Hug the Tea!
We are Claire & Lisa, the founders of HUG THE TEA established in 2015. Adoring and crazy about Matcha, Japanese teas, pure and delicious food, minimalistic interior and entrepreneurship brought us to the point to start this business, specialized in Matcha. An organic and pure tea brand has been born: HUG THE TEA.
OUR PHILOSOPHY
‘the purest or nothing’
Matcha and tea of HUG THE TEA is 100% organic and pure, without any additives.
HUG THE TEA imports tea directly from Japan. Only the youngest and best leaves are picked from the areas Uji, Kagoshima and Miyazaki in the south and Shizuoka, a prefecture southwest of Tokyo. Matcha of HUG THE TEA is also rich in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, such as EGCg, L-theanin and vitamin C.
HUG THE TEA wants to share the philosophy ‘the purest or nothing’ with matcha-lovers worldwide. It is about offering and presenting genuine tea and matcha, without all kinds of added flavors and sugars. This superior matcha and tea gives your body a sustainable energy-boost and a positive mind!
STORE & BAR
Our store & bar is located in the historic heart of The Hague. Here you can discover and shop our own tea brand HUG THE TEA, along with a curated selection of Japanese teaware and accessories for matcha and tea, including complete matcha sets.
In our bar, we serve a wide range of matcha drinks such as the Matcha Teashot and Matcha Latte, as well as matcha-inspired pastries including macarons, cheesecake, and mochi. We also offer freshly made onigiri.
You are also welcome to enjoy a delicious and healthy brunch, lunch, or high tea with us. Take a look at our menu here!
WORKSHOPS & TASTINGS
In our Matcha Bar, we regularly offer high teas with a variety of matcha, tea, sweets, and toast. We also host regular matcha demos and workshops, where you will learn how to prepare matcha and matcha lattes yourself, and of course enjoy what you make together with pastries.
In addition, we organize tea tastings, where a selection of Japanese teas (including matcha) is served alongside matching bites. This is also known as “tea pairing.”
Please check out our Instagram or our ticket page for more information and updates.
JAPAN
Since 2015, we have been importing our organic teas directly from Japan. Our teas come from renowned regions such as Shizuoka, Uji, Miyazaki, and Kagoshima. Only the finest and youngest tea leaves are carefully harvested by Japanese tea farmers during the spring season.
We transport our teas by sea in large vacuum-sealed bags to preserve freshness and quality. In our own facility, we carefully package the tea into small and larger formats (50 g – 1 kg) for our store and webshop, as well as for horeca (restaurants, hotels, etc.), retail, BIO supermarkets, and other partners.
As certified tea packers, every tea package is filled and packed with great care and attention in our tea warehouse, ensuring the highest quality at every step.
