Image via Complex Original
Patrick Judabong - photographer, DJ, and founder of the Fat Bastard Crew, known to the world as Buddhabong. He has traveled the world in search of stunning images, great beats, and the best eats. Currently, you can catch him getting fat in and around New York City.
Originating in China, green tea has infiltrated America, not only via the warm beverage, but in the form of delicious desserts. With any great tasting dessert comes variation—I've encountered green tea flavors in many mediums, from cake to cookies to croissants. My search for green tea desserts in New York has led me to these great eats.
Panya
Address: 8 Stuyvesant St.
Website: n/a
Green Tea Tiramisu
If you're looking for a stronger green tea flavor, this tiramisu is for you. With a green tea jelly coating, red bean topping, and a sweet center, the tiramisu is anchored by a buttery sponge cake.
Green Tea Custard Cookie
This cookie should really be called Green Tea Bread. As you poke through the outer shell, you'll find a center full of creamy, semi-sweet green tea custard. Enveloping the top is a layer of sugary green tea crust.
Green Tea Macaroon
The macaroon is sweet, bite-sized, and chewy. The inside is pure chocolate. The outside is dotted with black sesame. It's the perfect combination for lovers of chocolate and green tea.
Cafe Zaiya
Address: 69 Cooper Square
Website: zaiyany.com
Green Tea Steamed Bun
This bun is more like a muffin. At first bite, the pastry is dense and the flavor strong. Eat your way to the middle and you get a surprise: red bean filling. A great mid-morning snack.
Green Tea Cake
The cake is sweeter and fluffier than the bun, and with an even stronger green tea flavor, especially along the top gelatin. The spongy layers melts in your mouth. The garnish crumbles with the slightest touch, making for a great companion to the cake.
Minamoto Kitchoan Bakery
Address: 608 5th Ave.
Website: kitchoan.com
Shirogasane (Pancake)
This pancake dessert has a soft and pasty green tea filling. The pancake that sandwiches the filling is moist, but has a distinct starchy texture.
Kusamochi (Rice Cake)
This cold rice cake is chewy and gummy. The sweetness is mild, and the portion is small, making the red bean center stand out even more. Refreshing and filling.
Chasenkyo (Bean Jelly)
If you're into robust and sweet green tea desserts, you're ready for this jelly. The outside is hard and dense, but smooth to the touch with red bean chunks spread throughout the gelatin.
Sponge Cake
This cake is soft, with the texture of a buttery pound cake, and has a mild matcha taste. Perfect for morning breakfast paired with tea or coffee.
Kyotofu
Address: 705 9th Ave.
Website: shopkyotofu.com
Green Tea Crème Brûlée
The crunchy caramelized top comes apart under the tip of your spoon, revealing the cold green tea flan beneath: creamy and perfectly sweet. The pear ginger sorbet complements the crème brûlée with a refreshing kick.
Warm Mochi Chocolate Cake
Very rich and savory, this dessert has a multiplicity of tastes. A mochi surprise in the middle makes the cake deliciously complex. Of course, the green tea white chocolate mouse coating and the kinako tuile and hazelnut don't hurt either.
Greet Tea Cookies
The cookies are small, chewy, and have just the right amount of sweetness. Think of a gingerbread cookie but with a green tea aftertaste.
Takahachi Bakery
Address: 25 Murray St.
Website: n/a
Green Tea Koshi-an Croissant
This croissant has green tea flavor infused into the dough, making for a subtle flavor profile. Still, if you like buttery croissants, you won't be disappointed. The flower-shaped pastry is topped with toasted sesame seeds and contains a red bean paste inside each petal. Perfect while reading the morning paper.
Green Tea Custard Croissant
This fluffy and creamy gem has a green tea mousse filling bursting with flavor. The green tea powder on top adds a slight, complementary bitterness.
Green Tea Crème Brûlée
The crème brûlée is velvety, especially since it's served warm. The caramelization is perfect because it's heated right before serving.
Lady M Confections
Address: 41 East 78th St.
Website: ladym.com
Green Tea Crepe Cake / Green Tea Cake
The creamy and buttery layers of the famous green tea crepe is not to be missed. Thin layers of green tea mousse hide between each crepe. Sure, there's the green tea cake if you prefer a lighter, less filling desert, but don’t sleep on the crepe. Better yet, get both and you can be the judge. #fatbastardcrew
Sunrise Mart
Address: 4 Stuyvesant St.
Website: n/a
Look - Macha Mousse Chocolate
This tiny snack just looks fancy. The smooth surrounding chocolate overpowers the taste of green tea. The center is loaded with mild green tea filling. If you're looking for a balance of chocolate and green, look no further.
Quattro – Green Tea Chocolate Cracker
This dessert snack is great for cleansing the palate post-dinner. The top layer is a potent green tea spread coating the next layer of chocolate, all atop a butter-bread cracker.
Sanritsu – Green Tea Cookie
This green tea cookie is buttery and mild. Think of a shortbread infused with green tea.
Maison De Kukkia – Green Tea Cookie
One word: heavenly. This cookie is like no other: creamy on the inside, thanks to the green taste paste, and supremely delicate outside. Look for the distinct branding: Masion De Kukkia. #Trust
Cha-An
Address: 230 East 9th St.
Website: chaanteahouse.com
Green Tea Roll Cake with Sake Ice Cream
Heavenly goodness from the first bite, this roll cake and sake combo is next-level delicious. The fluffy sponge cake is light and soft, and the green tea mousse at the center isn't overly sweet. The sake ice cream, though it has no no alcohol, has a light and fruity flavor. The homemade sesame cookie has a pleasant toasted taste. The red bean rounds out the entire dish.
Green Tea/Jasmine Ice Cream
The green tea ice cream is light and milky, with a mild but appetizing flavor profile. The jasmine ice cream lives up to its name, and brings a strong flavor. This is the type of dessert that makes you bask in its greatness. You savor every bite, but it's so light that you don't even notice it's gone till you hit the bottom of the bowl. If you only once chance to eat green tea ice cream in New York, do it here.