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FOODIE
TRIDENT COFFEE ROASTERS 536 13th St, Ste 6 Imperial Beach, CA 91932 619.246.9316 www.tridentcoffee.com
ERIC JOHNSON CREDENTIALS: FOUNDER AND HEAD ROASTER, TRIDENT COFFEE ROASTERS
HOLY MATCHA 3118 University Ave San Diego, CA 92104 www.holymatchasd.com
G E R A L D I N E R I DAU R A CREDENTIALS: FOUNDER, HOLY MATCHA Q: How did you first discover matcha, and what led you to open a matcha shop? Geraldine Ridaura: I can’t drink coffee, so I started hunting for an alternative that was rich in caffeine. I discovered matcha while traveling in Japan, and I was immediately drawn to the drink’s unique taste, not to mention its health benefits. After returning to San Diego and growing frustrated with the complete lack of matcha shops in the area, I decided to open one myself, even though I had only the faintest idea of how to start a business. I had to ask the city health and building departments a lot of questions in the 86 LOCALE MAGAZINE
process, but I eventually figured out what I needed to do to bring my idea to life. Q: What drink(s) would you recommend to a newcomer at Holy Matcha? GR: My absolute favorites are the ceremonial and premium brews, but for new customers, I’d say go for the former. Nine out of 10 customers don’t expect to like it, but once they actually taste it, they end up loving it. Q: What types of snacks, if any, do you feel complement the taste of matcha? GR: I personally like to pair matcha with avocado toast. If you would rather have something sweet with your drink, I
recommend one of our matcha vanilla donuts. Q: How do you feel Holy Matcha is influencing the local café industry and the surrounding community? GR: I think it is giving health-conscious individuals, such as myself, even more nutritious options to enjoy and prompting other cafés in San Diego to offer authentic matcha. I’m also proud of the fact that Holy Matcha is shining light on a substance that has been around for thousands of years and has only recently gotten attention in the West. If this awareness could spread to other cities in the region, that would be great.
ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES • According to Ridaura, there are hundreds of strains of matcha that tea drinkers can enjoy. MADE TO ORDER • The only pre-made drink on Holy Matcha’s menu is matcha horchata. NATIVE KNOWLEDGE • Authentic matcha drinks contain antioxidants that lower cholesterol levels, combat stress, increase energy and even fight cancer!
Q: Tell me about the history of Trident Coffee. What inspired you to start this business? Eric Johnson: I have always been a cold coffee drinker; no matter the temperature outside, I would order iced Americanos to get my caffeine fix. As I traveled around the world for the Navy, I noticed that coffee and tea was always a drink that was shared before having meetings to break the ice and get to know one another, no matter what country or culture I was in. I loved that it acted as a great bridge and connector to bring people together. Q: What do you feel is the most significant or unique quality of Trident Coffee’s brews? EJ: We proudly roast and brew all of our cold brews in house. This allows us to focus on the craft aspects of the coffee and bring out the unique characteristics from each of the coffees we use. With our process, our coffees are 70-100 percent less
acidic than traditional espresso or hot drip coffee and that lower acidity has numerous health benefits. The smoothness paired with the nitrogen gas, allows people to enjoy the cold brew as is, and they tend to not add milk, cream or sugar. Coffee is a craft beverage, if you treat it like one. Q: What drink(s) would you recommend to a newcomer to Trident Coffee? EJ: There are currently 13 cold brew coffees and three teas on tap in our tasting room in Imperial Beach. Depending on how you enjoy your coffee, we can recommend several different options based on roast profiles or flavors. The most popular is our Ambrotos, and we use our signature Trident Coffee, that is directly sourced from our friends at Fazendo do Condado in Brazil, and then mix it with emulsified medium chain triglyceride (MCT) oil to give it an extra creamy texture.