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Much ado about Matcha
Green, it seems, is the new brown. Matcha is having its moment in the spotlight. From cafe menus to social media feeds, it’s everywhere. Let’s decode the popularity of this Japanese import that has taken over the world by storm
By Manisha Kaushal
It tasted like grass,” says Anushka Dayal as she narrates the story of her first encounter with the drink in the fashion of a classic romcom, minus an appearance by Hugh Grant (of course). It’s not like she has eaten grass ever in her life or was forced to do so for some crazy initiation ceremony; it’s more like “how you would imagine grass to taste.” A resonating laugh escapes her lips, the kind that blooms at the corner of your eyes, making you glimmer as only true happiness can. To provide some context, we are discussing ‘the matcha’. Yes, the very same pretty-looking green-tinted drink which, in recent years, has not only taken over the internet, but apparently the world.
If you so much as glance at social media these days, matcha is sure to find you. On Instagram, it appears in pale ceramic mugs clutched by girls donning beautiful lemon yellow-hued cardigans at some local park painted against pale blue skies; on Pinterest, it resides in artful glasses crowded with heart-shaped ice cubes, screaming at you to get one. Matcha, today, has risen beyond the category of ‘beverage’ to become something much more important. It’s now a way of telling the world you have taste, that you are well-affluent in exotic things; it’s a full-blown aesthetic.
Anushka, naturally, is a matcha disciple now. “My friend made me taste it. And it was kinda… disgusting. But it grows on you. Now, I can’t start my morning without it. You add a little flavoured essence and it becomes even tastier,” she informs us, in the manner you reserve for talking about religion. She continues, “It has replaced my morning coffee. It’s much healthier and makes me feel good,” all while sipping on, you guessed it right, matcha in a clear glass sipper with hearts smeared all over.
For those who have been living under a rock or worse, drinking cups of instant coffee, matcha is simply a type of powdered green tea. The leaves are grown in shade, which presumably keeps them pale and tender, much like the aristocrats in a Jane Austen novel. They are then ground into a powder so fine you could mistake it for the sort of thing you might use to beautify your art project or as pistachio dust. But unlike normal green tea, which you brew and then throw away the leaves, matcha is whisked into hot water or milk, and you drink the whole leaf, which can be either very healthy or faintly alarming, depending on how you look at it.
Its history, like so many fashionable things, is quite ancient. It is said that matcha was imported from China to Japan in the 12th century and was adopted by Zen monks for ceremonies. They kept it that way for centuries, when it began to slowly march into the Western wellness culture, fuelled by health enthusiasts. And now it’s poured into paper takeaway cups with oat milk for someone named Arjun. You go to any cafe today and there is an 80 per cent chance that matcha will be listed on the menu.
“Matcha is one of our highest-selling drinks. In a particular store, we sell over 60 to 70 cups a day,” says Khyuzogo, an employee at Got Tea in Safdarjung, in a tone that carries a mild bafflement at the public’s taste while he spoke to customers who demanded the waiting time on their drinks. The cafe had not, at first, bothered with matcha, but it crept onto the menu in due course, which can be attributed to the current star turn this Japanese import is enjoying. As for the taste, Khyuzogo offers an interesting theory, “Matcha and coffee both have caffeine,” he says, “so I think that’s the reason people are getting used to its taste.”
Market reports indicate that the Indian matcha business is already worth over USD 100 million and is projected to reach USD 168 million by 2030. Once mostly served hot in its traditional form, matcha now appears in an array of flavours and finds its way into ice creams, cheesecakes, and other desserts, broadening its audience beyond the tea crowd. The reasons for this popularity are baffling for some, but if we had to pin it down, they seem to rest on its photogenic shade of green, its compatibility with what the modern crowd calls ‘self-care,’ and its agreeable place in the hands of someone wearing linen trousers and boat shoes, or a summer dress for that matter.
Even the science behind it is kind of impressive. It’s like you read about it, and you want it in a pink mug. Matcha is rich in antioxidants, L-theanine, EGCG, chlorophyll, and other things with bold, big letters that sound important even when you don’t know what they actually mean. Many research studies on the green magic powder claim that it can protect your heart, sharpen your mind, boost your mood, and possibly encourage you to take up pottery (very subjective). There is also a benefit of reduced cholesterol and improved blood sugar levels, although whether that is the matcha or the absence of two spoons of sugar in your tea, there is no telling. Your guess is as good as ours. And so, the green storm continues. Perhaps, like all the trends, it might one day fade, leaving behind faint stains on the teeth of those who loved it most and a diminishing memory in our heads like unicorn lattes did. Until then, matcha will keep its little bamboo whisk spinning with passion, while we decide whether we are drinking it for our health, for our Instagram feed, or simply because it tastes like some ‘nice grass’.