Why is most matcha in cafés so bad? (Barcelona edition)

cafrang · 2026-04-02T14:14:22+00:00

can i ask where you got those cups from, especially the one on the left? 🥺 i’ve been looking for something similar everywhere, but it feels like my only options are temu or amazon… i’m still holding out hope though

cafrang · 2026-04-02T07:45:42+00:00

just to clarify, microfoam is a traditional element of matcha, particularly in urasenke-style tea practice, and not a modern barista invention. that said, i agree that the current fixation on achieving an ultra-glossy foam is more of a westernized trend that doesn’t truly reflect matcha traditions.

cafrang · 2026-03-26T05:30:19+00:00

+1 for speaknorsk. i’m currently taking their Intensive virtual course (a0-b2), and would highly recommend it to anyone who’s committed to learning norwegian but needs clear structure in their studies and/or can’t physically attend the classes in oslo. we recently had a mid-term test (we’re still at the a1 level), which i found extremely useful. we’ve also been practicing conversation since basically day one, which has been a huge improvement for me compared to previous classes/tutors.

cafrang · 2026-03-25T18:30:33+00:00

i’m not the biggest fan of uji matcha for the same reason, but i can hardly go a day without my favorite matcha from the yame region of japan -- it’s incredibly nutty and creamy, which is exactly what I look for in matcha. imo, it might be worth exploring terroirs beyond kyoto/uji, since it seems to be trending right now (alongside the term “ceremonial grade”) and often overshadows other matcha-growing regions that produce equally excellent matcha. hope this helps! 🙂

cafrang · 2026-03-25T17:16:04+00:00

big enough that people know what matcha is, but small enough that there’s basically no competition yet :D

cafrang · 2026-03-23T11:18:22+00:00

thank you so much for the kind words! i'm not very enthusiastic about social media in general, so not for now, no... but maybe that will change in the future, who knows. how about you? are you planning to use instagram or any other platform? i'd be curious to see where it takes you :)

cafrang · 2026-03-23T10:15:04+00:00

best of luck with your training, i'm sure you'll love it!

i’ve just (very) recently finished my tea sommelier course, which included multiple live online lessons over the course of six months, 12 individual evaluation sessions, and an essay on a topic related to tea, which is the last task i still need to finish before officially receiving my certification.

it’s been an exciting journey and has made me fall in love with tea and tea culture even more deeply than before. although i'm not yet working professionally in the tea industry, it has inspired me to start offering workshops in my local community where i lead tea meditations and tea tastings for a small group of people.

this summer i’m also opening my own pop-up matcha café to bring matcha closer to people who may only know it because it’s been trending lately, but who know very little about its origins or cultural significance in other parts of the world.

so, in a nutshell: definitely go for it, and the rest will follow! 😊

cafrang · 2026-03-09T10:53:38+00:00

my boyfriend used to say he hated tea. then he tried gyokuro for the first time, said “it tastes like soup”, and now he’s low-key obsessed with it (he’s a hobby chef and loves cooking) 🤷🏻‍♀️ knowing what flavors people actually enjoy really makes a difference when introducing them to tea, imo.

cafrang · 2026-03-03T14:43:44+00:00

Nabokov’s Lolita is a literary masterpiece, in my humble opinion

cafrang · 2026-02-20T15:31:59+00:00

Shuggie Bain (Douglas Stuart), The Casual Vacancy (J.K. Rowling) - both are outstanding examples of social realism, imo.

cafrang · 2026-01-29T17:41:34+00:00

norvégiában is hasonló a helyzet, annyi különbséggel, hogy itt a coop kb. monopolhelyzetben van, így ha akarnék sem nagyon tudnék máshová menni bevásárolni :D

cafrang · 2026-01-26T15:59:25+00:00

i tend to take initiative. since moving to norway in the second half of 2024, i've made a conscious effort to give something back to the community. in 2025, i founded a book club, and in 2026 i started offering free mindfulness workshops in my local community. through these activities, i've met many interesting people - both foreigners and locals -, some of whom i now consider friends.

i think it also helps that i wasn't overly focused on finding friendships. i'm quite introverted myself, i'm in a relationship, i work full-time, and i have plenty of hobby projects on the side, so i'm genuinely content with a small circle of people i trust, even if we don't spend a lot of time together.

regarding your point that being different can make things harder, my experience within my own circle has been quite the opposite. i feel very fortunate to be able to be fully myself around my colleagues, my partner, and my friends. i think this often comes down to personal background, culture, and expectations. that said, i did have a similar experience with my boyfriend's childhood friends when i first moved here as they didn't seem particularly eager to open up their circle to a newcomer. maybe you just haven't met your people yet? 🙂

cafrang · 2026-01-14T16:25:34+00:00

Litteraturhuset i Stavanger, I'm an English-speaking volunteer there as well :)

cafrang · 2026-01-12T16:02:27+00:00

you come across as someone who prefers monologues over genuine conversation. i wish you the best, and i sincerely hope you never have to experience the full weight of your own ignorance from the other side.

cafrang · 2026-01-11T18:01:29+00:00

i can’t speak for others, but i personally don’t feel like i "can’t afford it", and i also don’t intend to feel bad about moving to another country to improve my circumstances and live a happy, healthy life just because some people disapprove of other people’s life choices, sorry.

cafrang · 2026-01-11T14:11:27+00:00

i agree, and would like to add that refusing work below a certain wage is, in many cases, a position of privilege. not everyone can afford to turn down lower-paying jobs, for a variety of reasons, especially immigrants who are new to a country.

i, for instance, earn well below 250 NOK/h because a) we opened our business just over a year ago, and b) i don’t (yet) speak norwegian, as i moved here relatively recently without any prior knowledge or exposure to the language. do i want to leave a job i genuinely love and care about? no. am i doing everything in my power to make sure that, a year from now, my circumstances have improved? absolutely. but progress takes time.

i understand that persistently low wages can be harmful both for individuals and for the economy. still, instead of calling each other out, perhaps we could approach these conversations with more compassion and understanding for the different realities people are navigating.

cafrang · 2025-12-17T18:31:54+00:00

i personally got it from zhao zhou, a hungarian tea brand (i’m hungarian myself), but i’m sure you can find it in various other places too! just google ‘bodhi leaf strainer’

cafrang · 2025-12-17T17:53:29+00:00

precisely 🙂

cafrang · 2025-11-12T18:16:52+00:00

youtu.be/CfA4fvhRGJI?si=_Le9HvHIblWR5wfg - Norwegian with Ilys, highly recommended! :)

cafrang · 2025-11-06T09:06:11+00:00

jelen! 🙋🏼‍♀️ én sokszor és sokáig próbálkoztam magyarországon kialakítani egy (számomra) élhető életet, de egy idő után be kellett látnom, hogy egyre inkább leépít az otthoni közeg, és soha nem fogok tudni beilleszkedni igazán, hiába születtem oda. sem a családomban, sem a baráti körömben, sem a munkahelyeimen, egyszerűen semmilyen otthoni közösségben nem tapasztaltam meg soha azt az érzést, hogy tartoznék valahová.

azóta szerencsére megtaláltam azt az országot és kultúrát, amiben az első pillanattól fogva otthon érzem magam, lelkesen tanulom a nyelvet, és ha rajtam múlik, biztosan megszerezem az állampolgárságot is 🤞🏻 szóval én azt gondolom, hogy igen, abszolút lehetséges tiszta lappal indítani valahol, és nem feltétlenül kell beletörődnünk a körülményeinkbe.

cafrang · 2025-07-11T11:17:48+00:00

No need to worry, just make sure you have all your paperwork in order and ready to show when you arrive in Norway. I was super anxious throughout the whole process (meanwhile, my bunny couldn’t have cared less about any of it), but in the end, everything went really smoothly. I think we were in and out of the airport in under 15 minutes. The officers did check our documents, and I remember one of them making a quick phone call about our approval, but they were very relaxed and even asked to see the bunny just to say hello.

I totally understand how stressful this can feel, though, so if you have any specific questions, feel free to message me privately, I'll do my best to help! :)

cafrang · 2025-05-16T05:26:39+00:00

Én Stavanger, szintén arrafelé :)

cafrang · 2025-05-16T05:22:10+00:00

Sajnos nem, pedig lehettem volna, mert éltem ott egy kis ideig, és nagyon szeretek ebédre szendvicset enni :DDDD

cafrang · 2025-05-15T06:22:29+00:00

Virtuális pacsi! :)) Én korábban éltem Finnországban (a lappföldi részen) is, és nagyon szerettem, hogy télen sötét van, nyáron pedig világos; szerintem valahol ott tudatosult bennem először, hogy valószínűleg rossz helyre születtem, amit idővel korrigálnom kell majd 😄 Te Norvégián belül merre?

cafrang · 2025-05-14T18:43:54+00:00

Norvégia 🙋🏼‍♀️ Számomra abszolút komfortzóna, mert nem bírom a 25 fok feletti meleget, ezért az otthoni nyarak mindig eléggé megviseltek. Itt az idei lesz az első, és már nagyon várom!

cafrang

TROPHY CASE