Wondering what does matcha taste like? If you’re one of the few people who haven’t joined the matcha craze, you’re hugely missing out. After all, matcha is a widely popular flavor used in lattes, milk teas, and even desserts.
So, if you have no idea what this flavor tastes like, don’t worry! This helpful taste guide will explain what matcha is, what it tastes like, and why it is such a well-liked flavor.
Everything You Need to Know About Matcha
This ingredient is a bright green, powdery substance. High-quality matcha is produced in Japan, which has greatly perfected its cultivating techniques to create the best matcha. But even though this substance is primarily produced and widely used in Japan for their traditional tea ceremonies, matcha originated in China, specifically during the country’s Tang Dynasty.
Matcha is created with green tea leaves that undergo shading for around three to four weeks prior to their harvest. After harvesting the shaded green tea leaves, these leaves will undergo steaming. Once they’re steamed enough, they will now be finely grounded into a powder.
Why is Matcha So Popular?
Aside from its complex taste, matcha is famous for various reasons. For instance, many customers turn to matcha-flavored drinks thanks to their offered benefits. After all, matcha is loaded with antioxidants. Moreover, matcha is also proven to boost your energy and endurance levels.
On top of that, matcha’s beneficial health properties are boosted even more thanks to its higher levels of amino acids. As stated above, matcha’s green tea leaves are isolated from sunlight for three to four weeks before they are harvested. During this process, the green tea leaves can create more amino acids.
What to Know About Matcha’s Taste
Now that you know what matcha is and why it’s such a popular flavor, it’s time to answer your question. So, what does matcha taste like? To pique your curiosity, matcha, particularly one of great quality, has a grassy flavor and includes hints of umami and bitterness.
And towards the end of savoring this flavor, you will experience a residual sweet taste. For a detailed explanation, here is a breakdown of matcha’s different flavor components below:
Vegetal notes
As previously mentioned, matcha is made with green tea leaves that underwent crushing and steaming processes. Due to that, it should be no surprise why matcha comprises a grassy or vegetal taste. And unlike normal green tea, matcha’s grassy scent is also likely attributed to the shading method used for these leaves as they develop.
Umami hints
On the other hand, umami is distinguished as a savory flavor usually found in succulent red meat or beef stock. Again, matcha’s green tea leaves undergo shading, allowing them to generate more amino acids and L-theanine. Therefore, the increase in these properties contributes to the umami hints you taste in matcha.
Bitter taste
Matcha’s bitter taste is attributed to its earthy flavor. But don’t worry because high-quality matcha only has minuscule hints of bitterness.
Sweet residual taste
Finally, matcha leaves a sweet residual taste on your palate as you savor it. This sweetness helps balance out the rest of the flavors you encounter with matcha, particularly the slight bitterness that you get from it.
The Flavor of Matcha On Its Own vs. The Flavor of a Matcha Latte
Of course, plain matcha’s taste will vary from a matcha-flavored latte. With that said, plain matcha is definitely more bitter than a matcha latte. Meanwhile, in a matcha latte, the bitter taste is offset with the addition of milk and sweeteners.
The milk and sweeteners result in a smooth, creamy, and sweet matcha drink. Overall, matcha latte is a fantastic way of enjoying matcha, particularly if you hate the subtle hint of bitterness found in its basic form.
Does Matcha Contain Caffeine?
In case you’re wondering, matcha does contain caffeine. But of course, the amount of caffeine found in matcha green tea is still less than the caffeine present in a single cup of coffee. Besides, a single cup of matcha tea consists of 70 milligrams of caffeine. This is fifty percent lower than caffeine levels present in a single serving of coffee drink.
Final Takeaways
So, what does matcha taste like? Again, matcha has a rich grassy taste that involves hints of umami, bitterness, and sweetness. If you’re a huge fan of complex and strong flavors, you won’t be disappointed in trying out matcha. Furthermore, other than its wonderful, complex flavor, matcha also provides a ton of benefits for its enthusiasts.
With all of that said, it’s no surprise why this flavor is well-liked among people. And if you haven’t tasted this flavor yourself, this is the sign that you should try matcha out.
