Nujii tea turns a new leaf in the Athens matcha scene

With the sweet, earthy scent of matcha rolling out the window, craft tea company and local food truck nujii tea hosted a slammed grand opening in early October. The mobile cafe, located on 169 W. Washington St. at Union Fare, offers a selection of tea brought straight from farm to cup with claims of unmatched quality. The truck opens Sunday through Friday during the holiday hours from 12:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. — except Saturdays, when gameday visitors and Athenians alike can stop by as early as 11:30 a.m. until 6 p.m. The green shade of the vehicle invites passersby to pause and try nujii’s beverages, alongside the other food trucks in Union Fare park. Founder of nujii tea and University of Georgia alum Stephen An graduated in 2022 with a degree in management information systems. In his time as a student, he said he only knew of one Asian tea shop in town. Even as more sprung up, he said the thought continued to swirl in his mind: he wanted to bring high-quality tea to the Classic City. Just in talking to his friends, he realized that UGA craves matcha like his. “We've tried to let the product speak for itself in the beginning, but it's really all about–we have sort of direct sourcing from our farmers,” An said.” Whether it's matcha, whether it's tea, we get it directly from farmers in Japan and directly from farmers in Taiwan.” The menu currently hosts a selection of classic matcha drinks, from the beloved strawberry matcha to hojicha, a similar tea brewed with more mature, roasted leaves of the same plant. While this menu offers a solid selection for any tea enthusiast, An said he anticipates consistent updates, meaning that seasonal flavors will continuously cycle through the truck. An also said nujii may soon offer teas beyond the two key bases currently offered, such as coffee and milk tea. “It took us almost three months to get that recipe for matcha to a good place,” An said. “We probably need to spend an adequate amount of time, right, for coffee and for milk tea, and so — yeah, definitely looking to expand it to new product categories.” An isn’t the only one who feels passionately about his product — his employees do, too. Matcha holds a near and dear place in the hearts of young people, and for those at nujii, that soft spot seems even greater. “I love matcha. I've been liking matcha since sixth grade. It's something that I am very passionate about,” Srihith Velisetty, a second-year economics major at UGA and a nujii employee, said. “I love recipe testing, and I love making drinks for my friends. Even back home, I'd always make matcha, give it to my parents, let them see how it was, and get feedback.” Velisetty said, however, that the beverages offered are just the tip of the iceberg. His enjoyment at nujii goes beyond an appreciation for matcha, extending into a love for the community, atmosphere and people nujii has fostered. “I really love working here, I love the community, I love my coworkers,” Velisetty said. “I didn't know a single one of my coworkers when I came in here, but we all became such good friends.” For Velisetty, he said his experience in working at nujii is different from his previous experiences in stand-alone restaurants. “I think that working in a food truck is such a nice change of environment for me because…working in a food truck is a lot more chaotic, but that's the fun of it,” Velisetty said. “You get to become so much closer with all like the people you're working with, and I love serving people.”