What *is* Matcha and why is it so popular? And other trends you just don't get?

[SeptemberOctober25]

The only one I've ever had honestly tasted like a odd mix of grass and soya sauce. I'll admit I've only tried it once and it was from a free pret promotion in Leeds but it was absolutely foul and thrown away after a couple of sips. Maybe basing my opinion on this is wrong but I just can't get myself to try it again.
Matcha seems everywhere at the moment and my teenage nieces love it.
I know each to their own and everybody has different tastes but I'd be interested to know why it's so popular?
I follow a dance YouTuber who seems to have about four a day and includes matcha powder in everything.
What other 'trends' confuses people?

I like it. I’ve had it in Japan but also make my own here. I like the grassy, earthy flavour. I’m not sure I would ever choose it over coffee though.

I agree it’s tastes like crap and I don’t see the appeal.
Another food trend that’s lost me is overnight oats! Porridge is much much nicer hot in my opinion.
Other trends I’ve never tried is Pumpkin Spice Coffee, but I’m watching my son run a marathon in the morning and I plan to get one from Costa.
One I tried recently and totally get the hype.. Dubai chocolate, yum.

Bubble tea is just blobs of frogspawn tapioca floating about in funny-coloured liquid and what's the point in that?

As for Dubai chocolate...

I have a friend who drinks this, dear reader, oh do I judge

It tastes how henna hair dye smells !

The only Matcha I like is Rishi's sweet matcha. Actually, I'm addicted to it. I mix it with M&S oat milk.

Matcha is a lazy drink because it doesn't require much effort to "like"

It would take a lot of effort for me to like!

I like it, been drinking it for years. But I also like coffee, bubble tea, avocados, hot honey, overnight oats.

I don't like pumpkin spice anything, Dubai chocolate, Biscoff spread (love the biscuits though) and salted caramel, all far too sickly sweet.

I’ve no desire to try matcha, just the lurid shade of green puts me off. I wouldn’t want bubble tea either, the thought of things floating about in a drink is too much for me 🤢

Everything seems to have matcha, Biscof, salted caramel or bloody spice these days. Spice is not a flavour!

Another trend I can't get on with is overnight oats. Oats I like. Hot, milky porridge I LOVE. Thick, cold, congealed gloop hitting the back of the throat of a morning? No. Boke.

Ha. Wish I'd seen your post before posting. You've spoken for me. Yep, agree.😁

Is overnight oats the same thing as Bircher muesli? I used to like that but haven’t thought about it in years.

I had to Google what Bircher muesli is but it does look it might be the original overnight oats.

I love bubble tea and chai lattes from Costa. Don't like matcha though. Seen the hot honey around. I thought it was to season meat. I've been seasoning pork with honey, chilli and soy for years! It's delicious.

i really like matcha, I just enjoy the kind of earthiness? Not quite sure how to describe it and matcha flavoured things, I have an addiction to matcha kitkats!

Matcha is a special type of finely ground green tea that is very high in antioxidants. When you drink it you consume the whole rea leaf i.stead of steeping it so you get the extra health benefits. If you don't like green teas you probably won't like it. Matcha flavoring is something entirely different. Not everyone has to like it but it isn't a fad. It has been around for centuries 🤣

Nasty powdery stuff.

I keep giving it a go thinking I must have missed something. But from matcha cupcakes in 2009 onwards, it's just very much not my thing.

It’s such a strange thing to judge, just because your friend wants to drink a different drink to you.

if you don’t like matcha or anything else don’t drink it. If people want to drink it even if they don’t like it then that’s their choice. I don’t like the look of it so haven’t tried it but why would l judge others for drinking it? Life would be dull if we all liked the same things.

Yes re Overnight oats. I tried it then realised it's just congealed porridge. hot porridge is so much nicer

Speak for yourself who is this ‘our’ you squeak if? . I don’t drink regular tea. I enjoy coffee and matcha.

I don’t like green tea or any tea but I enjoy matcha. It doesn’t taste mike tea to me. It doesn’t have that awful astringent quality

Camomile tea makes excellent baby wipes! I've only ever used it for that though. Never fancied drinking it.

I love camomile tea And fennel tea.

Agree that matcha (to me) is grim. I love bubble tea. The sensation of popping bubbles is childishly fun. I don’t like Dubai chocolate as it’s soooo sweet but I love pistachios in chocolate. My latest ‘thing’ is chai, especially dirty chai. Also the various ones from Bird & Blend.

Yerba maté is fantastic in the morning with the extra caffeine getting me going.

I tried a matcha latte the other day, the texture reminded me of the Milk of Magnesia drink that was my Mother's favourite cure for any tummy troubles when I was a child, so I won't be trying matcha latte again!

Trends I don't like are......adding chorizo to absolutely everything, you can get chorizo crumb to add to cauliflower cheese, dauphinois potatoes or lasagna though why you would want to, I just don't know. Also adding chilli flakes to everything. So by the time you've added chorizo and chilli to all meals, everything will taste exactly the same.

But I do like avocados (especially with prawn cocktail), bubble tea, salted caramel, and Belgian speculoos biscuits. I've yet to try Dubai chocolate, as it's so pricy!