I Paid €5.50 for the Worst Matcha Latte of My Life

At a café somewhere in Europe, I had the worst matcha latte of my life.

It cost €5.50, which was quite expensive even by local standards. And yet, the matcha latte I was served was absolutely terrible.

The first thing that shocked me was the color.

It looked like someone had dried some weeds from the side of the road and ground them into powder.

To be honest, I almost didn't want to drink it.

But when I finally took a sip, I was even more shocked.

It tasted awful.

There was none of the rich umami or pleasant aroma you'd expect from matcha. Just an unpleasant grassy taste.

And this cost €5.50?

I honestly couldn't believe it.

If this had been my first experience with matcha, I would never have wanted to drink matcha again.

In this page, I want to share my experience with this shockingly bad matcha latte in Europe, along with my thoughts on the growing matcha boom overseas.

€5.50 for a Matcha Latte That Tasted Like Grass

I've tried matcha lattes in many different countries across Europe.

Some were delicious, made with high-quality Japanese matcha, while others left me questioning the quality of the matcha being used.

But this particular matcha latte was by far one of the most shocking experiences I've had.

For example, in Japan, €5.50 would get you a pretty high-quality matcha latte.

Yet what I was served at this café tasted like someone had ground up weeds and mixed them with milk.

There was absolutely none of the rich umami or pleasant aroma that matcha is known for. Just an unpleasant grassy taste.

I couldn't help but ask the staff:

“Which country is this matcha from?”

The answer was just three words.

“I don't know.”

Of course, I understand that café staff don't always know where every ingredient comes from.

But charging €5.50 for a matcha latte without even knowing which country the matcha comes from?

I honestly couldn't believe it.

The Problem With Europe's Matcha Latte Boom

In recent years, matcha has become increasingly popular across Europe.

Walk around almost any city, and you'll find cafés serving matcha lattes. It's no longer just specialty matcha shops. Even regular coffee shops have started adding matcha drinks to their menus.

As a Japanese person, I'm genuinely happy to see matcha becoming so popular overseas.

But at the same time, there's something about this matcha boom that bothers me.

Are some cafés simply assuming they can charge high prices just because a drink has the word matcha on the menu?

The matcha latte I tried cost €5.50.

I don't know how much the ingredients cost, but honestly, you'd have a hard time finding matcha that bad in Japan.

Of course, café prices cover more than just ingredients. There are staff wages, rent, and other operating expenses.

And expensive matcha isn't always good, just as cheap matcha isn't always bad.

Still, when I see a matcha latte like the one I had being sold for €5.50, I can't help but question it.

Are customers paying high prices simply because it's called matcha, without knowing anything about the actual quality?

That's exactly what bothers me about the matcha boom in Europe.

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Why Does Matcha Latte Taste Like Grass?

One thing I often hear from people who don't like matcha is that it tastes like grass.

It's true that matcha has a natural bitterness and astringency from tea leaves. But that's only part of its flavor. What makes matcha special is its rich umami and pleasant aroma.

Japanese matcha, in particular, is made from tea leaves grown under shade, which helps develop higher levels of umami-related compounds.

In other words, real matcha isn't supposed to taste like nothing but grass.

So why do so many people who dislike matcha describe it as tasting grassy?

What I often wonder is whether they were actually drinking real matcha in the first place.

What if they were served ordinary powdered green tea or some other green powder instead of actual matcha?

That's not the same thing as matcha.

Of course, a grassy taste alone doesn't mean the matcha is fake. Low-quality matcha or matcha that has been stored improperly can also develop unpleasant grassy flavors and excessive bitterness.

But it's a shame when someone pays a high price for a drink like that and walks away thinking matcha tastes terrible.

That's why there's something I really want to say.

Real matcha, especially high-quality Japanese matcha, has a rich aroma, deep umami, and a pleasant bitterness.

And when that bitterness blends with the natural sweetness and creaminess of milk, it creates a delicious matcha latte.

Hate Matcha Latte? Give It Another Chance

What disappointed me most about this experience wasn't the €5.50 I wasted.

It was the thought that someone could try this matcha latte and end up hating matcha altogether.

Imagine a young person in Europe trying matcha for the first time at this café.

They've seen those beautiful, vibrant green matcha drinks on social media and decide to spend a little extra money to try one.

But what they get is a terrible drink with an unpleasant grassy taste.

They think, So this is what matcha tastes like? It's awful.

And they never drink matcha again.

That's what disappoints me the most.

Maybe you've had a similar experience:

• You've tried matcha before, but it tasted terrible.
• It tasted like grass.
• It was just bitter, and you couldn't understand why people liked it.

If any of these sound familiar, there's something I want to tell you.

Was the matcha you tried actually good-quality matcha?

You may have been served low-quality matcha.

Or perhaps what you drank wasn't even real matcha, but ordinary powdered green tea or something similar.

In fact, I've seen matcha being marketed as Ceremonial Matcha in Europe, giving the impression that it's a premium product.

However, Ceremonial Matcha is not an officially recognized quality grade in Japan.

In other words, just because a product is labeled Ceremonial Matcha doesn't necessarily mean it's high-quality matcha.

Of course, even good-quality matcha isn't for everyone. Some people simply don't enjoy its flavor.

But I think it's a real shame when someone gives up on matcha entirely after just one bad experience.

That's why I'd love for you to give matcha one more chance and try some high-quality Japanese matcha.

Maybe it wasn't matcha itself that you disliked. Maybe it was just that one bad cup.

Why Matcha Lab Uses 100% Japanese Matcha

As a Japanese person and the founder of Matcha Lab, a matcha brand, I'm genuinely happy to see Japanese matcha gaining popularity overseas.

But at the same time, I question why some cafés charge high prices for matcha drinks that simply aren't worth the money.

In fact, some cafés don't even know much about the quality or origin of the matcha they use, let alone how to store it properly.

I believe that if a café is charging €5.50 for a matcha latte, it should be more professional about the matcha it serves.

Which country does the matcha come from? What is its quality? How should it be stored to maintain its freshness and flavor?

At the very least, cafés should understand these basics before serving matcha to their customers.

To me, that's simply about being honest and respectful to the people paying for their drinks.

At Matcha Lab, we offer matcha made from 100% Japanese-grown tea leaves.

Our Matcha is carefully selected to bring the authentic flavor of Japanese matcha to lattes and desserts.

Our goal isn't simply to sell a product called matcha.

We want people to discover how delicious authentic Japanese matcha can be through matcha lattes and desserts.

And experiences like this one have only made me more determined to share that with the world.