What Does Matcha Taste Like? A Complete Overview
Matcha has a grassy, slightly sweet, and fresh green tea taste. High-quality matcha gives a pleasantly sweet aftertaste and has a relaxing smell like freshly mown grass because of its high amino acid, antioxidants and chlorophyll content. It’s different from the hojicha powder as this powder has a roast nut flavor.
What Does Matcha Taste Like? Some people hesitate to add milk to the matcha, but matcha latte is pretty popular for its taste. So if you are the one who prefers milky drinks, then you would like to match them with milk. Just add your favorite milk and make it this way.
Tasting notes of matcha
Vegetal
Matcha is made up of shaded green tea leaves that are streamed and crushed into powder form. That’s the main reason for its comparison with vegetables. It’s natural for matcha to have a grassy flavor, and sometimes it tastes like spinach. Matcha has a better grassy and vegetal fragrance than other green teas because of the shaded growth procedure.
Sweet
If you have high-quality matcha, it will usually give a sweet long-lasting aftertaste. It may give a bitter taste but gradually change into a smooth umami aftertaste. The matcha bitterness is balanced by the sweet lingering taste it has. Most people describe the matcha flavor as “bittersweet.”
Umami
You may have heard the word umami from people talking about matcha. It’s a Japanese expression describing savory and rich foods, like juicy meat or beef broth. The matcha production procedure has to go through the shading procedure for about 3 to 4 weeks, improving the amino acid production. The umami taste in matcha is because L-theanine and tea leave other amino acids.
The matcha flavors are so complex that they aren’t fully appreciated most of the time. Besides, if you try it for the first time, you will probably find its taste hard to recognize. If you try the top-quality match, you will likely experience the rich, savory umami note that will not be enjoyable. So try to be patient and give a few tries to the common matcha to appreciate the complex taste of high-grade matcha fully.
Does matcha taste good?
Generally, matcha has a developing taste, and people start enjoying it after a few tries. Most people start liking the matcha taste after a few drinks. If you have never tried it, you will feel its flavor is buttery, smooth, and a little sweeter than green tea.
Some people describe it as a little grassy. Besides, matcha is slightly thicker than green tea. The thick consistency is because of thoroughly mixing the matcha powder in water, unlike dipping the green tea bag in water. The matcha quality makes a big difference when it comes to tasting. The bad taste of matcha is probably due to the poor-quality product. Culinary grade matcha is a little pricey, but they are much better and rich in flavors.
Matcha doesn’t taste bad, but they are also not the drink to taste better as it isn’t sweet like a smoothie or iced tea.
Flavors that go well with matcha
There are many flavors that you can enjoy with matcha.
Lemons go well with matcha, adding a bright flavor to the grassy notes. Besides, from a health view, lemon addition makes matcha even healthier. According to the research, adding citrus fruits to matcha increases the number of catechins in the tea, which benefits the body. Catechins play the role of antioxidants. So this is a win-win situation.
Matcha and chocolate are perfect as they make the flavor richer and take the edge off your grassy notes. In Japan, many desserts and candies are enjoyed by joining these two flavors, and definitely for a good reason.
Vanilla adds a special sweetness to matcha tea. Most people cover matcha’s bitterness and vegetal aroma with vanilla flavor syrups and vanilla pods.
Honey plays the same role as vanilla syrups and lowers the bitterness and vegetable aroma in the drink.
Matcha tea benefits
Matcha has several health benefits, and some of them include.
- Reduces stress
- Rich in EGCG
- Benefits the dental health
- Boosts energy
- Rich in antioxidants
- Benefits the metabolism
- Helps with weight loss
- Improves longevity
- Good for heart health
- Benefits cognitive functions
- Improves skin texture
- Improves digestion
- Reduces inflammation
Do people prefer the matcha taste over green tea?
Every person prefers different tastes, so it’s common for one person to like one thing better than another. The same goes for matcha and green tea. But nowadays, matcha seems trendier, and I prefer high-quality matcha tea over general green tea.
Matcha has become so popular that it is available in many different varieties like matcha tea, matcha lattes, bubble tea, desserts, candies, e.t.c. Matcha can’t be that popular if people don’t prefer its taste. Besides, it is a bit creamier and sweeter, which makes it more popular.
Conclusion
Matcha is a finely green powder of green leaves that’s the perfect solution to stay alert and energized throughout your day. Besides, you also know some natural flavor enhancers to add and enjoy health benefits.
Drinking is the most common aspect of matcha. It’s the perfect way to meditate and relax while enjoying the mind-body connection you get by combining preparation rituals, flavors, and calmness. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about What Does Matcha Taste Like?
What does matcha taste like?
People often compare matcha taste with red wine or dark chocolate. It’s completely different compared to the matcha but alluring at some times. But, if you taste it for the first time, you will probably have a bitter taste.
Is matcha sweet or bitter?
Matcha has a vegetal, bright, and slightly bitter taste with umami and sweetness notes. Whereas ceremonial-grade high-quality matcha is perfect for drinking separately. At the same time, culinary-grade matcha is ideal for drinking with smoothies, lattes, and other things.
What is the taste of a matcha latte?
A matcha latte is made of green tea powder. Green powder gives the matcha latte a sweet yet Moorish vegetal taste. Matcha latte has an umami flavor, whereas some say it reminds them of spinach.
Why does matcha have a fishy taste?
A fishy matcha taste means that it is denatured due to heat or humidity. Or it can also be low-quality matcha. A good one should have a smooth, creamy, yet grassy taste.
Do matcha and green tea taste the same?
No, matcha has a rich, sweet, creamy, and refreshing sensation. You may find matcha a bit bitter if you don’t like green tea. But it will give you a sweet aftertaste, unlike green tea. It has a floral and savory umami taste.
References
https://www.drinkfiltered.com/posts/what-does-matcha-taste-like
https://blog.piquelife.com/what-does-matcha-taste-like/
https://naokimatcha.com/articles/what-does-matcha-taste-like/
https://www.kenkotea.com.au/pages/matcha-taste
https://blogchef.net/what-does-matcha-taste-like-at-starbucks/
https://www.artfultea.com/tea-wisdom-1/what-does-matcha-taste-like
