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The team that brought Chichi Dango and Shrimp Daddy to Smorgasburg LA is opening a second Sip Artisanal Matcha location, but this time in Rowland Heights. Sip will arrive to the San Gabriel Valley in early June.
The matcha-centric tea shop launched at Smorgasburg LA in July 2017, and opened its Westwood branch in February 2018. Co-founder June Quan is eager to bring Sip’s version of matcha closer to Asian communities and took over the former Frostolicious to start.
LA is a haven for matcha, so what makes Sip so different? The tea. Quan says the whole team personally visited a tea farm in Japan to personally select ethical, sustainable tea leaves. These pure ground leaves have no additives, and Sip makes them without powdered milks or high-fructose corn syrups. Sip also serves coffee, and can provide a shot of espresso to any matcha on the menu.
Quan along with fiancé Dan Tran, Anna Wang, Jeremy Tu are the founding team and want to acquaint newcomers to matcha’s earthy taste by combining non-traditional ingredients to teas, coffee, and soft serve matcha. The result is 21 different colorful drinks with items like aloe, or white chocolate. Rice balls called ‘onimatchas’ accompany the tea, which has actual matcha in the rice, along with proteins like salmon, tuna, and spam. Hours are from noon to 10 p.m. daily, and every Sunday at Smorgasburg.
Sip Artisanal Matcha. 18558 Gale Avenue #106. Rowland Heights, CA
