Four signature drinks of Milky Way Matcha Bar. Credit: Natalie Boggs | Arts and Life Photo Editor.

Milky Way Matcha is bringing its matcha drinks closer to Ohio State, and its newest location is already making room for its latest specialized concept — AstroLab.

The Columbus-based matcha brand opened its second location at 1600 W. Lane Ave. in June, following its original Bridge Park location in Dublin. Founder Jason Lam will host the grand opening of AstroLab Matcha Friday, a concept that will operate alongside Milky Way before eventually moving to a location of its own.

At AstroLab, customers will be able to choose among different matcha cultivars, or varieties of the tea plant that can produce different flavors and aromas based on factors such as where they are grown and when they are harvested.

“I wanted to also bring matcha closer to OSU,” Lam said. “I wanted to offer it to students and people downtown as a business that’s purely focused on matcha and highlighting the flavor of matcha, rather than just coming up with a fun drink.”

Lam, who is also creative director of Fukuryu Brands, the Columbus restaurant group behind Milky Way Matcha, Fukuryu Ramen and other food and beverage concepts, said when the first Milky Way location opened in July 2024, Fukuryu was looking for a grab-and-go concept that would complement its food-focused business.

“It was something that we honestly just decided to do on a whim [and] see if it stuck,” Lam said. “It kind of took off from there.”

Although Milky Way emphasizes approachable drinks and consistency between its locations, Lam said AstroLab is intended to take customers deeper into matcha itself.

“I would say Milky Way is kind of like our foundational brand when it comes to our cafe concept,” Lam said. “AstroLab is kind of like the more fancy, elevated big brother to Milky Way.”

Lam said staff will help customers select a flavor profile based on their preferences, whether they want something sweeter, richer or more floral.?

AstroLab will also feature house-made flavors inspired by Japanese ingredients, including persimmon and yaki imo, a Japanese sweet potato, Lam said.

For “matcharista” Isabelle Sansait, she said learning about the differences among cultivars, or types of matcha, has become one of the most exciting parts of working within the new concept.

“Depending on which cultivar you do end up trying, one can taste drastically different from the other,” Sansait said.?

Inside view of Milky Way Matcha Bar. Credit: Natalie Boggs | Arts and Life Photo Editor.

Lam said bringing Milky Way to Lane Avenue was, in part, aimed at reaching an Ohio State student audience.?

Since students returned to campus for the fall semester, Lam said the location has begun seeing more Ohio State customers, alongside Upper Arlington families, high school students and customers from other nearby businesses.

The company is also working with Ohio State student organizations to increase its presence on campus, Lam said, and has plans to work with the East Asian Student Union and Vietnamese Student Association.?

Sansait, a 2023 Ohio State alumna who has worked with Milky Way for about a year, said AstroLab has also required employees to learn how to communicate those differences without overwhelming customers.

“It’s definitely challenged me in a sense of getting more fluid and smooth in the way I explain the cultivars to people that’s not too overwhelming and much more digestible,” Sansait said.

Lam said the distinction between the two brands is intentional. Milky Way primarily uses a single cultivar to maintain consistency and has become known for flavored matcha drinks, while AstroLab is designed for customers interested in learning more about the tea itself.?

“We wanted Milky Way to have its own standard identity,” Lam said. “By creating AstroLab, we can be a little bit more intentional and specialized in what we’re doing.”

Lam said he has developed relationships with farmers and millers in Japan through previous research and development trips. With AstroLab, the company plans to provide customers with more information about each matcha’s farm, harvest and region of origin.

Overhead view of the signature drinks of Milky Way Matcha Bar. Credit: Natalie Boggs | Arts and Life Photo Editor.

Lam said AstroLab will eventually offer matcha-based classes where customers can create their own blends, as well as machines that will allow tea leaves to be milled into matcha on-site.

“I definitely think people are becoming more aware of where their matcha is sourced from, how it is ground, what part of Japan it’s from and the cultivars,” Sansait said.

AstroLab will remain alongside Milky Way at the Lane Avenue location for the time being, but the long-term goal, Lam said, is to find a permanent home in the Short North or German Village.?

Lam said he hopes the new concept can help customers see matcha as more than a trendy, flavored drink, and encourage them to develop a greater appreciation for the tea itself.

Sansait said that educational element is what she hopes customers continue to notice, too.

“I would like to know what I am drinking and where it’s coming from,” Sansait said. “It’s super cool to hear and see his process behind putting what region it’s from, the producer, what type of harvest, the process of how it’s milled. [Milky Way] is very big on transparency.”