Maru CHA CHA Matcha Green Tea Biscuits Are Now on Sale in the U.S.

Maru CHA CHA Matcha Green Tea Biscuits (Plus trifle recipe)
Credit: Malebranche

Earlier this week, I was transported to Kyoto, Japan for a couple of hours. Although Japan is on my husband Reggie’s “travel bucket list”, I didn’t actually visit. Rather, a bit of Japan came to me as I attended an event at the Whitney Museum of American Art’s Studio Café. The gathering was hosted by Malebranche, a Japanese confectionery company, to celebrate the U.S. launch of their new Maru CHA CHA matcha green tea biscuits.

The View from the Whitney Museum
The View

I attended the event with my friend Yemisi, because (as a Nigerian cook) she appreciates how cultures affect various foods. This truth was evident throughout the night that was filled with Japanese cultural experiences. Satoshi Isohata, a spokesperson for Malebranche, shared about the importance of matcha in his Japanese culture. Then, James Beard Award-Winning Chef Michael Anthony shared a couple of stories about his experiences with matcha ceremonies in Japan during the time that he worked there.  I really enjoyed the Maru CHA CHA Trifle that Mr. Anthony created. It was a smart way to incorporate the biscuits into a dish. Although I’m not really a green tea drinker, I loved the texture and sweetness of the green tea biscuits. You can find the recipe for the Maru CHA CHA Trifle below:

Maru CHA CHA trifle - Created by Chef Michael Anthony James Beard Award-Winning Chef

After eating the dessert, we watched an Ikebana, a Japanese flower arrangement performance, and enjoyed listening to a live jazz music performance.

Ikebana/Japanese floral arrangement
Ikebana

Live jazz music at the Whitney

We definitely walked away with a greater appreciation of Japanese culture and I think that the Maru CHA CHA biscuits, which combine native Kyoto heritage with French confectionery techniques, will definitely find a place in the U.S. market. Personally, I think that the texture and sweetness of the thin cookies make them great to eat alone or to go along with coffee or tea. They are also a relatively healthy, gluten-free snack. The main ingredients are antioxidant and amino acid L-theanine rich matcha (a thick variation of powdered green tea), rice flour, sesame oil and cocoa butter. In the United States, Maru CHA CHA cookies will be available for purchase in specialty stores, including Dean & DeLuca stores in November.