Asha Matcha Tea House: Hand-Whisked Lattes, Closed Sundays

Asha Tea House, at 17 Kearny Street a few steps from Market and Geary, is a downtown matcha tea house that whisks every matcha drink by hand. It opens at 10 am Monday through Friday and 10:30 am on Saturday, closes at 6:30 pm, and stays dark on Sunday. The Matcha Latte starts at $6.50, built on a double shot of ceremonial grade matcha poured over whole milk.

Asha began in Berkeley in July 2012, when owners David and Diana Lau, both engineers who loved tea, opened a shop near the UC campus that still operates at 2086 University Avenue. The company describes itself as a source of responsibly sourced whole leaf tea and house-made ingredients, and it says it works directly with producers in China, India, Japan and Taiwan rather than buying through blenders.

The tin of Select Grade matcha sold at the counter carries Asha's own claim that its layered matcha latte, launched in 2012, kick-started a local matcha craze. That green float over white milk became the drink people photographed long before most cafes stocked matcha. The Kearny Street shop brought the same menu across the bay, and it now draws office workers from the towers on Market and Montgomery.

The plainest way in is Pure Matcha, from $5.00, described by Asha as select grade matcha whisked to order with water and nothing else. The Matcha Latte, from $6.50, is lightly sweetened, and an extra matcha shot adds $0.75 when the milk mutes it too much. Oat or almond milk costs $0.50 more. Order the latte iced and leave it unstirred for a moment to see the layer.

Two drinks show off the tea without milk. Matcha Fresco, from $6.00, shakes the matcha with an organic Misty Peak green tea until it foams, and it tastes grassy and bright. The Matcha Sparkler, also from $6.00, serves hand-whisked matcha over sparkling water, unsweetened unless you add a flavor. On a warm downtown afternoon, the Sparkler is the order that keeps the tea honest.

Fruit versions are the splurge. The Strawberry Matcha Latte and the Asian Pear Matcha Latte, made with Hosui pear purée, both start at $8.00. They are pleasant, though the fruit does most of the talking, and a first visit is better spent on the plain latte. Hojicha drinkers get a roasted, low-caffeine Hojicha Latte from $6.00; Asha notes that hot versions currently use hojicha powder while it sorts out supply with its farm.

A practical rule for groups: order one plain latte and one fruit or sparkling drink, and pass them around. The layered latte loses its look within a minute of stirring, so photograph it at the counter before carrying it out. Ask for less sweetness if you prefer a bitter edge; the base latte is only lightly sweetened, and the pure version has no sugar at all.

Asha is precise about origin on its retail tins. The Select Grade matcha comes from Aichi Prefecture, shade-grown, hand-harvested and ground slowly on granite mills; a 30-gram tin makes about 15 servings. The pricier Imperial Ujihikari grade comes from the Shirakawa area of Uji, and the shop says its cost for Uji matcha has risen by more than 400 percent, which explains why that tin sells as a special purchase.

Customers who want to take the ritual home can buy those tins at the counter alongside loose leaf oolongs and black teas. Staff will explain the difference between grades if the line is short. For a pairing that is not a drink, the Hojicha Soft Serve, from $7.00, blends Straus organic vanilla with Asha's hojicha and can be twisted with ceremonial matcha soft serve.

The room is narrow. The Infatuation counted a handful of small tables and a small bar, which usually has a couple of free seats outside the lunch peak. Between noon and 1:30 pm on weekdays, the line fills with workers from the surrounding offices. Arrive near the 10 am opening or after 3 pm if you want to sit, or come Saturday, when downtown is quieter.

The Kearny Street room suits a short stop more than a long stay. With so few seats, the bar turns over quickly and nobody expects a table for an hour. Skip Asha if you want a laptop session or a formal tea ceremony; it is a quick, carefully made cup in the middle of downtown, and that is its strength. For a longer sit, carry the drink to the benches at Union Square instead.

Online ordering through Asha's Square site lets you schedule pickup from 10:15 am on weekdays and 10:45 am on Saturday, with about 15 minutes of prep. The curb outside is a loading zone at all hours, so drivers are asked to call and have the order carried out rather than park. Delivery runs through DoorDash, though a layered latte arrives stirred whether you like it or not.

Lotta's Fountain stands at the junction of Market, Kearny and Geary, almost at Asha's door. The cast-iron column was donated in 1875 by entertainer Lotta Crabtree and served as a meeting point after the 1906 earthquake. From there, walk north on Kearny for about five blocks to Bush Street, then cut one block west to Grant Avenue for the Dragon Gate, dedicated in 1970 as Chinatown's entrance.

Grant Avenue then runs uphill through Chinatown's shops, a slow stroll with a cup in hand. If you prefer staying downtown, Union Square is two blocks west along Geary, with benches and the Saturday crowd. Montgomery Station on BART and Muni sits right on Market, so Asha works as a first or last stop when arriving by train from the East Bay or the airport.

Asha Tea House San Francisco: 17 Kearny Street, San Francisco, CA 94108. Hours: Monday to Friday 10 am to 6:30 pm, Saturday 10:30 am to 6:30 pm, closed Sunday. Prices above are the starting prices on Asha's Square ordering menu in October 2026. Use the Karpo APP to add a Chinatown or Union Square stop after tea.