The short answer: The matcha in our lattes, our matcha burnt Basque, and our white-chocolate matcha cookie is real Japanese matcha. Our Inucha tier is ceremonial-grade, sourced from the Uji region near Kyoto, and supplied by Inucha. Served right here in District 3, Ho Chi Minh City, it’s shade-grown tea, not the dull green sugar-powder a lot of places pour. We chose Inucha because its founder, Diep, is a real authority on the source — and we’re proud to serve her matcha and support a local female entrepreneur.
📸 Image: a matcha latte next to a slice of matcha burnt Basque, Dulce de Saigon District 3 —
replace with real photo.
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 to bring that uncompromising standard back to Saigon. Diep doesn’t just import matcha; she curates it based on strict seasonal harvests, ensuring the flavor profile — whether it’s the mellow Okumidori or a complex Kyoto Premium Blend — is perfect.
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 — smooth, not too sweet; the everyday way to taste the quality. 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.
Điều mọi người nói
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 “matcha xịn 10/10” — premium matcha, 10/10 — is the whole point, and part of our 4.8★ trung bình dựa trên 682 đánh giá Google.
Why ours isn’t too sweet
Good matcha has its own flavour — grassy, savoury, a little sweet on its own — so we don’t drown it. If matcha needs a pile of sugar to be drinkable, that usually means the matcha isn’t very good. Ours doesn’t, so we let it speak. (It’s the same reason our cheesecake and bakes
lean less sweet than you might expect.)
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 matcha cakes & desserts on the full menu.
— Garret, Co-founder (with head baker Thu)
Về tác giả: 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 câu chuyện của chúng tôi.
Frequently Asked Questions
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
pour two grades: a House Blend, and Inucha, which is ceremonial-grade Uji matcha from Kyoto.
Is Dulce’s matcha ceremonial grade / from Uji?
Our Inucha tier is ceremonial-grade matcha from the Uji region near Kyoto, supplied by Inucha. Our House Blend is a standard grade. It’s
shade-grown leaf, not generic culinary powder.
Why isn’t your matcha very sweet?
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:
Explore More Sweet & Savory Favorites
Discover more freshly made favorites from Dulce de Saigon:
- District 3 Food GuideExplore Dulce favorites among local hẻm eateries and bakeries.
- New York-Style CookiesHandcrafted, thick and chewy cookies made in Saigon D3.
- Birthday Cakes & CheesecakesCustom celebration cakes and baked cheesecakes in Saigon.
