The Silver Chasen

What: The Silver Chasen
Where: Night Swim Roastery & Cafe; 4500 Old Pineville Rd, Charlotte, NC 28217
When: Friday, June 6, 2025, at 7 p.m.

Details: Competitor registration opens Friday, May 2. The event is free for spectators to attend.

Spirit Tea is proud to introduce the Silver Chasen, a new matcha competition designed
for baristas. Eight teams of two will travel through a series of three tea-based
challenges – The One-and-One, The Signature, and Chakabuki – testing their palate,
creativity, and barista skills. The team with the most points at the end of the night will
receive $500 cash and two handmade silver chasen necklaces by Alexis Romero.

The pilot competition will debut in Charlotte, NC, on Friday, June 6, 2025, at the Night
Swim Roastery & Cafe. Competitor registration opens at www.spirittea.co on Friday,
May 2, at 9 a.m. ET. Registration is $40 per team and covers the cost of a competitor
prep kit, complete with matcha and tea samples, competition rules, and Spirit Tea
swag.

Spirit Tea will provide everything the competitors need to compete – don’t overthink it!
The Silver Chasen is an extension of what you already do as a barista, with special
emphasis on the tea part.

Competition overview:

#1 The One-and-One – Teams will prepare a single shot of matcha alongside an oat
milk matchatado (yes, it’s a matcha cortado) in 12 minutes. They will be judged based
on their cleanliness and workflow, matcha whisking technique, the accuracy of their
flavor and texture descriptions, and the quality of their latte art.

#2 The Signature – Teams will prepare a signature matcha beverage using matcha and
at least one other ingredient. They will serve the drink to two mystery judges, who will
score it based on flavor, texture, visual appeal, creativity, and consistency. The teams
will also serve a 4-oz version of the drink to spectators, who will vote on their favorite.
The crowd favorite will win an additional 10 points.

#3 Chakabuki – A traditional Japanese tea tasting game. Teams will blindly identify the
origin and variety of five green teas over two rounds (first and second steep).

Sponsors: Marco, Night Swim, Odeko, Free Range Brewing

Vendors: High Vibes Tattoo, Moving and Grooving Ceramics, more to come