This is the question I get asked the most at pop-up markets, in DMs, and from first-time buyers, and it's a fair one. Matcha is genuinely unlike anything else, and trying to describe the taste of something that has no real Western equivalent is a challenge.
Let me try anyway, and then tell you how to make sure it tastes its best from the very first cup.
The Honest Taste Description
High-quality ceremonial grade matcha tastes earthy, grassy, and slightly sweet with a distinctive savoury depth that the Japanese call 'umami'. There is a natural creaminess to a well-prepared matcha latte, particularly with oat milk, and a clean, lingering sweetness on the finish.
What ceremonial grade matcha should not taste like is bitter. Bitterness is the hallmark of culinary grade matcha, low-quality matcha, or ceremonial grade matcha prepared incorrectly (usually with water that's too hot). If your first encounter with matcha was bitter, you were almost certainly drinking the wrong grade or a poorly made version.
If you've ever had a high-quality Japanese green tea and enjoyed it, ceremonial matcha will make sense to you it is essentially the most concentrated, most refined expression of that flavour profile. If green tea has never appealed to you, matcha's umami depth might be an acquired taste, but most people find that it becomes one fairly quickly. We always recommend trying our refreshers if you are a first time matcha drinker.
Ceremonial vs Culinary Grade: A Taste Difference You'll Notice Immediately
Ceremonial grade matcha is made from the youngest first-flush leaves, shade-grown to maximise chlorophyll and L-theanine. The result is a naturally sweet flavour profile with almost no bitterness. You can drink it with nothing but warm water, and it is pleasant, even delicious.
Culinary grade matcha uses later harvests and older leaves and is processed less carefully. It is significantly more bitter and astringent. It is not designed to be drunk straight; it's designed to be used in baking and cooking where other flavours are present. Putting culinary grade matcha in a latte is like making a drink out of cooking wine instead of drinking wine.
The price difference is real, and it reflects a genuine quality difference. If you tried matcha and didn't enjoy it, please try ceremonial grade before writing it off entirely. For my matcha enthusiast who are going to rant about ceremonial grade not being a true classification, read our last post, "Best ceremonial grade matcha in the UK".
Does It Taste Like Green Tea?
Yes and no. Both matcha and green tea come from the same plant Camellia sinensis. But the taste is quite different. Regular green tea brewed from loose leaves or a bag has a lighter, more delicate flavour with mild grassiness. Matcha is more concentrated and more complex, with a deeper umami note.
The key difference is that when you drink green tea, you discard the leaves and consume only the water they were steeped in. When you drink matcha, you consume the entire ground leaf. This means every flavour compound, every amino acid, and every antioxidant is in your cup, which is why the flavour is so much more vivid.
The Flavoured Option: If Plain Matcha Isn't for You Yet
Some people love ceremonial grade matcha from the first sip. Others need a gentler introduction. This is exactly why our flavoured matcha range exists and why Strawberry Matcha is consistently our bestseller at pop-ups and with new customers.
Our flavoured matchas use a process that infuses natural fruit flavour into ceremonial grade matcha without altering its colour, froth, or base properties. The result is a matcha that tastes like a fruit latte but behaves like ceremonial matcha. It whisks, it froths, and it holds its colour.
If you've been curious about matcha but unsure whether you'll enjoy it, Peach, Chocolate, or Strawberry Matcha is a far gentler starting point than going straight to the pure ceremonial powder.
Monique's tip: My first matcha in Japan was with a small amount of traditional wagashi (sweet confection) alongside. The contrast between the slightly bitter, earthy matcha and the sweet wagashi is the classic Japanese pairing. You don't need wagashi a piece of dark chocolate or a date works just as well.
How to Make It Taste Its Best
Temperature is everything. Use water at 70–80°C, never boiling. Sift your powder before adding water to prevent lumps. Use 3g of matcha with 60ml of warm water and 185ml of barista oat milk. Whisk in a W shape until frothy. These four steps eliminate the most common matcha mistakes.
If you prefer a sweeter flavour, add a small amount of honey, maple syrup, or vanilla while building your palate. Over time, most people naturally reduce the sweetener as their taste develops for matcha's natural sweetness.
For iced matcha, which has become one of the most popular ways to drink it in the UK, especially in summer, the same ratio applies, just poured into the milk over ice. Iced matcha is noticeably milder and sweeter than hot matcha, which many people find even more approachable.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is matcha supposed to be bitter? No, high-quality ceremonial grade matcha prepared correctly should not be bitter. If your matcha tastes bitter, it is either culinary grade, low quality, or was prepared with water that was too hot. Ceremonial grade matcha has a natural sweetness.
- Does matcha taste like green tea? They share some characteristics; both are grassy and slightly sweet, but matcha is more concentrated, more complex, with a deeper umami flavour. Because you consume the whole leaf in matcha, every flavour compound is more present than in steeped green tea.
- What does a matcha latte taste like? A matcha latte made with ceremonial grade matcha and oat milk is creamy, naturally sweet, earthy, and satisfying. It is richer and more complex than coffee but without the bitterness of espresso. Many people describe it as something like a creamier, greener version of a chai latte.
- Why does some matcha taste bad? Most bad matcha experiences come from three sources: culinary grade matcha being used in lattes, water that is too hot destroying the flavour compounds, or matcha that is old or stored incorrectly. Fresh, first-harvest ceremonial grade matcha prepared at the correct temperature is a different product entirely.
- What is the sweetest-tasting matcha? Gokou and Okumidori are among the sweetest ceremonial grade cultivars. The Matcha Yaad uses Gokou from Uji, Kyoto, which is known for its natural sweetness and creamy finish. Our flavoured matchas (peach and strawberry) are also naturally sweet without any added sugar.
