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?

Hey, I need a new hot drink. I do drink coffee, but only in the mornings and I've 'gone off' tea. I can't drink any herb/spice tea.

your post has made me wonder if Matcha could be it?!

what type do you think I should try? Is there a chain that does 'good' matcha (as far as you're concerned?) So I could try it before spending another small fortune on something I don't like?

Chai (a spiced tea) with a shot of espresso. I love it.

Oh that's interesting, maybe that's what I need to try.

Nope, it has chilies in it. Can be warmed too but its because it has chilies in predominantly

Not my sacred chamomile tea! I’ll see you at dawn with chopsticks 🤺 (imagine a fencing emoji if it fails to appear)!

I’ve got so many teas in my cupboard, I’m not even going to think about adding another one!

@Pebbles16 I can get on board with milk, just not the sweeteners and fruit syrups/ purées. A nice hand-whisked matcha poured over some milk… fine. Whatever these weird pink and green concoctions are that I keep seeing advertised in the windows of coffee shops… no, thank you.

Never heard of it 🤣

A good few years ago when I lived in London I used to think nothing of buying expensive ‘choose your own’ salads for lunch.
I remember the following items being available at great expense which I used to purchase thinking I was some kind of fashionable health obsessed yoga bunny and feel smug all day.

Birch Water - water with some birch tree sap in it. Tasted of watered down tree

Baobab chips - dried leaves of the baobab tree. Tasted of dehyrated tree as expected

Freekeh - impossible to say without sounding like an American rapper. Shit quinoa. Which is already shit.

Havent seen them for a while so I suspect matcha will go the same way.

That makes more sense, I wondered why I didn’t like it! I don’t like chilies, warm hot honey, yuk!

Sourdough - urghhh. Ruins a good loaf, and don't get me started on bloody pizza! You find a really nice looking pizza in the shop only to discover the base is sourdough. Why?!?!?!

I’ve never seen it anywhere round here. I didn’t like the boba trend a few years ago though.

Can I also add into the vortex anything that is pretending to be the love child of two different foods cronuts as an example.

I saw Dubai style muffins in Lidl today and thought of you all

Funnily enough there was an article on it on the news last night. How the proper stuff is so much better than the fake stuff flooding the market 🙂

I am more of a coffee drinker and like a very good flat white or a cortado .
I think matcha based drinks here in many coffee shops are often milky and sweetened / flavoured so they do appeal to some .
My daughter likes them , she’s late 20s .
I have had matcha in Japan , but only the free matcha you tend to get in Sushi restaurants where they leave the jar of powder out on the side next to a hot water dispenser .
I prefer other teas like sencha , genmaicha, Hojicha

@Packetofcrispsplease The stuff you get in sushi shops etc is konacha. It is a powdered green tea made from leftover scraps from production of other kinds of tea e.g. sencha. It isn’t matcha.

I’m also a fan of genmaicha and hojicha. I like the toasty, savoury notes.

Oh that’s interesting ! I didn’t know that .
i just thought 💭 oh it’s green and powdery 😂

I used to think it was matcha too. Then I had actual matcha and the penny dropped that the stuff in sushi shops is something else. You’re not alone.

@Packetofcrispsplease Yes hojicha is my preferred, lovely in summer chilled in the fridge.