Toronto’s matcha fixation is getting a full-on festival moment! Pretty Sweet Gelato has announced a Matcha Festival happening this weekend in partnership with Matcha House, promising freshly whisked matcha dirty drinks, seven premium matcha and hojicha gelato flavours, as well as an exclusive sampling kit featuring seven shades of matcha, each meant to showcase a different flavour profile and level of depth.
The announcement is a bit light on some details, but it’s the perfect event for anyone looking for more than a standard sweetened latte. Matcha House is a Toronto-based online shop focused on Japanese ceremonial matcha and green tea, with teas from producers and regions like Uji, which is known for deeply umami-rich matcha, and Nishio, which is known for a creamy, smooth profile, helping explain the “7 shades” tasting flight featured at this weekend’s festival!
On the gelato side, Pretty Sweet is known for its artisanal, small-batch, flavour-driven treats, made with high-quality ingredients and available in customized options such as less-sugar, vegan and dairy-free varieties. We don’t know the exact shades of matcha that will be offered this weekend, but looking back at past Insta posts, guests might expect options like Matcha Ube (a swirl of earthy Japanese matcha and sweet, nutty Filipino ube), Matcha Strawberry (which blends creamy Japanese matcha with sweet strawberry milk, Ontario strawberries and crunchy freeze-dried strawberries), Matcha Coconut (made with coconut water, milk and matcha) and a Matcha Latte coffee, so you can have the best of both worlds in one creamy scoop.
The Matcha Festival takes place Saturday, March 21, from 8 to 11 p.m. and Sunday, March 22, from 3 to 8 p.m. For now, we don’t have pricing or an address, but it’ll likely be held at Pretty Sweet Gelato’s Scarborough location (110 Silver Star Blvd., Unit 116). Follow @prettysweetgelato and @ca.matcha.house for updates!
