Why matcha, made from green tea, is the drink of the moment

IT WAS A freezing winter’s day in London as patrons jostled in a poky outpost of Blank Street, a coffee-shop chain. You might have expected them to pick up a warming cappuccino. Instead, many placed orders for iced matcha lattes, which arrived in shades of green, cream (white-chocolate flavour) or purple (blueberry).

Such is the craze for matcha that fans are willing to risk frostbite to get their hands on one. Blank Street claims that it sells some form of the green-tea-based drink “every four seconds” from its 80-odd shops in Britain and America (though it refuses to say how much that adds up to). In Japan, the world’s leading producer of matcha, the export value of tea in 2023 rose by 33% from the previous year. The global market for matcha-based products is worth around $4.24bn and will grow around 53% by 2029, predicts the Business Research Company, a consultancy.

Matcha is big on social media: videos tagged #Matcha on TikTok have more than 15bn views. Fans share recipes and teach their followers how to tell a high-quality matcha powder from a shoddy one. (Apparently they should look for “ceremonial grade”, which has a vibrant hue, fine texture and higher price tag.) Asia is responsible for more than 40% of matcha consumption: as well as going into bottled, pre-mixed drinks, the powder is used in ice cream, biscuits and mochi (rice cakes).

Matcha is made from ground leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant. Tea culture developed in China during the Tang Dynasty. Myoan Eisai, a Japanese monk, came across it while travelling there in the 12th century; he brought seeds back to Japan and wrote a book extolling green tea’s benefits, describing it as “the elixir of the immortals”. Matcha later spread through Japanese polite society with the rise of chanoyu, or the tea ceremony.

What explains the drink’s newfound popularity outside Asia? Matcha mavens tout it as a healthier alternative to coffee. Some studies suggest that green tea’s antioxidants can help stave off cardiovascular disease, improve gut health and speed up metabolism. It also gives a steady boost of energy, compared with the surge and crash of a cup of joe. A coffee contains around 100-200mg of caffeine; a matcha contains around 70mg, as well as L-theanine, an amino acid, which together improve concentration and alertness.

Gen Z and millennials—who drink less coffee than their elders, spend more time online and care about wellness—are seeking it out. The irony is that much of matcha’s growth in the West is driven by flavoured matcha lattes, which are crammed with sugar. The future may not be all that sweet, however. Tea production in Japan is decreasing, as is the area of land being used for cultivation; farmers are retiring and are put off by rising prices for fertiliser and other essentials. Lovers of the trendy iced beverage may soon feel a chill when it comes to their bill. ■