At almost every coffee shop and cafe you visit nowadays, you may notice a drink appearing on their menus more frequently. Perhaps you heard someone order it in front of you, or maybe you are a connoisseur yourself. Maybe, you might have seen the green, milky drink being placed on a coffee shop counter, its bitter but roundly sweet aroma stopping you in your tracks.

Wherever you may go out in public, matcha is almost bound to be around the corner. But what is matcha, and what has caused its popularity to explode in the UK?

For many, matcha is a finely ground green powder made of shade-grown tea leaves. By whisking this green powder with hot water and milk, the matcha transforms itself into a tea with a taste unlike any other tea you may drink.

Whilst matcha has only just come around to the west in the last decade or so, in Japan, it has been a central and grounding drink in society for centuries. Matcha is thought to have originated in the Muromachi period in the 16th century, when tea farmers at the time had cultivated a new method of tea farming. 

The early Japanese tea farmers had found that if they grew a tea leaf called ‘Tencha’ in the shade, the tea would have a far more umami-rich and mellow taste. This Tencha leaf was then milled and ground to create the sacred ‘matcha’ tea of the period. 

Scientifically, matcha tastes the way it does due to the shade-growing process, which increases amino acids in the tea whilst reducing bitterness that would be caused if the matcha were able to photosynthesise more in the sunlight. This gives the matcha its distinctive, slightly sweet umami flavour, with the bitterness of the tea balanced with its naturally occurring sweetness.

During the Muromachi period, matcha was a drink of the elite due to its meticulous cultivation and low availability. Zen Monks drank the tea to meditate and focus their mind, whilst the Samurai drank matcha to access a level of cultural refinement. Wealthy aristocrats hosted tea gatherings to establish their status, with matcha serving as a symbol of their wealth and integrity.

To this day, Japan honors the sacred nature of matcha through traditional Japanese green tea ceremonies, such as chanoyu (茶の湯) or sadō/chadō (茶道), which are still practiced regularly.

 In modern-day Western culture, matcha is now broadly available in a variety of forms. Matcha lattes are widespread across cities, with matcha also being found in desserts. Matcha cookies, brownies, donuts, and ice cream are only a few of the matcha goods we consume today.

Matcha received a surge of popularity in the UK with millennials and Gen-Z making the green tea powder a viral trend on social media. Many influencers on social media established matcha lattes as a part of their daily routine online, intriguing others into trying matcha as well. Inevitably, this caused a prevalent community of people who also became hooked on the drink.

Overall, although some may not enjoy matcha, the tidal wave of people who do enjoy it outweighs those who dislike it. Coffee shops and cafes will continue to serve and promote matcha because, as it stands, it is one of the most culturally rich and appreciated drinks in history.