A new matcha gelato shop landed in Manhattan this month, focusing on the varying intensities of the Japanese green tea in frozen sweet form. Aokō Matcha opened in the West Village at 275 Bleecker Street, near Jones Street, as of Thursday, August 21. Founder and owner Isabella Pang's Japanese cafe offers what it calls a "five-shade tasting experience" of its matcha gelatos.
First, they channeled water into shallow pits during the winter, creating ice overnight that could be easily collected. They stored the ice in domed structures called yakhchāls. These half-underground chambers had extremely thick walls made from a highly insulating type of mortar, and were surrounded by wind catchers that channeled cool air into the structure to keep the ice from melting.