What does matcha taste like?
Matcha tastes like green tea turned way up: grassy and vegetal, a little bitter, with a savory, almost brothy sweetness, and it gets softer and sweeter as a latte.
Matcha
grassy, savory green tea
Matcha is green tea leaves ground into a fine powder and whisked into water, so you drink the whole leaf instead of a steeped tea. That's why it tastes so much bigger than a tea bag: fresh-cut grass, spinach, a savory depth the Japanese call umami (that brothy, mouth-filling taste), and a bitter edge at the back of your tongue. Good ceremonial grade is smoother and sweeter; cheap culinary grade tastes dusty and harsh. Most cafe versions add milk and sugar, which turns it into something soft, sweet and grassy.
Where you’ll see it
Usually as a matcha latte, hot or iced, often with oat milk. You'll also find it whisked straight at tea bars, and in desserts like matcha ice cream, tiramisu and soft serve.
Order it if you like green tea and want something richer and greener than your usual coffee.
Quick questions
- Does matcha taste like green tea?
- Sort of, but louder. It's the same plant, but because you drink the whole ground leaf, it's grassier, more savory and more bitter than steeped green tea.
- Why does my matcha taste bitter?
- Usually the grade or the water. Cheaper culinary matcha is harsher, and boiling water brings out bitterness. Water just off the boil and a good whisk make it smoother.
- Does matcha have caffeine?
- Yes. A cup has caffeine, usually somewhat less than a cup of drip coffee, though it depends on how much powder goes in.