The color of a specialty matcha drink is certainly cat nip for social media. That bright green with a milky white cream swirling down the sides? Mesmerizing. But I agree that many local places aren’t serving up anything that tastes much like matcha.
I’m one of those weirdos that actually likes the flavor of matcha. I make it at home, sourced from Japan, sometimes as a latte but sometimes iced with nothing but water and a simple syrup. I can see how the taste isn’t for everyone, but I think you could say the same about coffee. The taste of coffee is also challenging on its own for many people, which is why it’s very often served with milk, cream, sugar, caramel, chocolate, etc.
And there are some local spots that have a matcha that actually tastes like matcha! Matcha Me, which you mentioned, is very good, and you can do a matcha water that lets the flavor of the green stuff shine. I like it iced and unsweetened, but then topped with the einspanner cream. And Cha Redefine has a Matcha Matcha that I wish wasn’t as good as it is or as close to my house, because it’s far too temping to grab an $8 drink a few times a week. I really didn’t mean for this comment to be so long. You drew out the matcha enthusiast in me, I suppose!
I appreciate the thoughtfulness of your comment, especially the part about how matcha is as valid an acquired taste as coffee is. It absolutely is, as a significant part of Japan's population can attest!
That said, I can't remember having a coffee drink that didn't taste like coffee, no matter whatever else may have been put into it. The coffee was always the essential component. I don't get the sense that the current crop of matcha-based dessert drinks were similarly created to complement the natural flavor of the tea... but they do look pretty.
Thanks for sharing the places you've found that do deliver the true flavor. I hope that any matcha lovers I've annoyed with this piece will read down to the comments so they can benefit from your recommendations.
The color of a specialty matcha drink is certainly cat nip for social media. That bright green with a milky white cream swirling down the sides? Mesmerizing. But I agree that many local places aren’t serving up anything that tastes much like matcha.
I’m one of those weirdos that actually likes the flavor of matcha. I make it at home, sourced from Japan, sometimes as a latte but sometimes iced with nothing but water and a simple syrup. I can see how the taste isn’t for everyone, but I think you could say the same about coffee. The taste of coffee is also challenging on its own for many people, which is why it’s very often served with milk, cream, sugar, caramel, chocolate, etc.
And there are some local spots that have a matcha that actually tastes like matcha! Matcha Me, which you mentioned, is very good, and you can do a matcha water that lets the flavor of the green stuff shine. I like it iced and unsweetened, but then topped with the einspanner cream. And Cha Redefine has a Matcha Matcha that I wish wasn’t as good as it is or as close to my house, because it’s far too temping to grab an $8 drink a few times a week. I really didn’t mean for this comment to be so long. You drew out the matcha enthusiast in me, I suppose!
I appreciate the thoughtfulness of your comment, especially the part about how matcha is as valid an acquired taste as coffee is. It absolutely is, as a significant part of Japan's population can attest!
That said, I can't remember having a coffee drink that didn't taste like coffee, no matter whatever else may have been put into it. The coffee was always the essential component. I don't get the sense that the current crop of matcha-based dessert drinks were similarly created to complement the natural flavor of the tea... but they do look pretty.
Thanks for sharing the places you've found that do deliver the true flavor. I hope that any matcha lovers I've annoyed with this piece will read down to the comments so they can benefit from your recommendations.
Leading the way on the matcha trend, Alchemy in Grandview has been wowing me with their Pistachio Matcha Latte for a few years now.