AIBU - Matcha is disgusting

[PennyThought]

Matcha tastes like rubbish and I do not understand why people pretend to like the taste of this green bile.

I have tried it cold with various types of "milk" and even real milk, added ice and flavoured and plain syrups.

Despite all the effort and promises of enjoyment, this "drink" makes me feel like I spent good money on off cuts of grass from the neighbours garden recycling.

Currently, Starbucks offers this amazing blend for £7.50, for a grande, because it's full of "protein" 🤔

I have also tried to wear leggings and update my Botox, but the disgusting taste remains.

YABU - add eco friendly things (like crickets) or add alcohol and try again
YANBU - people drink grass because it's trendy and they like to waste money

Thatcha?

It's very funny to me to see British people freaking out about matcha, when all youve most likely experienced is...not matcha. Either very low quality, or mixed with other things so it is as far removed from actual matcha as a truck stop burger is from A5 grade wagyu filet.

Decent Asian tea shops can hook you up with the real shit. Organic matcha isn't good enough, you need top grade ceremonial matcha and the correct water temperature, whisk,a chawan etc.

I don't link actual matcha with leggings and Botox either, they aren't getting the real shit in Starbucks lol, nerds like me are. Nerds who research growing techniques and company history and flavour profile. I recently had some powdered gyokuro and that was amazing, much sweeter than some matchas. I hear ube is a trend too but I haven't tried it.

But of course, trying the best stuff is very costly, like a good rare coffee bean addiction I guess, and it can still be challenging flavour wise even if it's top quality and served correctly. So just avoid it if you think you wouldn't like it. There's a lot of variance in flavour, and tbh I haven't found any as good outside of Japan. But it's a bit culturally unaware and rude to state that it's just all shit and disgusting. The worse versions you've tried are just not for you, and that's fine.

In your opinion.

Ps. I don't think I'm above Starbucks matcha lol, I'll happily drink a matcha latte of indiscriminate quality, or a sweetened canned matcha from the Asian supermarket lol, sometimes the slightly shite sweet milky one is just what I want!

Highly unlikely. Japanese people have been drinking it for centuries.

As stated, I have tried organic powder and it is also disgusting, IMO.

I'm not flying over to Japan to try their version to prove to others how culturally aware I am ...

I haven't been to India for a curry, or China to try their food, either.

Believe it or not, I still have preferences on these dishes as they are served in the United Kingdom.

But I bow to your supremacy, oh cultured one!

I love a master of the obvious. 👌

I know someone born and bred Japanese. They have no hesitation in telling me what British foods they find shit so I wouldn't worry about being rude about some of their foodstuffs. 😂 (For the record Japanese cuisine is my favourite).

Organic matcha powder yes gross but a nice matcha powder that’s full of sugar is nice. Takes away the healthiness of it but it’s nice

Or just let someone explain a 'joke' to a poster who didn't get it. Zero reason for you to respond – you just got annoyed for no reason.

Are you a horse?

Oh yes, blooming Prosecco, people making a fuss of it as if it was some sort of softer absinthe.

I was not keen on the Prosecco either or but someway felt like I was out of the loop looking at everyone being so excited about it.

I admit that as the OP I just decided I didn’t understand the fuss and drank it with a smile just to be respectful to their enthusiasm and joy… or ordered something else.

I like matcha. I have pods for my coffee machine.

I love matcha but this did make me chuckle lol 😂

Ok, that's nice for you, I guess? Is there anything else you hate and need to get off your chest? I didn't feel the need for rudeness, I was just sharing my experience about something I'm interested in, I'm sad that we often don't really see good versions of so many global foodstuffs in the UK.

Wasn't even trying to change your opinion about it. And as I said, I'll drink gutter grade sweet milky matcha happily, so I don't know how I am particularly cultured just because I went somewhere on a plane and drank a thing, I eat alphabet chips FFS 😂 I just don't feel the need to shit on something that's a big part of whatever culture without knowing much about it first.

I hope you have a nice day exercising free will to drink what you like 👍

Well you go on and have a good laugh at British people and enjoy your superior culture.

I don’t particularly like the look of green drinks, so it doesn’t appeal. But it just seems like ‘proper’ matcha made properly (iykwim) is probably nice and beneficial. However, because it’s ‘having a moment’, everyone and his dog is now selling everything in ‘matcha’ flavour, which just seems to be a green version of whatever they’re selling.

I’m afraid I’ve filed it away alongside other food ‘moments’ (like Dubai chocolate and salted caramel flavoured anything) as something that clearly some people like, but not for me.

Have a good laugh at? Or in fact, try to calmly talk about the differences in something I'm interested in, a product I feel isn't represented in it's best light in the UK?

When I said very funny, I mean it's funny that loads of people form an opinion based on a version of the drink (which isn't often the nicest it could be, when made in the UK,), not "haha look at dumb people hating matcha", which is what I'm presuming you think I mean.

Enjoy my superiority? Or merely talk about my preference and experience, which don't align with yours? That isn't worthy of getting offended over, I bet there are lots of differences between you and I, but we are both ok to love or hate matcha, and to talk about it on a thread about matcha in the UK.

I’ve tried the good matcha made with a whisk. I just about finished the drink. And wouldn’t buy another one.

It’s not disgusting but it’s not sufficiently nice to be in everything and everywhere, as it is currently. If it wasn’t bright green I expect it wouldn’t be getting half the attention.

What you meant and how it came across didn't align as per the reaction from @Owly11 and me. But, I hear you. No rudeness. Only humour. Wish more people would acquire the trait.

Can only be drank after tapping yer fingers on the side of it whilst filming yersel for social media.

I mean, black tea with milk (or even without) is disgusting as far as I'm concerned, but most people drink multiple cups of it every single day in this country. People like different things. I genuinely like matcha and would drink it whatever colour it was.

People like different things

Yep. It’s bizarre that some can’t get their head round that fact. I had a boss who didn’t like tea or coffee or even hot chocolate, but he understood we did.

There was a fancy coffee machine which most of us made full use of.

Imagine if he’d went round telling everyone in our mostly coffee-loving office that we only liked it because it was everywhere. 😂

I notice all the time on Mumsnet that a worrying number of people cannot imagine an experience different to their own being real or true in any way!