#matcha powder differences

[anielskaaniela]

Is Matcha Japanese or Chinese? Unveiling True Origins

In this post, you’ll discover whether matcha originates from Japan or China. In my shop, you will find original, top-quality Japanese teas, directly from Japan. These are true gems among teas that will provide you with an authentic taste experience straight from the Land of the Rising Sun. Matcha is a vibrant green tea powder that has gained immense popularity worldwide for its unique flavor,…

[orcelito]

Does matcha know her impact in the world. Does matcha know what she means to me?

Constantly getting world shortages of matcha. But the true shortage. Is in my heart...

[incorrectbatfam]

If you could create and add a new DC character, what would they be like?

I'm going to tell you about David, and knowing you guys, you'll agree with me when I say he should have his own comic.

David has been my best friend literally since we were 8. He is the only constant I've had through my life. He introduced me to the drums and helped me get a motorcycle after I got my license. We are each other's platonic ride or die. If he asked me to bury a body, I'd do it no question, and I know he'd do the same for me.

That said, I clearly have the braincell in this friendship.

Don't get me wrong, he's smart in certain aspects. He's a talented musician, good athlete, taught himself to fix most plumbing issues, speaks decent Japanese, easily clicks socially, and is super empathetic. But in others, he's like a plate in a knife drawer.

Some highlights from over the years:

He ate the brown paper bag his lunch came in on a field trip

He thought hot chocolate was just cocoa powder (no milk or water) in a mug and the microwave would melt it. His sister had to call the fire department

He gave a stray dog his scarf for warmth and never saw that scarf again

He licked the dust off an XBox controller

He got a speeding ticket outside the DMV literally five minutes after getting his license

He made gender reveal cupcakes to come out to the rest of our friend group when we were 17, but he threw them into a Ziploc and they jostled around his backpack for half a day before lunch

He thought closing a browser tab would get rid of a computer virus

He tried hotboxing his own car while driving

He almost seasoned his food with pepper spray before someone stopped him

He had a tire swing on a tree in his backyard. He decided to stand on it while swinging and smacked his forehead against a branch in front of him. It was literally the most hollow thwock ever, as if confirming his lack of braincells. He then proceeded to get pissed off and punch the tree. He said it was his most gender-affirming experience

He brought me along on a family road trip and used me as a footrest in the car

He frequently writes drum tabs the way he'd write guitar ones (in short the two are very different kinds of sheet music and I'd need three hands to play them). He absolutely knows better. I think he's messing with me at this point

He mistook wasabi powder for matcha

He once got drunk at a frat party, crawled out the lawn of the house, and began eating grass like a cow

I wanted to know what kissing a dude was like out of curiosity and this was before he started physically transitioning, so to make it a more "authentic" experience, he gargled Gatorade beforehand

He tried to make his first battle jacket with washable Crayola markers

He also tried to dye his hair with his sister's watercolors

He's worn the same sweatshirt since he was 14 and I think I can count on one hand how many times I've seen him wash it (I was over at his house a lot)

He's the motherfucker that wears running shorts in the snow

He thought his area code would automatically change when we moved to a new state

He once kicked a soccer ball into an oncoming train

BONUS: when he came out to his parents, they were accepting and while he was at school, his dad mounted a fish on David's bedroom door because men I guess

So yeah, if I worked at DC, I'd insert David in the background of every comic just being his chaotic himbo self. David is beyond space and time. There could be a battle on fucking Oa and David would just be there doing a kickflip. That's who I'd choose.

[lustrousbratz]

How do I truly become a pink Pilates princess on a budget?

Pink Pilates Princess 101

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

When I think of a pink pilates princess, I think of a girly person that romanticized their life in terms of wellness! a lot of people find the phrase annoying but i think it’s fun and cute! Here’s some things you can do to feel more like a pink pilates princess 💞

pic credit: all 3 pics from me posted on my pinterest @ nallyssajones

1. Doing pilates!

There’s mat pilates (only need a mat) and reformer pilates (using a reformer machine). Going to classes multiple times a week can be a tad expensive, so an alternative would be:

A) Signing up for paid subscriptions that have detailed classes for e.g; Alo moves, Pilates anytime, glo etc.

B) Following videos from youtubers that do mat pilates. My fave channels are; Move with Nicole, Sanne Vloet, Dansique fitness (she mostly does hitt pilates videos)

* Yoga is another amazing way to get movement in and feel connected to your body and spirit.

* Go on a hot girl walk! Going on mini walks around your neighborhood or even your house allows you to get some steps in daily.

2. Eating well!

pic credit: my pics posted on my pinterest @nallyssajones

This is different for everyone but here are some ideas that you can add to your diet;

- Drinking green juice

- Try out yogurt bowls! It's my favourite breakfast food because it's easy to make and can be very nutritious depending on what I put into it. I like to add greek yogurt, a nice granola, matcha powder, frozen and fresh berries, pomegranate, ground flax and almonds🫐🍓

- Increasing protein intake. A lot of people have tried to eat 1 g per each lb that they weigh daily and have felt really good. My fellow anemic girlies, please increase your protein intake if you can!

- Taking your vitamins/supplements! get a blood test done to see what you’re deficient in and research supplements that might be helpful for you personally.

3. Finding cute workout+lounge sets

(pic credit: from @ lyssithadoll on ig and twitter)

Working out and going out in cute loungewear and workout sets can make you feel really nice and girly! I like to thrift nice quality brands like lululemon or even purchase specific pieces from depop and poshmark! Amazon is a good place to find sets as well but I would recommend buying high quality secondhand pieces💞 Some good brands to look out for are lululemon, alo yoga, halara and girlfriend collective.

4. Get cute exercise equipment

pic credit: my picture posted on my pinterest and ig @ nallyssajones

Get pink workout equipment if you’d like! Marshalls, dollarama, and amazon sell workout equipment that you can get for $5-$20! I got the pink fila mat in the pic above from marshalls for $19.99:) Here are some equipment ideas:

- yoga mat

- yoga strap

- wrist/ankle weights

- 5 lbs dumbbells

- gym bag

*these things aren’t needed btw! just ideas if you’d like to have more equipment.

5. Practice self care

You can do whatever self care that you'd like but here are some examples that you can incorporate into your life:

- Take a relaxing bath (the book "ritual baths" has amazing bath ideas

- Engage in your favourite hobbies (sports, reading, watching a tv show etc.)

- Spend time with your loved ones

- Take care of your skin and have a routine down. You do not need 15 products but even adding a serum or a spot treatment to your routine can improve your skin!

***************************************************************************************************

I hope that you liked this post! This is all for fun and anyone can be a pink pilates princess 🧚🏾💞

[tastesoftamriel]

You know those cheesy pasta dishes with all the fancy add-ins like heavy cream and garlic so we can all pretend to ourselves that we aren't just eating mac and cheese like overgrown children? What sort of equivalent dishes do the people of Tamriel enjoy, that are basically just dressed-up "kid food" dishes?

Who doesn't love a cheeky meal that brings back memories of childhood? Across Tamriel, you'll find all manner of simple, hearty foods that will make you feel like a kid again!

Altmer

In Summerset, young and old alike enjoy mochi, a tasty sweet snack made from chewy glutinous rice flour. Mochi comes in many varieties, with fillings like sweet peanut or black sesame paste. However, almost everyone's favourite is a cold mochi filled with soft gelato of various flavours. My favourite combination is matcha mochi wrapped around a moreish azuki bean ice cream centre.

Argonians

Is there anything that makes you feel more like a kid than some snacking? Argonians are huge fans of anything that packs a crunch, both sweet and savoury. Whether it's spicy and sweet crickets, dark saltrice sauce-coated mealworms, or just good old prawn crackers with some dipping sambal, be prepared to snack your way all day long in Black Marsh.

Bosmer

If you're one of those people who stands in the kitchen gnawing a block of cheese at midnight, you're in good company in Valenwood. A popular late-night treat served at street food vendors across the Province is a simple cup of grilled witchetty grubs slathered in timber mammoth cheese sauce and topped with pulled pork. The grubs are meaty in flavour, and the pungent timber mammoth cheese complements the pulled pork when mixed all together, as the locals enjoy it.

Bretons

Pain au chocolat? Yes please! These deliciously buttery puffed pastries are essentially rectangular croissants enveloping delicious dark chocolate. Served warm, they're sure to make any breakfast or teatime a happy one! To really satisfy those chocolate cravings, pair with a classic Breton hot chocolate, complete with marshmallows and whipped cream.

Dunmer

Marshmerrow cake is the ubiquitous Dunmeri dessert that has gained popularity far beyond the borders of Morrowind due to its mild flavour and unique candy aroma. A soft sponge cake, which is sometimes soaked in comberry brandy, is layered with sweet marshmerrow crème patissiere, caramelised marshmerrow crumble, and maraschino comberries. Sure to knock some years off your age and put a couple more holes in your belt (it's impossible to stop at one slice. Source: me).

Imperials

There's nothing quite like homemade gnocchi with ragout for Imperials when it comes to comfort food. While this homey dish is prevalent across Cyrodiil, every household cooks the dish differently. In mine, my mother pan-fries the gnocchi in an obnoxious amount of butter, and tops it with her top-secret slow-cooked lamb and red wine ragout. While I cannot give away the secrets to her ragout, I highly recommend trying this delicious dish a try when you need to warm yourself, body and soul.

Khajiit

If you think you can turn away cinnamon and cardamom churros with a cup of moon sugar caramel dip, you're deluding yourself. This delicious treat can be found across Elsweyr and is considered one of the Province's most famous foods. Khajiiti churros, which are made from a mix of rice and tapioca flour, have a moist and chewy texture beneath a crisp, golden brown outer layer. They're served hot from the wok, with a cup of moon sugar caramel syrup. A truly divine pairing!

Nords

Spätzle is something I've written about in the past, and it's one of the best things I know (ask any resident of Skyrim and they'd tell you the same). These chunky egg noodles may look unrefined compared to Khajiiti vermicelli, but make up for it when liberally doused in a creamy cheese sauce and topped with fried onions. I like spicing mine up, quite literally, with some chili powder I purchased at a Sentinel bazaar.

Orcs

Nothing screams comfort food (and mess) quite like a good old echatere sausage hot dog. The echatere sausage, rather akin to Blackwood chorizo in flavour, is grilled over hot coals and served in a sourdough bun, served Wrothgar style with a good amount of horseradish mayo, fried radish chips, caramelised onions, pickles, and crispy dried baby shrimp topping. I'd say you can't stop at just one, but it's a hefty meal you can eat with one hand!

Redguards

I have probably written about gulab jamun in the past, a delicious, albeit cloying dessert popular throughout Hammerfell. An iconic dish at festivals and parties, gulab jamun is prized by dessert-lovers for its velvety, syrupy texture. These fluffy balls of cardamom-scented cottage cheese are fried and soaked in a fragrant saffron and rose water syrup, and topped with crushed pistachios. So simple, so good, and so moreish. Just be sure to stop at three, because any more and the sugar rush will send you to Aetherius!

[recurring-polynya]

I have been thinking about Minazuki lately for a variety of reasons. One interesting fact about Minazuki is that, while that's the name of both their shikai and bankai, it's spelled differently. Shikai Minazuki is 肉雫唼 (Flesh-Drops' Gorge, per the Bleach Wiki). The Bankai version is 皆尽, All Things' End. (For more translation notes, see this excellent Name Games post from @littleeyesofpallas). However, there is another homonym for Minazuki: 水無月, month of water, aka the old-fashioned name for June. Additionally, there is a wagashi called minazuki wagashi, a triangular rice cake topped with red bean. It is traditionally eaten in June, and according to this Kyoto regional cuisine website, it is used in a Shinto ritual at the end of June "to purify the 'sins and impurities' of the six months from January to June."

What makes this interesting to me is that in Bleach, shinigami are a mixed bag insofar as how open they are about the names and abilities of their zanpakutou, but I think that Unohana's would be among the more commonly known since it's used for healing. But is the spelling common knowledge? It's not like she's going to stand in front of the blackboard on the first day of class and spell it for everyone. (I assume this is how Aizen's obligatory shikai-reveal goes).

Furthermore, the assumption that her zanpakutou uses a slightly archaic/poetic name for a late spring month goes right along with Unohana's whole paragon-of-traditional-womanhood deal. It also would be yet another example of Kubo's love of hiding things in plain sight.

I want to get back to the wagashi, tho! For starters, the idea of "wiping away sins from the first part of the year" to me goes along with both the whole idea of Unohana "turning over a new leaf", so to speak, and maybe also with some of the morning vs. night shift change stuff mentioned in the Name Games post above. Maybe I'm going out on a limb here, but Minazuki's shikai even bears a superficial resemblance to a minazuki, in the sense that Minazuki is a) vaguely triangular, and b) darker colored on top and lighter on the bottom. (This recipe post suggests you can dust your minazuki with matcha powder, if you wanted to make it green).

Unohana already has some associations with tea ceremony, and she publishes a guide to sweet shops in the Seireitei Communication. I guess I just think it would be really funny if everyone thought her zanpakutou was named after a dessert--like if you met some nice, mild-mannered lady with a cute little purse dog named "Cookie", but then, several years later, you find that "Cookie" is short for "Cook My Enemies in the Scorching Hot Oil of Vengeance."

[somnambulant-seraphim]

I'm usually a tea-drinker, but I like my tea hot, and since the weather has been so warm lately, I've gotten into making iced coffee a lot more (and I prefer coffee cold anyway).

I especially like when I can make it look pretty, I just love how all the different shades of brown and cream go together! :3

𐐒𐐚༄࿔˚₊·. The first one is iced drip coffee mixed with vanilla powder, and topped with some sweetened almond milk that I shook up to make frothy :3 ).

𐐪𐑂˚₊·. The second one is "whipped" coffee (instant coffee, sweetener, warm water in blender) on top of vanilla almond milk that I shook up with a bit of cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice.

❀·₊˚࿐༄ And the last three photos are iced coffee mixed with vanilla powder, topped with a sweetened matcha powder mix. This one didn't turn out as much, but it was still good and the bit of green looked nice to me! :3

[lee-aveyourmark]

pov: you're doing grocery shopping with nct dream

∘.∙°. masterlist Warnings: mentions of food and eating; physical affection - hugs, kisses, everything to make you cringe

mark Constantly brings up the other Dreamies when finding foods that remind him of them. It's sweet to see how much he cares for them, but when he's stopping every 30 seconds to give a backstory for an item that catches his eye, it's not hard for your pout to come out. Will shut himself up and exert some self-control when he notices your furrowed eyebrows. Nevertheless, you two still end up buying some snacks for the other Dreamies. Likes to share one side of his wireless earphones with you. However, you begin to walk ahead once he's turned up the volume and started grooving to the beat a little too passionately. Your calls for him to stop fall upon deaf ears, and it takes a light pinch to the nape of his neck to remind him that he's at the supermarket with grannies watching him busting moves. Some shopping trips are confidence builders for Mark as you encourage him to avoid premade meals and buy fresh produce to cook with. Giggles and hugs you tightly when you concede to buying more eggs than normal so that he can practice his sunny side up's. Takes pics of you two in front of the safety mirrors and develops an album on his phone from the number of similar photos.

renjun Sings to himself while shopping, and also harmonises along to whatever you're singing without knowing that he's doing so. Spends a considerable amount of time debating different options for each item. Maybe a little too much time, because by the time you've reached the seventh item on your shopping list, you're yawning and thinking about your cosy bed. Is not afraid to ask workers where certain things are. Is also drawn to demonstrations of new kitchen appliances more than food samples. Often ends up overbuying, either because he overestimated the amount needed or because there were many dishes that he wanted to try making but they all called for different ingredients in small amounts. Gets deeply offended when you ask some stranger for help in grabbing something from the top shelf. Literally scoffs to himself, rolls his eyes, places his hands on his hips and glares at you and the stranger from afar. Gives you the silent treatment for two minutes before breaking because he forgot what was the next item on the shopping list which was in your possession. Also breaks when you slide your hand into his and do not let go even when he tries to walk in the other direction.

jeno Judges everything in consideration in reference to Jaemin. Choosing what cut of meat to get? Jeno thinks Jaemin said that this cut was best for its price point. Not sure what brand of matcha powder to buy? Jaemin mentioned one time that this certain brand has a really nice kick, so you should probably get that. Scratches the back of his neck when you put the chosen matcha powder back with an adamant shake of your head, reminding the samoyed that this Jaemin is also the same Jaemin who drinks coffee with six shots of espresso. Most of your shopping trips are done after 11am because Jeno just... loves sleep. If it's before midday, he's shuffling down the aisles in slides and slight bedhead that he tries to cover up with a hood. He's also still bleary-eyed and stifles a yawn while tugging on your sleeve to help him navigate through the store without bumping into anything. Becomes more awake once he munches on some samples. Pushes the cart leisurely with one arm and holds your hand with the other, gently stroking your knuckles. Sneaks candids of you picking things off the shelves and comparing items. Seeing you bite your lip in deep thought makes him want to kiss you so bad, but he'll wait until you're alone. He'll also save the pics for later when he misses you and needs a reminder of home.

haechan Takes turns pushing the cart, but sometimes he'll have a mind of his own and force you to push it against your will while he runs off. There's a 50-50 chance of him making a small toddler cry by smiling at them. Will always opt for the spiciest option there is, and argues that it's the right choice. Tries to convince you by reasoning that you should just learn to eat spicier or dilute your portion with water. When threatening to break up with him because of his stubbornness, he reluctantly swaps for one spice level below and then two upon catching your glare. Picks a random item off the shelf every 5 minutes and makes a cheesy pun about it to flirt with you. More often than not, you just shake your head and continue walking down the aisle with a smile. Suddenly stops you and grabs your face with his hands, staring at you intensely for a brief moment before leaning in with puckered lips. The whine he lets out after you push him away attracts the attention of everyone in the aisle. The only way to get out of the spotlight is to give him a quick peck which turns his whines into a squeal of satisfaction. Proceeds to cuddle his head into your neck while browsing the next two aisles, only retracting when you complain that you can't feel your shoulder anymore.

jaemin Every shopping trip is also a date. This man will convince you to wear a couple's article of clothing to receive coos from elderly women. Will also feed you all the samples there are to offer before trying them himself. Falls head over heels for you for the 138th time when your eyes light up and eyebrows raise in delight at how tasty a sample is. Proceeds to buy half the store's stock of that item. Then, he falls for the 139th time when you push the shopping cart with him, fawning over how cute your hands look next to his. He slips one hand between the space of your two so that your arms are intertwined, before adorning the biggest grin on his face when you link his arm with yours and rest your head on his shoulder. Will buy the ingredients for whatever dish you wanna eat later that day because he's self-assured that he can make the dish. Whenever he lets you pick out groceries, he'll never oppose your selections that go against his personal preference. Instead, he'll try to appreciate your selections or help you fix the dish's taste if your choice turns out to be unfortunate. Peppers your face with kisses once you two return to the car because he found all of your shopping mannerisms adorable, and holds your hand while driving back home.

chenle Probably the only member who'd do groceries in the actual morning. Because Chenle knows what he's looking for, grocery trips average around 30 minutes. That's including time for you to browse and select snacks that weren't originally included on the shopping list. Will go on a rampage and nonstop brag about you when an old lady comments on how sweet your relationship is. Has such a soft spot for the elderly and for children to the point of paying for their groceries if there's a cute family or a lonely grandpa waiting in line behind you two. Also likes to act as your sugar daddy, nonchalantly allowing you to toss two tubs of the most expensive brand of ice cream that the store has to offer into the shopping cart. Shares his music with you, but doesn't seem to be bothered with you listening when he accepts a call and starts talking with a cousin. Continues shopping after the call ends as if nothing happened, asking for input about certain grocery items. Bursts into laughter when he sees you standing stock still with awkwardness written all across your face, your cheeks as red as the bunch of tomatoes in his hand. Can't stop cooing you because of how cute your face was, and soothes you by buying your favourite drink from the cafe next door to the grocery store.

jisung Snacks, snacks and more snacks. 90% of the time Jisung asks you to go to the grocery store with him, it's because he's looking for snacks. Careful but confident when choosing snacks. However, ask him one question about buying actual groceries, and he'll spiral into a deep internal conflicting monologue about the 10 different brands of the one item you're looking for. Nevertheless, you let him and his snack connoisseur antics be because most of the time, his selections turn out to be pretty good. Pops along to whatever song the grocery store is playing, even if it's some old trot tune. Falls behind when stumbling upon a childhood ice cream, proceeding to become lost. Has to roam all the aisles twice before finding you. You're extremely confused when he approaches you with tears in his eyes and hugs your shoulders tightly. Shyly waves to all the toddlers who stare up at him in awe in passing, reaching out with a blush when he misinterprets the child's extended hand for a high-five. Uses his massive hands to bring the groceries to and from the car, and feels proud of himself when he only needs one trip to haul them out.

[weiying-lanzhan-fics]

transmuter by WithLoweredVoices

What a beautiful story in a grandiose and different setting. I enjoyed everything about it - the pain and anguish as well as the hope and mending.

Wonderful prose and characters ❤️❤️❤️❤️

(Therapeutic for me!)

Quotes:

Wei Ying stares at the boy now standing awkwardly in the middle of the café.  It’s like looking through time into some kind of twisted mirror.

The kid holds his hands like he doesn’t know what to do with them – like he’s been deposited within a new set of limbs and has yet to figure out how to use them. He’s sixteen at most, though he looks to be younger. He’s skinny and horribly pale, pale as milk, his lips the same ghastly color as his face. There is eyeliner smeared over his eyes with an unsteady hand, but it isn’t enough to hide the crimson shade of his eyelids.

The boy might be the youngest necromancer Wei Ying’s ever seen.

He’s just a baby – he’s not even full grown yet, not even a single hint of stubble at his face. There’s a chance he might never grow beyond this slender, small frame. You can only dip your fingers into death so many times before it starts to dip its fingers into you – and Wei Ying can smell the death on this boy.

Wei Ying lets out a long, shaky breath. He sets his mocha down and wraps the fingers of his right hand over his left wrist – a grounding trick he learned from his therapist.

‘Hiya,’ says Wei Ying brightly. ‘Welcome to Yiling Gardens. What can I get you?’

————

‘Wei Ying,’ says Lan Zhan. ‘I do not have to stay.’

He lifts a hand towards Wei Ying, then hesitates. He closes his hand into a fist, flexes it once, and then folds his fist behind his back. The hem shifts, revealing the sword hanging low from his belt.

Wei Ying’s traitorous brain feeds him a reel of memories: Lan Zhan, angrily raining a flurry of blows down upon Wei Ying in the training ring; Lan Zhan, wiping sweat from his face as he takes a break between drills, pointedly ignoring Wei Ying’s chatter; Lan Zhan, turning with the gold medal in his hand, not quite smiling, but triumphant all the same as he seeks out Wei Ying’s face in the crowd.

Wei Ying feels something like heartbreak clutter up in his throat. He looks down at the scuff-marks on his old shoes. He thinks about mountain ranges. He thinks about a kitchen table where nobody eats with him.

He thinks about a hand on his wrist, about the drone of Sentinels pushing close and, come back to Gusu with me.

Wei Ying summons his last ounce of bravery and looks up at Lan Zhan. ‘I don’t want you to leave.’

‘Mn,’ nods Lan Zhan. ‘I will not.’ His gaze flashes up towards the menu on the chalkboard. ‘I would like a matcha latte please. With soy milk. It is not a seasonal special,’ he adds, with an apologetic tilt of his head that is Lan Zhan’s equivalent of a shrug.

‘Okay,’ says Wei Ying.

He taps matcha powder into a mug and measures hot water into it with a few presses of a button on the coffee machine. I should say sorry, he thinks. He pulls the carton of soy milk out of the fridge and pours it into a cold pitcher. I should ask him how he’s been, he thinks. He froths the milk and taps out the bubbles. I should thank him for Burial Mounds, he thinks. He pours milk into the mug, forming a delicate fern leaf at the top.

‘Soy matcha latte,’ says Wei Ying as he hands the drink over, instead of sorry or are you well or thank you for not handing me over to Inquisition thirteen years ago.

Lan Zhan cups the mug in one long-fingered hand, while he keeps the other clasped behind his back. ‘Thank you,’ he says, and then, with a strange, wondering tone: ‘You used my favorite brand of soy milk.’

Wei Ying hates his magpie tendencies. It’s embarrassing, the way he collects facets of the people he loves, the people who once loved him, as though they could ever prevent people from leaving him.

Not Rated, 113k

Summary:

Wei Ying gave up necromancy years ago. He should be done with hauntings, but here in his café, here in this quiet city at the edge of the world, there stands a ghost dressed in mourning white with eyes like warm honey at the bottom of the pot.

(The one where it's a café AU - only it's not.)

[imanes]

good evening Imane, different anon but I wanted to ask if there is a specific brand of matcha/hojicha you like? I actually like hojicha more so any insight into what brand and how to best brew it would be very much appreciated. perhaps even your preferred way to make the cold foam/cream top? I know these things can be googled but I remember you would share recipes or cooking tips in passing a few years ago and I always found your approach to food and drink so helpful

good morning! i always love talking about food and drinks so thank u for not googling it hahaha. i placed my last order of matcha (and first of hojicha) at iro matcha, but I think it's a belgian brand, so I don't know how accessible it would be for you! the most important part is that the hojicha is powdered, because you can also find it in loose leaf form and it wouldn't give you the same taste/consistency. i always look at online reviews and i prefer to order from websites that also offer ceremonial matcha powder.

in terms of how to brew it, i only ever make lattes with it and i do it in the same way as my matcha: around 3g of hojicha powder (using the traditional bamboo spoon) in a bowl, a bit of hot water at 75 to 80°C, whisk it (with a bamboo whisk), pour it in a cup and add foamed oat milk to finish it off. sometimes I'll add a little bit of honey after I'm done whisking it with the hot water because it tastes really good when it's sweet <3 i don't know if it's the best way to do it but it gives me the same result as what i order at cafés!

for a cold foam, i use a french press (tutorial here). i know some people use heavy cream and a mini electric whisk but with the french press you can use any type of milk you want, the process will add enough air to foam it. you can also add a little bit of vanilla bean extract or pumpkin puree to make dupes of the special foams you find at cafés. and then for a hot foam i just use the spout on my coffee machine! i actually want to change my coffee machine because a barista told me that the best spouts have three little holes to make very fine foam whereas mine is just one big hot air spout so i can never make latte art :( anyway that was a tangent but i'd love to be a barista fr

finally omg thank you for putting up with me for so many years akjlfkgj it's true that it has been a while since i shared my cooking/baking/drinking. i had a little food trauma episode over a year ago but i got over it now. I'll go back to sharing more <3 might try video form as well for fun drinks

[tamapalace]

Tamagotchi x Momi & Toys Collaboration

More delicious Tamagotchi treats are on their way. Bandai Japan has partnered with Momi & Toys which is a creperie with locations through Japan. They’re well known for their recipes and other desserts such as their crazy cotton candy creations.

The collaboration delivers delicious crepes in two flavors that are designed after Mametchi, and Milktchi. Then there are two milk teas which feature Mimitchi, and Kuchipatchi. The crepe sets include not only the delicious crepes, but also the corresponding acrylic keychain, which can be purchased separately.

The acrylic keychains feature one of the four characters mentioned above on, or even in a crepe! The Mametchi crepe features whipped cream, custard, brownie custard, chocolate sauce, and a banana! The Milktchi crepe features whipped cream, ichigo milk cream, vanilla ice cream, strawberry ice cream, strawberry sauce, and raspberry flakes. The crepes sets are priced at ¥1,080, or just the crepe for ¥750.

Second are the milk tea sets. Both come with the acrylic keychain and a delicious milk drink. These milk drinks also feature a sticker on them with a picture of the Mametchi, Milktchi, Mimitchi, and Kuchipatchi in and on their crepes. The sets come with the milk drink and the corresponding acrylic keychain. The Mimitchi milk drink features banana, milk, chocolate whipped cream and chocolate sauce. The Kuchipatchi milk drinks features brown sugar tapioca, matcha milk, matcha cream, whipped cream, and matcha powder. The milk drinks sets are ¥980, or ¥650 for the drink itself.

The acrylic keychains can be purchased selerately and there are four different types, featuring Mametchi, Mimitchi, Kuchipatchi, and Mimitchi. These are distributed at random, so you cannot choose which acrylic you receive at your local Momi & Toys location.

There will be limited quantities available of the sweets and the Tamagotchi goods. The sales period is Monday, January 15th, 2024 through Thursday, February 29th, 2024.

That’s not it! Momi & Toys is running a social media campaign where you can follow them on Twitter, and tweet with hashtag “#Momitoy_Tamagotchi Collaboration” and you will be entered into a lottery to win an original Tamagotchi x Momi Toys collaboration pouch! How cute? There are a total of 10 to win, and the campaign runs from Monday, January 15th, 2024 through Thursday, February 29th, 2024.

[nyaagolor]

I saw you talking about ace attorney teapots in the replies of some post and I am curious, I would ask more specifically but I don't know that much about AA.

ok so admittedly that was partially hyperbolic, there's only one teapot in the AA series I can actually make character references from (which I elaborated on here), the others give information that's a little more basic. Kristoph has a deft blue china set in his cell, which reaffirms what we already know (namely that he's a classy, wealthy europhile), while all the (numerous) tea sets in DGS serve more to establish cultural things than explicit character motivations

All the british characters have relatively simple glazed teapots as would be typical at the time, while the japanese characters have tetsubins-- these aren't teapots (as in, you wouldn't put the leaves in them) but cast iron kettles that you boil water in. There's a whole theory about how cast iron was used in Japan because Japanese water is incredibly soft (aka low mineral content) and the iron leeching into the water from the tea draws out different notes when it reacts with the chemicals in the tea leaves themselves and blah blah blah I won't bore you with that here. Anyway, the shapes of these teapots are very distinct and I thought it was a cute detail because it shows you exactly who lives in the house with a single glance

the most fun one, though, is Susato's matcha set. Susato is explicitly based off the yamato nadeshiko (an ideal woman, basically) so the inclusion of her cute lil matcha set just contributes to that concept. Making matcha for a tea ceremony requires extraordinary levels of skill and she has all the tools to do that, including a small furnace? In the middle of the office floor????? susato sweetie I think that's a fire hazard

So something relevant about green tea is that unlike basically every other tea type, which can handle boiling water, green tea will be "burnt" and taste icky if you try and brew it in boiling water. Japan is famous for its green tea culture, and matcha is a part of that, so there's always something in the tea ceremony to control the temperature of the water. That box in the middle is a full on charcoal stove, on top of which is a cast iron pot that holds the water and a hishaku (the ladle looking thing) which ensures you have the right amount of water and that it's sufficiently cooled when it hits the powder. On the adjacent tray there's a chasen (whisk) and chawan (bowl) both of which you would use for making the tea itself. Often times you'll also have a chasaku (j-shaped measuring stick for the powder itself) but I'm gonna assume that's out of sight or with the matcha powder. Cannot stress enough that for her to have this equipment and know how to use it is a pretty obvious display of education and wealth-- which combined with the tetsubin (stated to be hers) and the traditional japanese calligraphy set on her desk just adds more fuel to the idea that she was classically trained in lots of cultural arts. Classy lady :)

[kwitras-kitchen]

Dirty Iced Matcha Latte

The infamous dirty matcha latte—it's a perfect blend of matcha and coffee for a refreshing and energizing drink! I’ll show you how to make it ;)

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon matcha green tea powder ( I use the brand IPODDO tea, it’s the best!!)

1 ounce hot water (for matcha)

1 shot (1 ounce) espresso or 1/2 cup strong brewed coffee (cooled)

1 cup milk (any type)

1-2 tablespoons simple syrup or honey (to taste)

Ice cubes 

LET’S START

Prepare the Matcha:

In a small bowl, sift and whisk the matcha green tea powder with 1 ounce of hot water (not boiling, about 175°F or 80°C) until smooth and frothy. Use a bamboo whisk if available, or a regular whisk or frother.

Prepare the Espresso 

Brew a shot of espresso or prepare 1/2 cup of strong coffee. Allow it to cool to room temperature.

Mix the Latte:

In a large glass, add a generous amount of ice cubes.

Pour the cooled espresso or coffee over the ice.

Add Sweetener:

Stir in 1-2 tablespoons of simple syrup or honey, adjusting to your taste. If you prefer a sweeter drink, add more sweetener.

Add the Matcha:

Gently pour the prepared matcha over the espresso or coffee. Stir to combine.

Add the Milk:

Pour the milk into the glass. You can use cold milk or steamed milk if you prefer a warmer drink.

Stir everything together to blend the flavors, and enjoy your refreshing iced dirty matcha latte!

TIPS

Matcha Quality: Use high-quality matcha for the best flavor and vibrant color. IRO and IPODDO tea are some of my favorite brands that I really recommend.

Sweetener: Adjust the amount of sweetener according to your taste. You can also use flavored syrups for different variations.

Milk Options: Feel free to use any type of milk, such as almond, oat, or soy, depending on your preference.

If you’d like to see me make an iced vanilla matcha, don’t hesitate to check out my TikTok where I share my recipes <3

[adobe-outdesign]

Review on Poltchageist please? it's design is interesting and cute.

(This is the last review request in my inbox—if you guys have requests, send 'em in.)

(Also, important note before we start: Ironically, some leaks regarding the DLC just dropped today. I don't review content until it's officially released, so I will not be discussing any of the leaked information in this review.)

While I don't think I like it more than the Sinistea line, I do like Poltchageist here. I don't actually drink tea much at all and I don't like matcha flavoring much either, so correct me if any of the following information is wrong, but it seems like it's based off of vintage matcha tea caddies. Here's one I dug up on Google that looks very similar, right down to the black patterning and the "face":

At first, I wasn't sure why this was a convergent evo, as it's still tea, just a different flavor. It feels like a convergent to tea would be something like coffee, which looks like tea but isn't. A different flavor of tea seems more like a regional. This also doesn't look that much like the original line; you couldn't accidentally mistake one for the other.

However, I do sort of get what they were getting at—Poltchageist is similar to Polteageist, meaning the line is effectively inversed, which is actually a pretty cool idea. It has the painted-on face of Sinistea, and it's possessing the container itself like Sinsitea does instead of the tea, but the actual body shape being a tea-holding container is all Polteageist. It's basically how Wugtrio looks a lot more different from Dugtrio than Wiglett does to Diglett, just backwards. In that respect, I think it gets away with being a convergent.

That said, I do wish it had different typing. I think it was neat that our previous two convergents had types that were opposites, or at least completely different; maybe this one could've been grass/fairy, or maybe even grass/water.

Anyway, all that conceptual stuff aside, it looks pretty good visually. I like the striking black-and-white palette with the green matcha as an accent color, and I really love those floating matcha powder hands. The matcha scoop(? is that the right word) is also a fun touch. Bonus points for how drippy the face looks, almost like it's crying, and the kintsugi-style repair job on the cracks.

My only nitpicks are that the three dots above the eye feel kind of random, and the hexagonal cut-outs for the hands feel too inorganic—more natural cracks and chips would've been better. Also, I feel like the face could've fit the container more. If you look at Sinistea or even the above caddy, there's a lot of intricate markings that fit the space nicely, while Poltchageist's face feels more slapped on.

Regardless, overall, it's a pretty decent concept and design. I don't like it quite as much as Sinistea and I don't know how badly that line needed something new, but this is fun and definitely unique enough to justify itself.

[kashi-prompts]

Title: The Dango Shop

Prompt: You've recently opened up a dango shop and Team 7 is excited to try it.

Pairing: Kakashi x Reader

Rating: E

A/N: This was meant to be angst and it turned into fluff lol Also, I am 3/3 on sitting down to write this week. It's amazing what a week away from the corporate world will do for your brain.

***

Dango.

160g joshinko non-glutinous rice flour

40g shiratamako glutinous rice flour

60g sugar

200ml hot water

1 tsp matcha green tea powder

red food colouring.

***

Spring

“C’mon, Kakashi-sensei,” you heard a shrill voice gripe. The commotion caused you to look up, peering though the steam emitting from the warm stove of your dango shop. When no one arrived through the felt fabric curtain, you returned to patiently kneading the dough until its correct consistency.

“You said you would buy us a treat!” Another voice spoke up from the dirt street beyond the shop. You looked up again, noticing four pairs of shinobi sandals in front of your shop. You smiled at their banter, looking back down at your work as you pushed the dough between the palms of your hand. You added more water to the mixture.

“Fine, fine,” you heard an adult voice concede, a heavy sigh in the wake of his response. “This is what you want?”

“Yes!” Two voices said in unison.

One pair of sandals turned, pulling back the cloth veil that separated the outside world from your little street shop. A bushel of silver hair emerged first, bowing his head as he entered.

Shinobi. You stood up straight, smiling as three children followed closely behind him, nipping at his heels.

"Welcome," you greeted them warmly. You slapped the ball of dough back on the wooden board, placing your hand on your hip.

"Hello," the man said, looking up at you for the first time. Your eyes met his single dark gaze and you felt your back flush, spreading to the backs of your ears like wildfire.

Kakashi of the Sharingan.

Your eyes remained locked for a beat, the commotion of the children seating themselves a distant noise between the two of you. You had heard of him, of course. Even civilians in the village had heard of such a legendary shinobi. But you had never seen him in person, let alone this close.

He was much taller - and more handsome despite three quarters of his face being covered - than the rumors had said.

Finally you blinked, looking away and greeting the children.

"We heard your shop is the best Dango shop in the village! Better than old man Chiri's down the street!" the yellow haired child said, his enthusiasm contagious. The pink haired girl grinned, following the lead of her sensei to sit at the counter.

You flushed, scratching the back of your head as you grinned.

"Thank you - but I'm sure that isn't entirely true. All dango is delicious. I'm glad to have you all here though!" You looked between the group, assessing them all. "So - what'll it be?"

"Matcha flavored!" the yellow haired one exclaimed, practically crawling onto the counter. He picked up a pair of chopsticks, eager to touch anything in his site.

"Red Bean Paste, please," the pink haired girl replied calmly, her cheeks rosy from the heat of the day.

"Kibi Dango," a brooding voice from the end replied, his shoulders hunched over the countertop. You wrote their orders down, lifting your head to Kakashi, your pen poised for his order.

"And you?"

"I am good, thank you," He waved a kind, dismissive hand. "Not much of a sweets man."

"No worries," you smiled to him. He smiled in return. You began preparing the ingredients, plopping them neatly on a plate and distributing them to each customer.

"Wow!" the yellow haired boy exclaimed, "this is even better looking then Old Man Chiri's too!"

"I'm sure his is just an older recipe," you reminded him, returning to your dough kneading. "Everyone makes dango differently. Just because his may not look good doesn't mean it won't taste good!"

"She's right, Naruto. Respect your elders," the sensei corrected him.

"I'm just speaking the truth!"

"You don't have to say everything that comes to your mind out loud," Kakashi reminded him, peering over at him irritably.

"Delicious," the pink haired girl hummed, her mouth filled with the dessert.

"Thank you," You smiled happily, your lips pressed together.

"Whicha makin' back there, anyway?" The one named Naruto asked, his mouth filled with dessert. A piece of dango fell from his lips.

"Close your mouth when you eat, idiot," the dark haired boy leaned over the counter, irritated. Naruto flushed, his eyebrows knitting together as he swallowed the dessert whole.

"More dango," you told them, lifting the ball of dough.

"Obviously," the dark haired one said again.

Naruto growled, kneeling on his stool and gritting his teeth as he stared at the other boy.

"No fighting you two!" Kakashi huffed, pulling Naruto's jacket back into his chair.

"Why does Sasuke have to be so rude all the time?"

"He's not being rude, you're being rude!" the pink haired girl defended.

"Keep out of this, Sakura!"

The sensei sighed heavily, placing his chin in his palm and looking up at you - begging for sympathy.

"See what I have to deal with?" He said, his eyebrows lifted.

"I'm sure it's not all that bad," you replied fondly, cutting off the piece of dough with your hands and rolling it into a ball.

"If my hair wasn't already grey, it would be grey by now with these three," he continued to watch you, a self deprecating chuckle coming from behind his mask. You laughed as well.

"The grey suits you as a sensei," you teased, glancing up, "very distinguished."

"Distinguished?" Naruto scoffed, already standing up to exit the shop.

"Ha!" the pink haired girl followed, Sasuke close in her wake.

"No respect," the silver haired shinobi shook his head, shoving his hand in his pocket. He sectioned out his change in his palm and placed it on the counter. You noticed the hefty tip.

"Thank you," you smiled, rolling another dough ball. "And good luck!"

He laughed, looking up and catching your eye again, "thanks. I'm going to need it."

***

One Week Later

Sweaty and tired, the three children and their sensei walked through your shop door, shuffling their feet as they sat down at the counter.

"Oh," you smiled happily, pleasantly surprised. "Back again?"

"They haven't stopped talking about your dango since we left the last time," their master responded, amused as his students shoulders slumped from a hard days work.

"Boy, you wore them out today, huh?" you noted, watching the trio staring into space.

"They'll get used to it," Kakashi said, ruffling Naruto's blond hair. The boy swatted him away.

You watched as he pulled a familiar book out of his back pocket, slipping his thumb through an indented page. You started rolling another row of dango balls.

“Icha-Icha fan?” You asked, pushing your hair from your eyes with the back of your coated hand. Flour dusted your face and your hair stuck to your forehead like glue. One onyx eye raised to meet yours, wide with curiosity and surprise.

“I am,” he closed his book, amused as he leaned over the counter. “You're familiar?"

“I’ve got the whole series in hardcover and paperback,” you replied pridefully. You never had anyone to talk about books with and you were pleased to have a fellow literature lover in the shop. He adjusted himself to face you.

“I also have the author's commentary of Volume I as well."

“Commentary, huh?” You could tell he was barely containing his astonishment. His eye glistened.

“It’s quite good. It really ties together some of the underlying themes of the series. The drama and romance is unparalleled to anything I've read before. I could let you borrow it, if you’d like.”

The young girl beside him looked over at Sasuke, her green eyes wide as she stifled a giggle. The boy ignored her, placing his cheek in on the base of his palm and huffing as he turned away. The sensei ignored them both, his eyes fixed on you, his jaw taunt.

“That would be wonderful,” he finally responded with a grin. Your heart sped up, your pulse quickening under your perspiring skin. It suddenly felt hotter than usual in the room, despite the cooler spring temperatures just outside the threshold of your shop.

You hadn’t realized you had stopped rolling the dough balls, the one ball that was in your hand melting under the heat radiating from your palm. You felt yourself flush under his gaze. You looked back down at your work, severing the connection.

“What was your name, by the way?” The sensei asked, trying desperately to compose himself as Naruto lifted his head, observing the now obvious tense interaction between the two of you.

"Can I just have some food, please?" the boy complained loudly.

You looked up, sweating profusely from the short interaction. You glanced over at the sensei, unsure if your mind was exaggerating the interaction in your head. He straightened his back, rolling his shoulders as he cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"[y/n]," You answered, your eyes connecting again with his, "And I'll have that food coming right up, kids."

***

The trio continued to come in each week with their sensei. Every Monday well into the summer months, they would arrive disheveled and defeated, their faces covered with sweat and grime. Their master always sat in the middle, each week growing more and more attentive, it seemed.

"The same, please," he would order for them, their foreheads all placed tiredly on the counter.

Carefully, you arranged the dango on plates and passed them to each of them. One by one, they lifted their heads from between their arms and began eating.

You watched as Kakashi began to lift Volume II from his back pocket, perching it between his fingers as the trio began to eat next to him quietly. Before he could crack it open, you placed a plate in front of him.

"What's this?" He asked, a confused smile behind his mask.

"A new recipe," you replied, "It's made with a soy glaze. It's more savory then sweet. You said you didn't like sweet. I mean - I have been working on it for awhile. I didn't just make it fo- ... Maybe you could be my tester before I put it on the menu?"

He looked up at you, barely hiding a pleased smile as you stopped the string of words coming uncontrollably from behind your lips.

“Thank you,” he nodded, looking down at his plate. He placed his book back in his pocket. “This looks tasty."

"I hope you like it," you offered, feeling a familiar blush creep up your cheeks. "It's on the house."

"I'm sure I will," he winked.

***

The last week of summer was quickly approaching. The heat bearing down on Konoha more than it ever had before. Your dango shop felt like a sweat shop rather than a sweets shop.

"Ohhh, [y/n]!" You heard Naruto call out from beyond the curtain of your shop. "Where's my dangoooo?"

"Right hereeee," you called back to him.

Your relationship with the group had grown since the spring. You saw them every week, sometimes twice a week if you were lucky. You learned Sakura's favorite food was syrup covered dumplings, and Sasuke, who didn't speak much, loved rice balls. You experimented with the trio, always asking for their feedback on new desserts and treats. They always loved them. Especially Naruto.

"Oh!" you had exclaimed one afternoon, your eyes landing on Kakashi. "I have something for you."

"Oh, another treat?" he asked expectantly, his eyebrow lifted as he uncrossed his legs and faced you.

"I guess you could say that," you patted your dusty hands on your apron, retreating to the back.

"Man, Kakashi-sensei always gets the good stuff!" Naruto whined.

"You just had free dango last week," you heard Sasuke remind him.

"Yeah, but-"

You returned from the back, a beaten up book in your hand. With a smile, you passed it over the counter to Kakashi. He looked down at it, his eyes suddenly bright.

"The Icha-Icha authors commentary," you explained, returning to your dough rolling. "We spoke about it the first time we-"

"Yes, I remember," He looked back up at you, his crows-feet prominent as he smiled. He began inspecting it. "Jeez, It's almost as beaten up as my novels are. The spine is coming apart from the pages."

"Oh, hush," you waved a hand, "I better get that back when you're done! I don't want to have to hunt you down for it, Hatake," you pointed a knowing finger at him.

Kakashi laughed, ignoring Naruto as he peered over at the contents of the book. The young boys cheeks flushed as his eyes skimmed the page.

"You will," he chuckled, "don't worry."

You glanced back up at him, a soft affectionate gaze catching your eye. You averted your eyes.

***

The crisp chill of fall nipped at your cheeks as you finished closing up the shop. You tightened the scarf around your neck, pulling down the curtain in front of the storefront.

It has been a long day, your knees aching from standing for well over twelve hours. You sighed heavily, bending your spine in an effort to relieve the tension.

"Hey," you heard behind you. Turning around, Kakashi stood nearby, a smile behind his mask as he greeted you with a wave.

"Oh, hello," you smiled, brushing the hair that swept in front of your eyes from the wind. "It's not Monday."

He laughed, his eyes looking at you fondly, "I know."

"Come from some soy glazed dango?" you asked, chuckling.

"No. Not quite," he smiled, kicking a rock with the tip of his sandal.

"How about returning my book?" You needled him fondly. You relished in how easy it had become to banter with him.

"Actually," He paused, pulling your book from his back pocket, "Yes."

You smiled, taking it out of his hand. You noticed the spine was reconnected to its pages. The front cover had been cleaned off.

"I glued it with fabric glue the best I could," He offered modestly. You looked up with the book in your hands and smiled.

"Thank you," you replied, "You didn't have to do that."

He shrugged coyly, "I wanted to."

Slipping the book under your arm, you turned and stood on your toes to reach the "open" sign of your shop. Above you, you saw an arm reach over your head, flipping it to "closed" for you.

You turned back around, looking up at him. You laughed, flustered. "Thank you. I've been meaning to move that sign down so I can reach it better."

"Maybe you just need to get taller," he quipped. You snorted, pushing his shoulder.

"Where are your students?" you asked, changing the subject, "Did you exhaust them again today?"

"Hmm," he replied after a moment, "No. I went fairly easy on them today."

"Are you sure about that?" you teased, looking back over at him. "Last time you said you 'went easy on them' Sakura nearly fainted. Some sensei you are."

"I'm quite sure they are fine," he laughed lightly. "But thank you for the vote of confidence."

"Anytime," you replied cheekily.

A few people walked passed your shop and you smiled at them. A few moments passed where no one said anything, the awkward silence between you both growing deafening.

"Well, is there anything I can help you with?" You asked finally, adjusting your bun uncomfortably.

"Uh," he began hesitantly, "Yes, actually."

He looked down at you, cautiously. "I was wondering if you wanted to go for a walk. Together. Just the two of us."

Your felt your breath leave your lungs, feeling a cold shock to your body as your eyes meeting his. You blinked in astonishment. He smiled reassuringly.

"I -" you began, your brain suddenly blank.

"You don't have to if you don't want to," his quickly responded, his cheeks blushing in unison with yours.

"No!" you told him quickly, your hands lifted in embarrassment. "I mean yes! I mean, of course!"

You both stared at each other, rouge painted across both of your cheeks. Finally he smiled, his eye rounded as his cheekbone lifted.

"Well then - after you," he gestured forward. You stifled a smile.

You began walking. Fall foliage skidded across the cobble stone street as you bit your lip. You saw him glance at you out of the corner of your eye. His shoulder grazed yours.

"So," he began earnestly, "Tell me about yourself..."

[hyungseos-cafe]

Pairing: Neighbor!Sangyeon x GN!Reader

Genre: Fluff and comedy

Warning(s): None

Word count: 2.4k

Summary: Being the new lead executive manager meant moving to a new city and new cities mean new experiences. New experiences included receiving a fresh matcha latte on your door step every morning before work. For weeks these lattes showed up until one day you finally caught.... Your neighbor?

A/n: Hi ally! Tysm for placing your order with Hyungseos-cafe! I hope you enjoy! I also made Sangyeon to be a clumbsy and silly boy  ₍ᐢ.  ̫.ᐢ₎  One more thing! I ended up doing some light research on matcha and heavily referenced this page!

Order for @winterchimez

┊⋆ ˚✯✩. Songs to listen to while reading: Blue - Kamal, Patterns - Chelan + NNAVY .✩✯⋆ ˚ ┊

Taglist: @deoboyznet

000. 

“I just can’t find any coffee shops that make good matcha lattes here” Sangyeon heard coming from the hallway. He had just come home from a long day of work when he heard the unfamiliar voice speak. His interest had suddenly peaked at the prospect of a new neighbor since his previous one left about two months ago which left the third floor of the building relatively quiet. He began rounding the corner when his eyes where the voice had come from. 

You just moved into the older apartment complex after your job transferred you to the newest branch where you now have the role of lead executive manager. Finding your way around the big new city was easy, however finding a coffee shop that makes a matcha latte just how you liked it… Difficult. Your search for a good coffee shop began as soon as you landed. Coffee shop-hopping, that’s what your best friend on the phone said when you told her your troubles. 

Making eye contact with your new neighbor, you whispered to your best friend who was on the other line about calling her back later. 

“Hey” Sangyeon waved 

“Oh hey! I’m your new neighbor I guess” You waved back 

“I’m Sangyeon! Welcome to the neighborhood!” 

“Y/n, thanks”

That was it, that was the only interaction Sangyeon had with you. Oddly enough this short interaction fueled his desire to make you his best matcha latte… Erm, well after he learned how to make them. 

001. 

“Wait, so there's two grades of matcha?” He thought out loud, there are two grades of matcha, ceremonial grade matcha and culinary grade matcha. 

“Ceremonial grade matcha is used in Japanese tea ceremonies and culinary grade matcha is used for coffee and baking” Sangyeon jotted down in his notebook. The poor boy had 10 different tabs opened on his laptop. 

“Alright, so next step is to buy some matcha” 

The next following days Sangyeon spent researching the best tea houses to visit and inquired about their matcha tea powders. After hours of research, Sangyeon settled on ‘Lucid Dream Tea House’  , the city's most highly rated tea house. Upon arrival, he noticed the delicately decorated interior. High ceilings with floor to ceiling windows, brick walls, dainty fairy lights and wooden countertops with mismatched wooden stools. 

“Hi, welcome to Lucid Dream Tea House! How can I help you?” The kind barista greeted him. 

“Hey, thanks! I was actually looking for some matcha powder, do you sell that here?”

“We do indeed, would you want to try some?”

Sangyeon nodded as the barista walked over to the bar and prepared a matcha flight. The barista began by soaking the matcha whisk while sifting some matcha powder into 3 different cups. The barista then poured a small amount of hot water into each cup before one by one whisking. 

“Alrighty, so the first cup here is called the Matcha Sunrise which has a base of our culinary grade matcha from Shizuoka prefecture with milk and a fresh mango puree” The barista explained while handing the cup over to Sangyeon. The latte has a slight bitterness from the matcha that is cut with the tartness of the mango puree. 

“Next, we have just our classic Matcha Latte sweetened with a simple syrup infused with vanilla bean from Madagascar” The barista explained, the latte was a perfect balance of sweet and bitter. Sangyeon nodded, pointing out the unique flavor of the vanilla bean. 

“These are delicious! Before I get to the last one, I would love to buy some matcha powder to make some lattes at home” 

“That’s really great to hear! I’ll make sure to send you home with our signature matcha powder” The barista smiled. 

“Okay, our last and final latte is a bit of an experiment for us I would admit, so it doesn’t quite have a name yet. This latte is again our signature matcha powder with milk and a sweetened black sesame paste” The latte was delicious and had a slight nutty flavor from the sesame paste. 

Sangyeon sat at the bar contemplating which latte he wanted to recreate and after some deep thought, he decided to start with the classic latte. It required very minimal ingredients and was rather simple. Once he mastered that, he could move onto more complex drinks. Meanwhile the barista went to wash the cups and retrieve a can of matcha powder for Sangyeon to purchase. 

After the barista returned with the matcha, Sangyeon stood up to follow the barista to the register. “Have you decided which latte you’d like to recreate?” The barista gently questioned. 

“Yes, I actually have! I want to start with something simple, so the classic matcha latte you made seemed perfect!” 

“Oh wonderful! Just a quick tip though, as you are just starting out, you don’t actually need to buy madagascar vanilla. It’s actually quite expensive, so just a simple vanilla extract from the supermarket will do the trick” 

“Thank you” Sangyeon bowed as he finished paying. 

002. 

“Okay so, first step is to soak the matcha whisk in hot water, done. Next heat up some milk in the milk frother, done” Sangyeon spoke to himself while he prepared the vanilla infused simple syrup. Taking the barista's advice, he went for the cheaper vanilla extract. The simple syrup was just equal parts water to sugar with a splash of vanilla. 

“Now we take out the whisk and sift some matcha into a bowl” He began taking a mini scoop of the matcha and delicately sifted it into a small bowl and poured some hot water over and began whisking. 

“Last step, pour the frothy milk into a cup with a bit of simple syrup and then pour the matcha on top” 

Before rewarding himself with his hard work, Sangyeon began cleaning his work station. Cleaning up his little mess from the milk splatters on the counter top and a mini matcha explosion from accidently sneezing when he sniffed the matcha. 

“Let’s hope this tastes good” Sangyeon said to himself before going in to take a sip. His face contorted, bitter. Too bitter. 

003. 

“The cup I made last time was way too bitter,” Sangyeon noted as he began researching on his laptop. Apparently the bitterness was due to the water being too hot, the matcha was required to be heated at a certain temperature. 

Taking what he learned from many failed attempts, he went back to the kitchen to heat up some milk in the frother once again before lowering the temperature for the boiled water. This time, he made sure not to sneeze again because this matcha powder isn’t cheap… 

Using the leftover vanilla simple syrup, he mixed the matcha and gave it a quick taste…. 

004. 

While practicing his matcha latte making skills, Sangyeon made an effort to pay attention to when you left for the office every morning. 7:30 am, that was the time you always left which meant he would have to wake up at least an hour before to prepare everything. Honestly waking up at 6:30 wasn’t too bad considering he used to wake up earlier for his previous job. Now that he worked a less strenuous job that didn’t require him to be at the office until 10 am meant he had ample time. 

The next morning, Sangyeon woke up 15 minutes before his alarm that was set at 6:30. He was so excited to surprise you that he rushed to get ready. Once he entered his kitchen, he began laying out his tools. Milk frother, matcha whisk, sifter, cups, milk, matcha powder and the second batch of vanilla simple syrup he made the night before. 

Pouring the milk into the frother and soaking the matcha whisk, Sangyeon began placing a small heaping scoop of matcha and sifted the matcha into the small cup below. He poured over some hot water and took the whisk from the water and started to gently whisk while the milk was heating up. After the matcha was slightly foamy, he poured a bit of the simple syrup into another tall glass cup before pouring in the frothed milk. He then took the matcha he whisked and poured it over the milk with the back of a spoon to not splash the matcha. 

Sangyeon checked the time “7:15” it read, meaning he had 15 minutes before you left to drop the latte off at your door. Quickly, he jotted down a short note on the back of an old receipt and headed to your door. Calming down his breathing, he placed the drink onto your door mat leaving the note next to it and knocked on your door. He sprinted back to his apartment, watching through the peephole he saw your face light up with a smile. Seeing your eyes light up taking a sip made him smile. 

005.

“I’m telling you! Someone in my building keeps dropping off these amazing matcha lattes for me! I don’t know who it is” You spoke on the phone, you had just left the apartment complex before hopping onto the train with said latte in hand. The note attached to the latte read “Hope you’ve been enjoying these lattes! They’re so matcha fun to make” You smiled, shoving the note into your pocket. 

From the other side of the door sat Sangyeon on the floor giddy with excitement. Now that he knows you’re enjoying his lattes, the next step was to upgrade the notes. He had been scribbling notes onto old receipts and he knew that you deserved better. Sangyeon turned to get ready and headed out to the nearest stationary store. There, he picked up some memo pads and nice pens. He picked up a variety pack of fruit memo pads and a pack of nice gel pens. 

The next morning, Sangyeon woke up a little later than usual, 6:45 am which meant he only had half an hour to prepare everything. Sangyeon quickly got ready and rushed into the kitchen to soak the matcha whisk while heating up some water. Surprisingly, everything went well considering the limited time. As soon as he finished garnishing the latte with some matcha powder, he took a memo sheet from the stack he bought yesterday and jotted down a quick note. 

“Have a great day ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ ” the note read, however little did he know, you were behind the door leaving a few minutes early. Your boss had to call out suddenly which left you with more work than you could manage. As soon as you opened your door, you were met with Sangyeon. His eyes slowly widened as he realized the situation. 

He abruptly shoved the latte (with a lid of course) into your hand and quickly turned around with the note dropping from his hands. He was caught. Sangyeon was surprised when you knocked on his door with a sheepish smile. 

“H-hey neighbor” You began holding tightly onto the cup so as to not drop it from nervousness. 

“Hi, I’m sorry if you thought someone else was making you lattes” Sangyeon sighed, not looking into your eyes. 

“Oh, no, these are delicious! I was wondering who made these, so I’m really glad I found out it was you” 

“Really? I’m glad you like them! I can always stop if you want, I didn’t want to overstep your boundaries”

You smiled, your neighbor was this shy, incredibly talented and handsome man, yet he was quite modest which made him all the more adorable. You stood there smiling at him, but it was your turn to be shocked as the time passed. 

“Shoot, I’m so sorry, I really need to leave now. Gosh, work got really busy. Will I see you later?” You hurriedly sputtered out as you headed towards the stairs, turning to hear his response. 

“Yeah, no worries! Get to work safely” 

006. 

It slowly became a tradition that Sangyeon would make you a custom matcha latte every morning adorned with latte art and a sprinkle of matcha. You woke up every morning expecting cute latte art and honestly, you were never disappointed. The notes slowly became sweeter until one day the words scribbled shocked you. 

“Meet me at Lucid Dream Tea House tonight at 6, I want to ask you something” the note read, your heart began beating outside of your chest. Did your neighbor just as you out? Unfortunately for you, work came first, so you sat through a long meeting… Which could have been an email that dragged on longer than expected. However, luckily for you, the tea house was just a block down from your office. 

Once you arrived, your eyes met. It was Sangyeon, he sat at the table near the large windows with what looks like another latte? He looked handsome with his hair slicked back, he was dressed casually in a sweatshirt and jeans. It was a simple look, but something about it made your heart tingle. Maybe it was the specs or the hair? Or maybe it was him. 

“You’re here” Sangyeon beamed, his smile was gorgeous, almost as gorgeous as his face. 

“I am, thank you for inviting me”

“It’s no problem, I actually brought you here so I could as you something”

“S-sure” You shifted uncomfortably in your chair, the worry in your eyes evident as your lips pressed into a thin line.

“Well, now that you know it was me making you these lattes” he gestures to the latte in your hand 

“I– I uh, well, I was uh” Sangyeon struggled to get a coherent sentence out as he cleared his throat.

“Wou– would you like to go out sometime?” 

“M– me?” You pointed to yourself, the shock was evident in your face as you sat back in your seat. 

“You seem shocked, did I say something wrong? I didn’t make you uncomfortable, did I?”

“No, not at all! You just took me off guard, I wasn’t expecting you to return the feelings. That’s all” 

It was his turn to be shocked, it completely shook his world that his neighbor, the one he’s been making lattes for actually returned his feelings? The endless trips to various tea houses, the hours of research and many failed lattes made it all worth it. You were worth it. 

“We’re the perfect matcha, don’t you think?” You giggled at your own pun. 

“Absolutely” Sangyeon smiled, he reached across the table to take your hand in his.