Best Matcha in Tirana: Where to Find Japanese Matcha

Since 2026, Tirana, the capital of Albania, has seen a growing number of cafés serving matcha.

From classic matcha lattes to strawberry matcha, matcha soft serve, and matcha desserts, there are now plenty of options for matcha lovers in the city.

If you’re looking for matcha in Tirana, here are five cafés worth checking out:

In this guide, I’ll introduce each café, including its location, menu, and what makes it worth visiting.

I’ll also take a closer look at the matcha they use, especially for those looking for authentic Japanese matcha in Tirana.

5 Matcha Cafés to Check Out in Tirana

If you’re a matcha lover, one thing you may want to know is where the matcha actually comes from.

Matcha is known around the world as one of Japan’s most iconic drinks, but not all matcha served in Tirana is produced in Japan.

So, in addition to exploring the cafés themselves, I also looked into the country of origin of the matcha they use.

① Matchai Store – Japanese Matcha Bar Tirana

If you’re looking for Japanese matcha in Tirana, Matchai Store is one of the first places to check out.

As its name, Japanese Matcha Bar Tirana, suggests, this is a specialty matcha café offering a variety of matcha-based drinks.

What particularly stands out is the origin of the matcha they use.

A certificate related to Organic JAS certification is displayed inside the café, confirming that they serve matcha from Japan.

If you’re specifically looking for a matcha café in Tirana that serves Japanese matcha, Matchai Store is definitely worth checking out.

② RUBI Cakes & Specialty Coffee – Wilson

RUBI is a café in Tirana where you can enjoy cakes and specialty coffee.

Although it isn’t a dedicated matcha café, it also serves matcha drinks such as Matcha Latte.

What makes RUBI particularly interesting is the matcha they use.

RUBI appears to source Uji matcha from MATCHA RE:PUBLIC, a matcha specialty shop in Uji, Kyoto, Japan.

There are more and more cafés serving matcha in Tirana, but there still aren’t many where you can actually verify that the matcha comes from Japan.

If Japanese matcha matters to you, RUBI is another café worth adding to your list.

③ HANA Corner Café – Specialty Coffee and Brunch

Although it isn’t a dedicated matcha café, it offers a great selection of homemade cookies and desserts, and it’s personally one of those cafés I’d happily visit again.

I asked the staff directly about the matcha they use, and they told me that it isn’t from Japan.

While matcha doesn’t necessarily have to come from Japan to be good, the Iced Matcha Latte here was quite different from the Japanese matcha I’m used to.

At 500 ALL per cup, the Matcha Latte is also priced slightly higher than at other matcha cafés in Tirana.

That said, this café remains a popular spot among tourists.

④ BLOOM THE MATCHA

BLOOM THE MATCHA is a specialty matcha café that opened in March 2026.

In addition to Matcha Latte, it offers a wide variety of matcha-based drinks and desserts, including Iced Matcha, Matcha Soft Serve, Cheesecake, and Cookies.

One thing I wanted to find out, however, was where their matcha actually comes from.

I looked through the information available online, including their Instagram account, but couldn’t find any details identifying the specific origin, producer, or manufacturer of the matcha they use.

In one of their Reels, I noticed a catalog number that matched a matcha product listed by a Chinese supplier serving the EU market.

However, it’s unclear whether this was simply a sample they had ordered or whether the same matcha is actually used at the café.

If the matcha is from Japan, I would expect to see some information identifying its origin, such as the farm, producer, or manufacturer. I couldn’t find any such information during my research.

⑤ The Blossom Matcha

The Blossom Matcha is another specialty matcha bar in Tirana.

Located in the Lake View area, it offers Matcha Latte as well as a variety of matcha drinks combined with fruit and other ingredients.

According to its official website, the café uses Ceremonial Grade Matcha imported from certified Japanese producers.

However, Ceremonial Grade is not an official matcha grade or classification in Japan.

The term is widely used outside Japan as a marketing term for high-quality matcha, but the Ceremonial Grade label alone does not establish that a matcha was produced in Japan or indicate a specific quality standard.

Although the official website states that its matcha is imported from Japanese producers, I couldn’t find more specific information identifying the region of origin, producer, farm, or manufacturer.

Conclusion: Where Can You Find Real Japanese Matcha?

More and more cafés in Tirana are now serving matcha.

Matcha is one of Japan’s most iconic drinks, but matcha doesn’t necessarily mean that it was produced in Japan.

In recent years, as global demand for matcha has grown rapidly, more matcha products produced in countries such as China and Vietnam have entered the market.

Among the cafés featured in this article, Matchai Store and RUBI Cakes & Specialty Coffee are the two where I was able to verify specific information about the Japanese origin of their matcha.

In fact, finding Japanese matcha in Europe isn’t as easy as you might think.

One of the reasons is Europe’s strict pesticide residue regulations.

You can’t simply buy matcha that is commonly sold in Japan and automatically sell it in Europe. To import matcha into the European market, it must comply with the applicable pesticide residue limits.

That’s why sourcing Japanese matcha for Europe requires finding producers in Japan whose matcha meets European standards, or purchasing from an online store such as Matcha Lab, a Japanese-owned business that offers Japanese matcha tested for compliance with European pesticide residue standards.

Of course, if you simply want to enjoy a delicious Matcha Latte and aren’t particular about where the matcha comes from, that’s a different story.

Matcha isn’t just a fashion trend.

It’s something you actually put into your body.

So rather than choosing matcha based on flashy branding or marketing alone, take a closer look at where it comes from, how it’s produced, and whether its safety and quality can be verified.

Taka

Digital Nomad & Matcha Brand Founder

My name is Taka from Japan. I spent five years traveling across Europe as a digital nomad. Today, I run my own Japanese matcha brand and share practical knowledge about launching a matcha business.