Matcha is a type of green tea that is high-quality and powdered. This makes it easier to create your favorite matcha drinks, of which Starbucks has many. Matcha tends to have higher amounts of antioxidants, making it a healthier option to get your daily dose of caffeine.
In this article, we are going to look at 2 Matcha Starbucks drinks. These beverages are made in a variety of ways to produce various options for you to choose from. Hopefully, this will help you find which beverage you want to try the next time you are at your local Starbucks.
Overview of Top 4 Matcha Starbucks Drinks
- Matcha Tea Latte
- Matcha Crème Frappuccino Blended beverage
- Iced Matcha Tea Latte
- Iced Matcha Lemonade
Top 4 Matcha Starbucks Drinks
Before we look at the matcha drinks available at Starbucks, it is important to recognize the benefits of drinking matcha. Matcha is a powerful green tea that has a host of benefits with the primary benefit being that it is high in antioxidants. This helps reduce the damage from free radicals which we are exposed to daily.
1. Matcha Tea Latte
Lattes are made by steaming milk and adding it to a powder or espresso base after which it is topped with foam from that same milk. A Matcha Tea Latte is made with espresso as the base and steamed milk used to create the rest of the drink.
How it is Made
Starbucks makes this drink by steaming 2% milk and combining it with 3 scoops of matcha powder. Initially, a bit of milk is mixed with the powder to dissolve the matcha, after which the cup is filled with the remaining steamed milk, and the foam is added on top. This leaves a fluffy matcha drink for you to enjoy.
Customizable Options
Among the possible customizations for this drink is adding espresso shots and clarifying the espresso roast you would prefer. Customers can decide how many shots of espresso to add, while the roast options available include the Signature Espresso Roast, the Blonde Espresso Roast, and decaffeinated options.
Quick Facts
- Nutritional Information: Due to the large amount of milk in this drink, it contains 240 calories per serving, 32 grams of sugar, and 7 grams of fat. Different milk options could inflate or decrease these numbers.
- Customizations: Customers can customize the type of sweetener used, which toppings they would like to add, the number of Matcha Powder scoops used, and which milk variation they would like.
- Cup Size Options: This drink can be bought as a Short (8 ounces), Tall (12 ounces), Grande (16 ounces), and Venti (24 ounces). Nutritional information for this latte has been derived from a Grande-serving.
2. Matcha Crème Frappuccino Blended Beverage
If you are in the mood for a matcha drink but would like something sweeter and refreshing, Starbucks’ Matcha Crème Frappuccino Blended Beverage would be a good option. It brings the sweetness of the classic syrup and the green quality of the matcha to create a tasty blend.
How it is Made
Starbucks makes this drink by combining ice, whole milk, 3 pumps of Classic Syrup, and 3 scoops of matcha powder in a blender.
Once the ingredients have been combined, the mixture is decanted into the chosen cup and topped with whipped cream. Other toppings include cinnamon powder, flavored drizzles, and sprinkles.
Customizable Options
Among the customizations, customers can make is the milk that is used. There are 10 milk options including Whole milk, 2% milk, non-fat milk, almond milk, coconut milk, and skim milk. Any of these options can be selected when ordering this Frappuccino depending on preference and dietary requirements.
The sweetener used in this drink can be substituted for another option, although the standard is Classic Syrup. Other options include sweetener packets (honey, Splenda, sugar, and Stevia), and liquid sweeteners (Classic Syrup, honey blend, and liquid cane sugar).
Quick Facts
- Nutritional Information: Containing 420 calories per serving, this drink contains 61 grams of sugar and 16 grams of fat. These amounts can be attributed to the sweetener that has been added to the drink, as well as the whole milk. Selecting a lower-calorie milk option would likely reduce these numbers.
- Customizations: Customers can select from a range of milk options (including both dairy and dairy alternatives), as well as from a selection of sweetener packets and liquid sweeteners. Finally, customers can select alternative toppings to meet their preferences.
- Cup Size Options: As with all Frappuccinos, this drink can be ordered in Tall (12 ounces), Grande (16 ounces), and Venti (24 ounces). The nutritional information has been derived from a standard, Grande Blended Beverage.
3. Iced Matcha Tea Latte
For many, lattes are their go-to order when they need a pick-me-up with Matcha lattes growing in popularity. For those warmer days when a hot drink is out of the question, Starbucks has created an Iced Matcha Tea Latte as a cold version of the original beverage.
How it is Made
The drink is made by combining 2% milk and 3 scoops of Matcha Powder to create the base. This mixture is then poured into the customer’s chosen cup with ice, to create a cool and refreshing drink.
Although the milk is not steamed, there is 2-part milk to 1-part Matcha ratio which is the classic makeup of a latte.
Customizable Options
Customers can add sweeteners to this beverage to cut the light bitterness of Matcha, with these options including both packet and liquid sweeteners such as Stevia, honey, and Liquid Cane Sugar. Further, customers can add espresso shots to the drink to give a light caffeine boost.
Quick Facts
- Nutritional Information: Contained in this drink are 200 calories per serving, 28 grams of sugar, and 5 grams of fat. These amounts will be altered if additional ingredients are added or existing ingredients are removed.
- Customizations: The primary customization that can be made with this drink is changing the milk type used. These options include Breve (Half and Half), soy milk, and sweet cream.
- Cup Size Options: An Iced Matcha Tea Latte can be bought in a Tall (12 ounces), Grande (16 ounces), and Venti (24 ounces). The nutritional information has been based on a Grande-serving.
4. Iced Matcha Lemonade
If you are looking for a cold drink with matcha as a base, an Iced Matcha Lemonade will deliver on that while adding a refreshing element in the form of lemonade. Customers have the option to change this lemonade to an option of extra lemonade or light lemonade.
How it is Made
Starbucks makes this drink by combining water, ice, lemonade, and 3 scoops of matcha powder. The ingredients are combined and poured into a customer’s preferred takeaway or sit-down cup. To customize this drink, customers can add various ingredients.
Customizable Options
Toppings include various flavored cold foams including chocolate cream, Irish cream, peppermint chocolate cream, pistachio cream, salted caramel cream, and vanilla sweet cream. For this drink, pistachio could be an interesting flavor to experiment with.
Juice can be added to this lemonade to bring about other fruit flavors, with the options being peach juice and apple juice. Both options are available in substitute variations and light versions.
Quick Facts
- Nutritional Information: Given the lemonade that is added to this drink, there are 120 calories in this matcha lemonade, 27 grams of sugar, and 0 grams of fat. Adding sweeteners or juice will affect these values as each ingredient contains sugar.
- Customizations: Customers can choose to add sweeteners or toppings to this drink to suit their preferences. Additionally, a Starbucks Refresher base can be added to the drink to give it a deeper taste profile. Finally, there is a range of flavoring and juice options that can be ordered with this lemonade.
- Cup Size Options: As with most cold drinks at Starbucks, this lemonade can be ordered as Tall (12 ounces), Grande (16 ounces), Venti (24 ounces), and Trenta (30 ounces). The nutritional information has been derived from a Grande serving.