Taylor Adonis and Emily Moriyama — cousins and owners of Sippin’ Pretty, a coffee and matcha business — love going on matcha dates and finding new spots to try. When Adonis learned how to make her own matcha lattes at home, though, “Nowhere else could compare.”
“I would experiment with different recipes, and when I would find a new one, I would get excited to try it out and make it myself at home,” she says. “I’ve always loved turning what I love doing for myself into what I could do for others. Matcha is my favorite drink — aside from coffee and hojicha — and I’m a firm believer that a good day starts with a good drink.”
“We love experimenting with new flavors that we love and would drink ourselves,” Emily Moriyama adds.
Adonis and Moriyama officially started their matcha and coffee business, Sippin’ Pretty, last July. They wanted to specialize in curated lattes, according to Moriyama, who says the menu is designed to have “something for everyone.”
“Our most popular is definitely the BBL — banana bread latte — as well as the strawberry matcha, matcha einspanner, and cookies and cream latte,” she says. “We have monthly specials; our main menu is always being updated based on our customers’ feedback.”
Adonis still remembers when she and Emily were brainstorming names for their business.
“A part of me wanted to include my last name, because it is the same last name as our grandpa that passed away,” Adonis says. “Another part of me wanted something to do with Asian descent, because we are Vietnamese cousins. But ultimately, we are two girls who love making cute and yummy drinks.
“I used to have a sticker on my car that read, ‘Sittin’ Pretty,’ and ‘Sippin Pretty’ sounded so similar,” she adds. “It was just very fitting for both of our aesthetics; we like bows and pink girly stuff.”
The biz prides itself on using premium, ceremonial-grade matcha imported from Japan — specifically Kyoto, Uji and Kirishima, according to Adonis, who says the business also uses housemade syrups and real fruits.
“Everything is made with real, fresh, seasonal fruits,” she says. “For fruit flavors, we never use anything artificial; our colors and flavors are all authentic. Our syrups are artisanal and we make them ourselves with our own recipes.”
All drinks come in 16-ounce cups (a standard medium size) and range from $7 to $12. Customers can choose from whole, oat or almond milk.
We got a sneak peek of the business’s upcoming March specials ($12 each), which are St. Patrick’s Day-themed. Customers can look forward to double matcha — iced maple matcha latte with matcha cream on top — End of the Rainbow, and Charmed & Lucky.
All matcha lattes are made with 4 grams of matcha — including the double matcha, which includes an extra gram of matcha in the cream top.
“We do the paste method (when making matcha), which makes it really creamy,” Adonis explains, while whisking the matcha. “We picked this (double matcha) because it’s all green for St. Patrick’s Day.”
End of the Rainbow features an iced matcha latte with organic mango puree, a coconut cream top and rainbow sourbelt candy on top.
“We make our own mango puree; we’re making the mango like a pot of gold,” Adonis says. “The coconut cream needs to be thick because we want the rainbow sourbelt to sit on top."
Charmed & Lucky is sure to be a hit among those who prefer slightly sweeter lattes. It features an iced cereal milk latte (choose from matcha or coffee), a toasted marshmallow cream top and Lucky Charms marshmallows.
“There’s marshmallow in the base to make it a little bit sweeter,” Adonis says. “We add a little bit of toasted marshmallow to enhance the cereal milk.”
Popular drinks from the business’s regular menu include banana bread latte ($12 for matcha, $10 for coffee) — which features an organic banana base, banana cream top and Nilla crumbles — and cookies and cream coffee ($10). The latter, which is also available in matcha form, features a base of crushed Oreos, toasted marshmallow cream top and Oreo crumbles.
“We use a blonde roast espresso; there are two shots in every espresso latte,” Adonis says. “I’ve tried many other banana bread lattes, but I love how ours is smooth and really gives that sweet banana bread flavor.”
Customers can currently find Sippin’ Pretty at events across O‘ahu. The biz has popped up at Pearl Night Market and Ono Grindz & Makeke; it’s at Hardcore 808 Nutrition Co. weekly in ‘Aiea. Sippin’ Pretty also offers catering for private events; follow the biz on social media for updates.
Adonis encourages customers to give their business a try and welcomes feedback — positive or negative — because she is “always looking to improve.”
“I put my heart into everything that I do,” she says. “If a drink doesn’t taste right to you, let me know what you don’t like or how I could make it better. I take all feedback because that’s what makes a business successful.”
CONTACT
Sippin’ Pretty
Instagram: @sippinprettyhi
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Kelli Shiroma Braiotta can be reached at kelli@alohastatedaily.com.
