TACOMA, Wash. — At Jin Jin Matcha, a new downtown Tacoma tea house, customers often come through the door in waves. They are fans of matcha green tea, made with the entire green leaf and prepared with as much as ceremony as time permits.
"We use ceremonial grade matcha," Sarah Oh said. "Every drink is hand whisked to order. We measure out all of our tea so it is the exact weight that it should be for serving and we also keep an eye out on temperature so the consistency in flavor is the same throughout every drink."
Owners Oh and Ryan McGowan have only lived in Tacoma for two and a half years, but they've adopted their new hometown with gusto.
"Tacoma is just a really amazing tight-knit community," said Oh.
First the husband and wife duo opened Sunny's on Antique Row. It's a plant and design shop featuring Hasami porcelain, DS & Durga fragrances and lots of lush greenery.
"We have a large variety of indoor tropical house plants, some collector tropical stuff, and a lot of different, unique cacti and arid plants, in addition to the unique houseware and goods," McGowan said.
Sunny's is named for Oh's mom.
"I am a super proud daughter of immigrant parents and I was raised in a dry cleaners, called Sunny's after my mother, that was in Lynnwood," Oh said.
Jin Jin is the nickname Oh's mother gave her father.
"It's a really great honor and privilege for me to honor my parents that way," she said.
At Jin Jin, Oh and McGowan offer a calm space for friends to gather. There's no Wi-Fi here, because the couple want customers to interact with each other or curl up with a book.
"I'm super proud to live here and be a part of this community," Oh said. " So having a space where people can come and enjoy it with me is really important.
Jin Jin Matcha is located at 1019 Pacific Ave, Tacoma, WA 98402. They're open seven days a week.
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