THE TEA SPOT

It’s hip to sip at a new downtown matcha cafe beloved by Gigi Hadid and Leonardo DiCaprio

FORGET cold-brew coffee and kale juice.

Victoria’s Secret models and fit Wall Street girls are lining up at Cha Cha Matcha, a new Nolita spot serving lattes and softserve ice cream flavored with matcha, a powdered, concentrated green tea.

The cafe, which opened in June, is the latest trendy outpost for the traditional Japanese beverage, which is now everywhere from summer music festivals to trendy cocktails. It’s also in the aisles of Whole Foods, which recently began stocking bottled beverages from Williamsburg’s MatchaBar.

“I hate drinking coffee because it makes me feel too jittery,” says Sheena Banerjee, an investment manager and

a Cha

Cha regular. “Matcha doesn’t get me wired but keeps me energized.”

Other Cha Cha Matcha fans include Leonardo DiCaprio and Victoria’s Secret models Gigi Hadid, Jasmine Tookes and Taylor Hill, fitting given that the cafe’s cofounder, Matthew Morton, grew up in celebrity circles.

Morton, 24, is the youngest son of Hard Rock Cafe owner Peter Morton, and he says hospitality is in his blood.

“My grandfather, father and brother all have been in the restaurant business,” Morton tells The Post. “I feel like I was baptized in it, almost.”

Morton says he was inspired to start a matcha shop after drinking up to 10 cans of Red Bull a day to stay up while studying at NYU. In 2013, his classmate Conrad Sandelman, 23, recommended that he try the green-tea powder as a healthier source of caffeine.

“I used to pull these allnighters and I’d feel terrible after drinking all those energy drinks,” Morton says in be- tween drags of his cigarette.

In 2015, shortly before graduating from NYU with a degree in business, he and Sandelman raised funds from friends and family to start their own cafe. They say Cha Cha differentiates itself from its competitors with its laid-back vibe.

“When it comes to restau- rants, my father said to keep things simple,” Morton says. “Other places can be standoffish and snobby, and I was always taught that hospitality is key. We try to make sure everyone feels as welcome as possible. The customer is always right.”

Part of the relaxed atmosphere comes from the Caribbean theme. The light-filled space has pastel-tinted tabletops, walls printed with palm trees, and tropical album covers. But, Morton says, the name isn’t a reference to the Cuban dance but rather the Chinese word for tea, “cha.”

Whether or not the décor — or the name — makes sense for a Japanese beverage, customers seem to enjoy it.

“Other matcha bars in the city are kind of stuffy,” says Jules Horn, 26, a strapping model from Germany who lives in Soho and comes to Cha Cha nearly every day. “And the matcha here is smooth and tastes better than other places.”

Banerjee enjoys other aspects of the setting.

“I love it here,” says the 22-year-old, who lives in the West Village. “The guys are really cute.”