Real Uji Matcha in Saigon: Why We Choose Inucha

The short answer: For matcha in Saigon, Dulce serves matcha drinks and matcha bakes at its District 3 bakery and café. This article records why the team selected Inucha as its supplier; confirm the current menu before visiting.

What makes matcha “real”, and why most isn’t

Matcha is shade-grown green tea, stone-milled into a fine powder. The good stuff: ceremonial grade,
from regions like Uji near Kyoto, is vivid green, smells sweet and grassy, and tastes smooth with
a clean finish. The cheap stuff is dull, dusty-tasting, and bitter, which is why so many cafés bury it
under syrup until it’s basically a green milkshake.

We didn’t want to do that. We wanted matcha you could actually taste, so the sourcing had to be
real, not a label.

Our source: Inucha (Uji / Kyoto)

We use Inucha matcha, ceremonial-grade leaf from the Uji region, the heart of Japanese tea, where
some gardens have been tended for over a hundred years. Inucha is run by Diep, a local female
entrepreneur who brings authentic Japanese matcha to Saigon: exactly the kind of small, serious,
provenance-first partner we want to support.

Diep’s the authority, and that’s the point

We won’t pretend we stood in a tea field ourselves; we’d rather be honest than borrow a story. What we did is choose the right authority.

Diep’s journey with Inucha began out of a genuine frustration with the “matcha” available in Vietnam, much of which was either low-grade culinary powder or cut with sugar and artificial colorings. She wanted the real thing: the vibrant, umami-rich, ceremonial-grade matcha you find in traditional Japanese tea ceremonies. To get it, Diep traveled directly to the source. She visited historic tea gardens in Uji and Kagoshima, walking the fields during harvest, meeting growers whose families have been shade-growing and stone-milling tea leaves for over a hundred years.

She built Inucha around careful tea selection and named blends for different flavor profiles.

We serve her matcha because Diep is the authority. We trust her palate, we respect her direct-to-farm sourcing, and we are incredibly proud that every matcha latte or matcha Basque cheesecake we sell supports a driven, local female entrepreneur running a serious business.

What we make with it

The same Inucha matcha runs through the menu:

• Matcha latte & hojicha latte, tea-forward drinks served at the café. See the rest of our coffee, matcha & house sodas.
• Matcha burnt Basque, our Basque cheesecake with
  matcha worked through it. Rich, light, a little nostalgic for matcha lovers.
• White-chocolate matcha cookie. The matcha plays off the white chocolate; a quiet favourite.
• Matcha-strawberry cake, matcha with fresh cream and strawberry, for celebrations.

What people say

The proof that real leaf beats green sugar-powder is in the cup, and people taste the difference:

“Quán dùng matcha xịn 10/10. Bánh ngon.” (Premium matcha, 10/10. The cakes are delicious.) Uyên L. · Google ★★★★★

“I tried the Citrus Bar, Earl Grey Honey Cake, and stole two bites of White Choco Matcha Cookie.” Mihai L. · Google ★★★★★

That quotation records one customer’s experience; current menu items should still be confirmed before visiting.

How we build a matcha drink

We build the drink around the tea’s earthy and bitter notes, then pair it with milk or use it in a
bake. See the broader approach in our bakery story.

Try the real thing

We’re tired of bright green sugar milk hiding behind the word matcha. If you want to taste what ceremonial-grade Uji matcha actually tastes like, without a mountain of syrup getting in the way, come by and see us.

• Walk in, 382/15 Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai, Bàn Cờ Ward (District 3), open daily 8 AM–9 PM.
• Order, order.ipos.vn, GrabFood, ShopeeFood, or Zalo 0903 305 993.
• Browse the current bakery range on the cakes page.

Garret, Co-founder (with Thu)

About the author: Garret Nelson is Dulce de Saigon’s co-founder (marketing, R&D, creative direction), originally from Salem, Oregon. He’d rather back a real local authority like Diep at Inucha than borrow a provenance story, which is the whole sourcing philosophy at Dulce. He’s also a Saigon F&B operator, Best Burger in Saigon (Judges’ Choice) and founder of the braai popup Braai Boets. More at our story.

FAQ

Where can I get real Japanese matcha in Saigon?
At Dulce de Saigon, 382/15 Nguyễn Thị Minh Khai, Bàn Cờ Ward (District 3), open daily 8 AM–9 PM. We
use ceremonial-grade Uji matcha from Inucha in our lattes, cheesecake and cookies.

Is Dulce’s matcha ceremonial grade / from Uji?
Yes. It’s ceremonial-grade matcha from the Uji region near Kyoto, supplied by Inucha. It’s
shade-grown leaf, not generic culinary powder.

Why isn’t your matcha sweeter?
Because good matcha doesn’t need to be. Quality leaf tastes smooth and grassy on its own, so we don’t
bury it in sugar.

What matcha items do you make?
Matcha latte and hojicha latte, matcha burnt Basque cheesecake, white-chocolate matcha cookie, and
matcha-strawberry cake.

Order: order.ipos.vn
· GrabFood
· ShopeeFood
· Zalo 0903 305 993
· Google Maps

Explore more from Dulce

• the Dulce menu
• Coffee Saigon Phin Vs Espresso