Fresh strawberries and matcha make an unlikely pair on paper, but the two hold up well together: bright, tangy fruit against something grassy and faintly umami. The aroma leans sweet and berry-forward at first, before the vegetal scent of matcha comes through underneath. In the glass the colours stay distinct too, vivid green settling over or through a wash of pink, before you stir it in. Taste follows a similar arc: gentle strawberry sweetness with a light tang up front, then matcha's smooth, slightly creamy, faintly umami character taking over through the middle, finishing clean and lingering where the two flavours meet. Tasting notes run from fruity strawberry, lemon and lime brightness through stone fruit, with a rounder side of coconut, maple and almond underneath. The texture is silky, more so when made as a latte.
The matcha itself is shade-grown. Tea plants are covered roughly three weeks before harvest to keep direct sunlight off the leaves, which raises chlorophyll levels and is largely what gives the powder its vivid green colour and much of its umami depth. After picking, the leaves are steamed, dried and stone-ground into a fine powder. Natural strawberry flavouring is then blended in, rather than the fruit itself, which is how the drink gets its two-tone colour and its balance of grassy and fruity.
Matcha has long been part of Japanese tea culture, and some drinkers reach for it as a source of antioxidants alongside the caffeine. To prepare it the traditional way, sift about a teaspoon of the powder to break up clumps, then add roughly 60ml of hot water, ideally around 80°C rather than boiling. Whisk briskly with a bamboo whisk in a zigzag motion until it turns frothy and smooth. For a hot latte, steam and optionally froth about 150ml of milk and pour it over the prepared tea. For an iced version, pour the same amount of cold milk over ice first, then let the matcha and strawberry blend settle on top for a layered look before stirring it through.
There is room to adjust it to taste: maple syrup, stevia, agave or a flavoured syrup for extra sweetness; almond, oat, coconut or soy milk in place of dairy for a different mouthfeel; a splash of lemon or lime juice for more tang; or chia seeds, collagen powder or a handful of spinach stirred in for those wanting to bulk it out.
