Matchaful has turned its flagship Berry Street café in Williamsburg into something closer to a classroom than a coffee shop, opening a new Ritual Bar where guests can book guided matcha tastings, watch whisking ceremonies, and order a $30 seasonal drink built around one of Japan's most prized fruits. The addition sits inside the brand's existing Williamsburg, Brooklyn location and layers hands-on education onto the retail experience that has carried Matchaful from a single Brooklyn apartment to a growing footprint across New York City.
According to we-heart, the Ritual Bar offers guided tastings, matcha flights, and reservations for classes, alongside walk-in tastings available from noon to 3pm. The same report notes that the Berry Street café itself is open daily from 8am to 5pm, while the Ritual Bar runs Wednesday through Sunday. The space combines education, hospitality, and a menu built around direct producer relationships in Japan, per the outlet's account of the concept.
Founder Hannah Habes started Matchaful in 2012 after health and digestive issues during her time in corporate food sales pushed her toward organic, single-origin Japanese matcha as a personal wellness fix, according to Saxbys. That search reportedly grew into a company that now works directly with multi-generational family farms in Japan, sourcing ceremonial-grade matcha from Shizuoka and Uji along with Japanese loose-leaf teas, per we-heart's reporting. Habes said the Ritual Bar “brings people closer to the story behind every cup,” the outlet reports.
A Design Rooted in Wabi-Sabi
The Williamsburg redesign was created by Jamie McGlinchey, founder of NoN Studio, who worked with Habes on the space, we-heart reports. The café interiors draw on Japanese wabi-sabi principles through limewash walls, Cipollino Verde marble, handmade paper lighting, and maple and oak finishes, the outlet notes. The design studio behind the project is NoN Studio, and we-heart mentions a landscaped patio and garden as part of the Ritual Bar.
A glass-fronted matcha grinder room is planned to open later in 2026, according to we-heart's report, continuing the café's approach of making tea preparation part of the visible experience rather than something hidden behind a counter.
Who's Teaching the Tastings
Leading the Ritual Bar's classes is Alexander Robateau, Matchaful's director of tea education, who created the tasting curriculum according to we-heart. Robateau is a Japanese tea specialist trained in the traditional Urasenke school of tea ceremony, credentials that inform the seasonal menu releases and deeper dives into Japanese tea culture, sourcing, and preparation offered at the bar.
Why the Crown Melon Drink Costs $30
The bar's marquee seasonal drink, a Crown Melon matcha created with a producer in Japan, sells for $30 — a price that reflects the fruit behind it. Crown melon is considered a prized luxury fruit in Japan, known for its sweetness, texture, and aroma, we-heart reports. The Observer has reported that Crown melons from Japan's Shizuoka Prefecture typically retail for $120 to $200 each once imported to the U.S., a cost driven by growers who cultivate just one melon per vine under a strict one-fruit-one-tree method.
That kind of premium sourcing sits inside a matcha market that is expanding fast. Industry reporting from Forbes in June projected the global matcha market to reach $7.43 billion by 2030, with North American demand growing at nearly 8% annually as consumers chase plant-based and functional beverages. Matchaful's Williamsburg build-out lands squarely inside that surge, even as rising wholesale prices and supply strain in Japan shadow the broader category, per the same industry coverage.
Craftsmanship on the Retail Shelves
The Ritual Bar includes a retail shop, according to coverage of the opening. The detail underscores Matchaful's relationships with Japanese producers and the educational programming offered at the bar.
Part of a Bigger NYC Expansion
Williamsburg is just one stop in Matchaful's spread across the city. We-heart reports that the brand has recently expanded on Park Avenue South and is planning further cafés in Tribeca and Hudson Yards. Hoodline previously reported that Matchaful signed a 10-year lease for a Tribeca café at Independence Plaza, part of the same growth trajectory that has taken the brand from its first standalone café in Manhattan to multiple New York cafés. Whether the Ritual Bar model extends to those future locations remains unaddressed in the current reporting.
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