When we drink Matcha Green Tea, we prefer organic ceremonial grade Matcha Green Tea. These here are our favourite ceremonial grade Matcha teas. You can find our favourite premium grade Matcha teas and other great Matcha recommendations in our Reviews section.
However, we have, as Matcha lovers, also tried Starbucks Matcha Green Tea, and we would like to share our opinion here and answer the question what kind of Matcha Green Tea powder Starbucks use.
Which Matcha Powder Does Starbucks Use?
We did some research and have, as mentioned, tried the Starbucks Matcha various times ourselves. From what we could find out, Starbucks uses a sweetened matcha powder for all their matcha tea drinks. The matcha powder has three ingredients: sugar, fruit pectin and Japanese green tea powder.
We researched that sugar is actually the largest percentage in the ingredients, so it is very different from traditional Matcha powder. Bear in mind that Matcha comes in different grades. You can find more about this in our Education section. We assume that Starbucks do not use ceremonial grade Matcha. As it is mixed with sugar, we assume it is a lower grade Matcha, but we cannot say for sure.
Is Starbucks Matcha Healthy?
The Matcha powder that Starbucks use contains sugar. As it is not possible to get a sugar-free Matcha green tea at Starbucks, the Starbucks Matcha is not healthy and cannot be compared to traditional (ceremonial) Matcha that is normally used at tea ceremonies. Of course, there are many health benefits associated with Matcha. However, we believe that if you drink a Matcha at Starbucks, you do not primarily do it because you want a healthy drink necessarily. You may do it as it gives you a good feeling and as you like the taste!
Does Starbucks Matcha Taste Good?
As we mentioned, we have tried the Starbucks Matcha various times. We really like it! I guess that`s because we love Matcha and we also drink the Starbucks Matcha (not very often, however). If we order it at Starbucks, then we order it with soya milk and vanilla syrup. Yes, it is probably not what the traditional Matcha lover would do, but we appreciate that Starbucks made Matcha "mainstream" and we sometimes just like the taste of their Matcha!