It’s a club. In Chicago.
For people who love matcha.
(Or are just curious.)
Membership is free. Everyone’s welcome.
Next gathering
Sunday, September 13, 2026 — Matcha: Four Ways
Four preparations of matcha, tasted side by side — a comparison of methods rather than farms. It’s also our first Club session held at a matcha shop, in partnership with El Jardin Taqueria.
Two sessions: 10:30 AM and 1:30 PM
Where: El Jardin Taqueria — 1303 W Huron St #1, Chicago
Tickets: $27.09 (includes fees)
About half these seats are already spoken for. If you’re reading this, you’re early.
What actually happens
A session runs about two hours. The first half hour is open forum — bring your tea questions, get tips or show off something you love. Members answer each other as often as we do.
Then we get into the topic: a region, a cultivar, a set of preparations. We’ll taste three to five matchas and usually a few other teas alongside them. One of us talks while the other whisks, and bowls come around to your table in small groups so you can taste and argue about it before we pull the room back together. There are cards if you want to write down what you thought, and there are usually snacks — often brought by members.
New to matcha? That’s how most of us started.
In the room
Every gathering so far
Since July 2025, roughly monthly — plus field trips, partner tastings, and many afternoons in people’s living rooms. Every ticketed session has sold out, and most run twice in one day, morning and afternoon.
Matcha Club sessions
- August 2026 — Uji Trail, at the Logan Inn
- July 2026 — Matcha & Martial Arts, with Beverly Pagoda
- April 2026 — Partner tasting at Sugoi Sweets
- March 2026 — Tasting workshop at Move Along Coffee
- January 2026 — Indoor Winter Session #2
- December 2025 — Indoor Winter Session #1
- November 2025 — at Atsumeru
- October 2025 — Yame Yame Yame · recap
- September 2025 — Matcha 4 Ways · recap
- August 2025 — Real vs Fake, a blind tasting · recap
- July 2025 — the first one · recap
Field trips & gatherings
- July 2026 — No Longer Human
- July 2026 — Open for Tea
- June 2026 — Home tea gathering
- May 2026 — Home tea gathering
- March 2026 — Tea Expo
- February 2026 — Home gathering
- December 2025 — Home gatherings, twice
- September 2025 — Home gathering
- October 2025 — Spirit Tea Celebration
…and a few more we’ve lost count of.
Where we gather
Matcha Club doesn’t have a room of its own. These spaces have graciously lent us theirs: Move Along Coffee, Jeong, Atsumeru, Sugoi Sweets, Logan Inn — as well as a lot of members who have opened their homes.
Got a space? A common room in your building you can reserve, a shop with a slow afternoon, anywhere a dozen people can sit down. Finding space is our biggest hurdle, and we always have more tea than places to drink it. Tell us — we’ll bring the matcha.
Who runs this
Brandon Pfeiffer and Jason Rice, who went to Japan to meet tea farmers and came home with too much tea to drink alone.
Join the club — it’s free
Joining costs nothing and gets you first word on every gathering. Some events are ticketed to cover the tea, the tools, and the room.