A common question people have about matcha is this:
What does it even taste like?
Matcha has a unique taste that can be described as a combination of vegetal, nutty, and slightly sweet flavours.
Some people also detect a slight bitterness, especially if the matcha is low quality or prepared badly. This is because the taste of matcha varies a lot depending on the grade and quality of the tea, as well as how it is prepared and served.
Matcha has a delicate flavour that can be easily overpowered by other ingredients like milk and sweeteners. For a lot of the drinks you're making it's likely that the matcha will play a backup role. For example, if you make an iced matcha latte with lots of oat milk and honey, the matcha taste will not cut through as much as coffee would.
Something to note is that matcha is grown in many regions throughout Japan. The climate and soil of the different places impart a unique flavour to the tea.
Here is a list of the matcha flavour profiles by region:
- Uji (Where Kusaki comes from) - light, creamy, slightly sweet
- Kagoshima - vegetal, sweet, fresh
- Fukuoka - roasted nuts, umami, bitter
- Shizuoka - grassy, umami, creamy
- Aichi - vegetal, savoury, slightly bitter
We hope this helps you to understand what matcha tastes like. We recommend our own (big surprise), which we think is delicious and without bitterness. If you're interested, You can get it here
