresher experience than buying matcha powder yourself (for the record, I’ve done this — it’s fine). The machine actually creates its own powder by grounding up matcha leaves. It then combines the powder with water.
That’s pretty much it. Perhaps there’s something to be said for the stark minimalism of it all. It’s certainly a nice-looking little kitchen appliance, based on the render.
It’s probably not a game changer, but there’s something to be said if it replaces the extreme wastefulness of a Keurig and its ilk. Likely for most kitchens and homes, however, it will serve to supplement, rather than replace, coffee makers. Because, well, coffee is important, you know?
World Matcha Inc. is new to the scene. Founded in January of last year, the company closed a $1 million pre-seed round in October, courtesy of 25 investors. The device goes up for pre-order today, priced at $290. That’s going to increase in about a month. No word on a specific launch date just yet.
