I like traditional green tea, but I’ve never tried matcha and wonder why it’s so popular now. And, is it actually good in things like ice cream, or is that just a fad?
I'm not a matcha connoisseur, but I live north of Tokyo and have some perspective...
The commercial excitement over matcha is that it's flavor competes with coffee in cafe drinks, and chocolate in ice cream.
When you visit Japan, try out the old style of matcha long been associated with the traditional tea ceremony.
It may be hard to find this kind of matcha, but specialty shops will prepare this for you at a good price. It's delicious and is guaranteed to delight you since you enjoy traditional green tea already.
The commercially popular matcha can be found everywhere in Japan. Try a hot matcha latte served in Tully's, maybe Japan's biggest homegrown coffee cafe. I prefer adding a little sugar to the drink.
In soft serve ice cream, matcha can be found at every tourist location here. Also found in the supermarket. Yes, even Häagen-Dazs sell matcha ice cream.
Enjoy.
Definitely not a fad. Here to stay just like sushi! Oh you must try all the assortment of fresh, traditional teas of Japan! AND matcha based pastries and sweets! I have been told even their McDonalds has matcha stuff!
In many US grocery stores, you can find boxes of Green Tea Mochi Ice Cream in the freezer section! It’s balls of ice cream wrapped in sweet glutinous rice dough! That or ordering a matcha latte from Starbucks. (I recommend with a plant-based milk that’s not dairy. Tastes better.)
“If you’re not familiar with matcha, it’s a Japanese green tea powder made from finely powdered dried tea leaves. It has a slightly bitter, vegetal taste and a vibrant green color that results from the leaves’ high chlorophyll levels. It’s been the cornerstone of traditional Japanese tea ceremonies for centuries, but it recently became popular in the US because of its health benefits.”
https://www.loveandlemons.com/matcha-green-tea/