From bubble tea to Starbucks, refreshers to iced coffees, the Clivner=Field Plaza at Baruch College flows abundantly with beverages from nearby shops. Matcha is no different and may be the most convenient.
Situated in the plaza between Jimmy’s House and Dog & Bone is MuCha, a small matcha shop. Last year, Drink More Matcha occupied the space, but after less than a year, MuCha is in.
Drink More Matcha was owned by Max Qiu, who also runs a family business in Shanghai, China. Qiu stepped away from the matcha shop to focus on his other businesses.
This left the small shop in search of a new business to take over.
Rather than changing to something new, Andy Mu opened MuCha and continued serving matcha to the many Baruch students searching for the energy to get them through the school day.
The shop’s name, MuCha, stems from a combination of the owner’s surname, Mu, and “Cha,” which means “tea” in Mandarin. When translated, MuCha means “Mu’s Tea” and doubles as a play on words for matcha.
This is Mu’s first venture into the small business universe. Before opening the shop, Mu worked a corporate job but felt she was not given the chance to be creative. Mu said she “saw this as a creative outlet” and an opportunity she could not pass up.
“I can take this where I want it to go and create something of my own,” Mu said. She could “be her own boss.”
When MuCha opened in late May, Mu, 24, was new to life as a business owner. She did not know what to expect but was eager to embrace the unexpected and take the leap. Mu said that Qiu was “very helpful” in getting MuCha off the ground and connecting her with his matcha supplier. She wanted to use the same high-grade, traditional matcha from Kyoto, Japan.
Mu’s supplier has a distinct business model in that it processes the matcha made-to-order. Once Mu places an order for the tea, only then is it harvested, ground and packaged. “It’s not coming off of a shelf,” Mu said, where it may have been sitting for some time—it comes fresh.
MuCha has elevated what Drink More Matcha offered. Mu has prioritized providing seasonal beverages, “because the old owner didn’t,” adding that it’s “fun for us to experiment.”
In the summer, MuCha offered a special watermelon matcha. This fall, the matcha drink shop is highlighting a pumpkin spice matcha and a chai matcha. As the cold weather nears, matcha lovers can expect to find many winter-inspired beverages. “Everyone wants to try new drinks,” Mu said, regarding her eccentric spins on matcha like the popular strawberry and banana matcha made with fresh fruit. MuCha also offers a twist on shaved ice: shaved tea, which is made using traditional Chinese jasmine tea for the base and topping it with fruit, ice cream or homemade red beans.
MuCha also offers over 20 variations of matcha drinks, but Mu loves “when people come and try to make their own drink.” Many customers come with interesting requests, which MuCha is ready to fulfill.
Students are busy, and Mu understands this. She “wanted to find ways to make it efficient” for students to refuel and implemented an online ordering service. “I know students only have a set amount of time for lunch, and if you’re going to have to wait 20 minutes for a drink, you’re not going to do that,” she said.
Mu has classified MuCha in its “lab coat era,” saying that she is excited for the future. MuCha is gaining attraction among Baruch students and the surrounding Kips Bay neighborhood. MuCha is young, but Mu has big aspirations for her small shop.
