Starbucks Matcha Tea Latte (Ingredients, Taste, Variations, Sizes, Copycat Recipe, Caffeine, Calories, Dairy content & more information)
One of the widely-known Starbucks lattes is the Starbucks Matcha Tea Latte. To perfect your knowledge about this latte, stick around.
The Starbucks Matcha Tea Latte is a latte prepared with milk and matcha tea blend, available as a hot or cold drink. I love matcha flavors, so I was over the moon when Starbucks introduced this latte. I also appreciated and loved that the coffeehouse offered the cold option for those slow and hot afternoons when I needed a pick-me-up drink.
So, what are the nutritional values of this drink? What sizes are available? What does this latte taste like? What is the dairy content of this latte? To answer all these questions and learn even more, keep reading.
Table of Contents
A brief history of the drink
The Starbucks Matcha Tea Latte was launched at Starbucks on April 4th, 2006, and it quickly took over the major social media platforms and blogs. In 2015, the craze about this latte grew even more thanks to the famous actress Gwyneth Paltrow who further popularized this flavor. The matcha tea blend used in this drink was introduced at Starbucks in 2005, while the 2% milk was introduced in 2007 as the default Starbucks milk, replacing the whole milk used in the previous year to prepare this latte.
Is Starbucks Matcha Tea Latte still available at Starbucks?
The Starbucks Matcha Tea Latte is available in all Starbucks outlets and on the coffeehouse’s website and app. Additionally, you can order this latte via the significant food delivery apps partnered with Starbucks, like ubereats.com. Additionally, this drink is available all year round as all its components are regular items at Starbucks, always in-stock.
Starbucks Matcha Tea Latte (Ingredients, taste, variations, sizes, caffeine, calories, dairy content)
What’s in Starbucks Matcha Tea Latte? – (Ingredients)
As mentioned earlier, the Starbucks Matcha Tea Latte is hot and cold. The hot Starbucks Matcha Tea Latte is prepared with;
- 2% whole milk: 2% whole milk is the foundation of the Starbucks Matcha Tea Latte. It adds creaminess to the drink. The 2% whole milk that Starbucks uses is typically regular whole milk with its fat skimmed, leaving behind only 2% of the total fat; no wonder the name.
- Matcha Tea Blend: Starbucks adds matcha tea blend to the 2% whole milk to introduce the matcha color and flavor and add caffeine. The Starbucks matcha tea blend comprises sugar and ground green tea. The ground green tea in this blend is Japanese green tea from a brand known as Aiya. However, it is good to note that green tea from Aiya isn’t of the finest quality available in the market.
The iced Starbucks Matcha Tea Latte has the two ingredients discussed above, and ice is included. Starbucks uses regular ice cubes in the iced Matcha Tea Latte.
Starbucks Matcha Tea Latte: Sizes, nutrition, caffeine, dairy content, and calories
What sizes are available?
The Starbucks Matcha Tea Latte is available in four sizes, the small sizes being the short and tall sizes, which hold 8fl oz. and 12fl oz., respectively. The medium size, which is also the most popular size among Starbucks customers, is the Grande size, which holds 16fl oz., and lastly, the largest size, the Venti size, which holds 20fl oz. These are the sizes of the hot Matcha Tea Latte.
The iced Matcha Tea Latte is also available in the sizes discussed above. The only difference is that the Venti size of this version holds 24fl oz. instead of 20fl oz. This is so because the cold version has ice cubes incorporated, which tend to occupy more cup space.
The small sizes are best suited for those just starting to have this latte and kids, and the medium size is great for when you’d love to enjoy a matcha tea latte but are not in the mood to indulge. The large size is best reserved for those who adore matcha flavors and would love to indulge in the flavors.
Nutritional facts
The hot and cold Starbucks Matcha Tea Latte are generally healthy drinks, although their sugar levels are higher. The calorie, cholesterol, fat, carbs count, and all other nutrients are within the accepted and healthy daily limit. So, if you’re watching the amount of sugar you’re consuming, you should go for the small and medium sizes. The high sugar level in this latte is thanks to the sweetened matcha tea blend.
The table below has summarized all the nutrients in this latte and indicates their levels and the percentage they contribute to a normal adult diet of 2000 calories.
| Calories
Calories from fat | 240
60 |
| Nutritional Values | % Daily Value |
| Total fat (7g)
Saturated fat (4.5g) Trans fat (0g) | 11%
23% – |
| Sugars (32g) | – |
| Dietary fiber (1g) | 4% |
| Cholesterol (25mg) | 8% |
| Protein (12g) | 24% |
| Total carbs (34g) | 11% |
| Sodium (160mg) | 7% |
Caffeine Information
The Starbucks Matcha Tea Latte is caffeinated, although it’s coffee-free. The caffeine is from the ground green tea used in the matcha tea blend. The caffeine level in the short matcha tea latte is 40mg, 60mg in the tall, 80mg in the Grande, and 100mg in the Venti. Note that these caffeine levels may vary depending on the number of scoops of matcha tea blend a customer asks for.
Dairy Content
The Starbucks Matcha Tea Latte has dairy as 2% whole milk is used to prepare it. As discussed earlier, the 2% milk in the Starbucks Matcha Tea Latte is simply regular cow whole milk with skimmed fat, leaving behind only 2% of the total fat. This milk is also referred to as reduced-fat milk.
The milk Starbucks uses in the Matcha Tea Latte depends on the latte size. The short latte has 6fl oz. of 2% milk, the tall size has 10fl oz., the Grande size has 14fl oz., and the Venti size has 18fl oz.
The 2% milk used is from the Dean Foods brand, an American company now a Dairy Farmers of America subsidiary. This is the brand that Starbucks has been using for its whole milk since 2003.
A customer can, however, request to have any other milk in their Matcha Tea Latte besides 2% milk. Other milk options include soy, almond, heavy cream, oat, coconut, and sweet vanilla. Milk foam is also present in this latte.
So, what does Starbucks Matcha Tea Latte taste like?
The Starbucks Matcha Tea Latte is sweet, sugary, creamy, and smooth, with rich flavors of green tea. This latte’s sweet and sugary taste is due to the sugar in the matcha tea blend used. The creamy and smooth texture of the Matcha Tea Latte is from the 2% milk used. The green tea flavor is thanks to the matcha tea blend added, which has Japanese ground green tea.
Ways to customize a Starbucks Matcha Tea Latte at Starbucks – Starbucks Matcha Tea Latte variations
Begin customizing your matcha tea latte by asking for either a hot or cold version.
Also, ask the barista to prepare your latte with any kind of milk you prefer.
Your Matcha Tea Latte can also be prepared with as many matcha tea blend scoops as you want, depending on how flavorful, sweet, and caffeinated you want your latte. Note that the more scoops you ask for, the more sugar, caffeine, and matcha flavors your latte will have. Generally, the short size uses one scoop, a tall two, a Grande three, and the Venti size four scoops.
If you’d like, ask the barista to add your favorite sweetener to your drink for more sweetness. Starbucks classic syrup, vanilla syrup, or sugar packets are used.
You can request the barista to use a pump or two of your favorite flavored syrup for more flavors.
This drink is usually prepared with foam and steamed hot milk, but you can modify this to your preferred milk temperature and eliminate or ask for more foam.
How to make Starbucks Matcha Tea Latte at home – Starbucks Matcha Tea Latte Copycat recipe
Starbucks Matcha Tea Latte Copycat recipe
Equipment
- Milk frother
- Matcha whisk
- Saucepan
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons of matcha powder
- 2 tablespoons of hot water
- 1 cup of whole milk
- 2 tablespoons of sugar/honey
Instructions
- Into a saucepan over medium heat, pour the milk and let it warm until steamy but be careful not to let it boil.
- As the milk warms, place the matcha powder and hot water in a small bowl, and with a matcha whisk, mix them thoroughly until you get a lump-free matcha paste.
- Once the milk is warm, pour it into a large mug, and froth the milk for about 30 seconds with the milk frother.
- Transfer the matcha paste into your latte mug, pour the frothed milk over, and mix the latte slowly and thoroughly.
- Add the sugar/honey and mix further and enjoy.
Notes
- For an iced Matcha Tea Latte, simply serve the matcha latte over a glass with ice cubes.
- Add a shot or two of your favorite espresso to the latte for a more caffeinated matcha tea latte with coffee flavors.
- Feel free to use any matcha powder you love and replace the sugar/honey with your preferred sweetener.
- Use as much matcha powder as you want, depending on how rich you want the matcha flavors in your latte.
- This recipe yields one serving of 14fl oz. Latte, so adjust the amount of the ingredients mentioned to suit the number of servings you want.
INFORMATIVE SECTION
How to order a Starbucks Matcha Tea Latte?
To order a Starbucks Matcha Tea Latte from the Starbucks app, simply log into the app, and under the hot coffees section, scroll down to lattes and select “Matcha Tea Latte.” Then, choose the size you want and the modifications you want to be made to the drink, then place your order. The iced version is ordered the same way, only that it’s available under the “Cold Coffees” section.
To order in-store, ask the barista for a “Matcha Tea Latte” and let them know if you want the hot or iced version. Also, mention any customizations you want to be done to the latte.
How much is the Starbucks Matcha Tea Latte?
The price of this latte varies, depending on the location and the size. Generally, a short is about $2.45, a tall $2.95, a Grande $3.65, and the Venti $4.15.
Can I have a matcha tea latte when pregnant?
Yes, however, you should stick to the small sizes due to the high sugar and caffeine levels in the larger sizes.
Starbucks Matcha Tea Latte sweet?
Yes, this latte is sweet, thanks to the sweetened matcha tea blend.
Is Starbucks Matcha Tea Latte good?
Yes, this latte is rich, sweet, and creamy. However, it’s wise to try it yourself since taste is subjective.
Is Starbucks Matcha Tea Latte keto?
No, this latte isn’t keto-friendly due to its high sugar levels.
Is Starbucks Matcha Tea Latte healthy?
Generally, this latte is healthy if consumed moderately. Remember, the sugar levels are on the higher side.
Related posts:
Starbucks Matcha Tea Latte (Ingredients, Taste, Variations, Sizes, Copycat Recipe, Caffeine, Calories, Dairy content & more information)
Starbucks Java chip vs cookie Crumble: Which One is better?
Starbucks white mocha syrup vs sauce: Which One is better?
Starbucks Flat White vs. Macchiato: which one is stronger?
