Home-Based Matcha Biz Opens Shop Once Monthly, Booking Slots Snapped Up In An Hour
8days.sg’s intern waited a month to try the matcha drinks at Spill, located in an HDB maisonette. What began as a fun weekend project for three pals turned into a business after their TikTok video went viral.
Spill, a home-based matcha business run by three friends, Eunice, Jennifer (above, right), and Ying Ying (left), all aged 31, went viral by chance earlier this year in February.
The humble setup is placed by the window of Jennifer’s HDB maisonette home, where orders are prepared and collected via the corridor. There are no signages except for a printed menu beside said window. Honestly, we wouldn’t have noticed the ‘shop’ if there hadn’t been another customer standing there.
The trio, old school pals from Clementi Town Secondary School, hold full-time jobs and run Spill on the side. Eunice is a business development manager, Jennifer a market research manager and Ying Ying a marketing manager.
Though not very active on social media, they posted a casual TikTok video about their matcha project and it unexpectedly racked up over 100,000 views.
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Spill began as a fun weekend project before it went viral
“Spill actually began as a fun weekend project for us, just a little matcha stand that we ran for our friends and family,” Jennifer tells 8days.sg. “After [the video] went viral, we realised that a lot of people were interested [in our matcha], so we opened it to the public.”
The buddies' shared love for matcha turned into weeks of trial and error with different tea powders and ratios, until they found a recipe good enough to sell.
Only open for biz about once monthly, booking slots snapped up quickly
Two months after their video took off, they released about 20 booking slots to the public on 27 April. Each slot was 15 minutes long and a maximum of four pax allowed per slot. Everything was fully booked within an hour.
8days.sg kept a close eye on their socials and finally snagged a slot during their second opening day on 25 May. This time, each slot was shortened to 10 minutes, with a total of 24 slots from 11am to 3pm. And yes, all of them were fully booked, too.
Why only one slot per month? “Right now, all of us still have full-time jobs, which makes it tough to open on weekdays,” explains Ying Ying.
She adds: “We want to make sure we could manage the load and handle any hiccups”.
While they are taking a break in June, they plan to next open shop on 6 July 2025, with booking slots expected to open a week earlier. Follow them on Instagram or turn on story notifications to stay updated.
No pre-orders
Spill does things a little differently from some other home-based matcha spots in Singapore. Typically, these businesses open pre-orders for the week and customers collect their desired drinks at a designated time. Spill, however, doesn’t take pre-orders. You have to order your drinks on the spot after first securing a booking slot.
“Our reservation system is out of respect and consideration for our neighbours. Fortunately, we’ve not had any complaints and they have been very supportive and even stopped by to buy matcha when we’re open!” Ying Ying shares. “It also allows us to have ample time to interact with our customers for a more personalised experience, such as learning more about the matcha they’re drinking.”
She elaborates: “We’ve been really encouraged by the interest and support we’ve received and are exploring ways to grow Spill in the near future, maybe beyond just this window!”
“We’re looking into the possibility of doing pop-ups at events or collabs at other venues [and businesses]”.
Ceremonial-grade matcha from Kyoto
You get to choose from three matcha powders — all ceremonial-grade teas from Kyoto, Japan: The Wako blend from Marukyu Koyamaen (sweet and creamy), Hiroha No Shiro blend from Nakamura Tokichi (nutty), and Uji Mukashi blend from Horii Shichimeien (refreshing and floral). Then, pick your brew style: Neat (served without milk, hot or iced; $6.50), or an iced latte with milk ($7.50), with a choice of oat milk for an additional $0.50.
The Japanese matcha powders come from a Carousell seller who brings them into Singapore. Spill also plans to feature different matcha powders seasonally.
Five-minute wait by the corridor
There weren’t any seats along the corridor, but the five-minute wait didn’t feel too tedious. The ladies (sans Eunice, who wasn’t present when 8days.sg visited) were friendly and welcoming, taking the time to explain the various tea options to us.
After we selected two drinks, Ying Ying and Jennifer proceeded to whip up a cup each – carefully sifting matcha powder, pouring hot water from a Japanese tea kettle, and whisking the bright green concoction with chasens (bamboo whisks) in chawans (Japanese tea bowls) till frothy.
Uji Mukashi (right in pic), $6.50
The matcha kick in the Uji is strong and bitter, with grassy, umami notes as promised on the menu. Ideal for those who enjoy a bold flavour, but a little intense for matcha noobs like this 8day.sg intern.
Wako, $8
The girls informed us that the milk with syrup in this matcha latte might lean on the sweeter side, but even then, the Wako still carried a noticeable bitter vegetal quality. An acquired taste, and with prices starting from $6.50, it’s on the pricier side compared to other home-based matcha joints.
Worth the wait?
8days.sg recommends Spill for matcha heads who are particular about speciality tea blends. That said, it might only be worth a visit if you live nearby, since booking slots are so hard to come by and you’ll have to sip your matcha at a void deck.
Spill is located at Toh Yi Drive near Beauty World MRT (exact location given after your booking is confirmed). Next sale date is 6 Jul, visit Instagram for news on booking slots.
Photos: Faraha Faeaz
No part of this story or photos can be reproduced without permission from 8days.sg.
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